Gender in Japanese Popular Culture : Rethinking Masculinities and Femininities

This open-access essay collection brings together a range of viewpoints on gender from a diverse group of international scholars based in Finland, Belgium, Japan, Singapore, and Australia. The focus is, in particular, on gender performativity and non-binary or non-normative gender. The essays examine the ways in which gender can be depicted, perceived, and understood in Japanese popular culture. The work will be of interest to scholars working in gender studies, Asian studies, and popular culture. It will also act as a source text for higher education courses in Asia, Europe, and the United States. Acknowledgements 5 Contents 6 Notes on Contributors 8 List of Figures 10 List of Tables 12 Introduction: Destabilizing Gender 13 1 Introduction 13 2 Gender Diversity in Japan 22 3 The Androgynous and Beautiful Youth 25 4 Gender in Japanese Popular Culture 28 5 On Gender, Discrimination, Masculinities, and Femininities 31 References 36 From Dansō to Genderless: Mediating Queer Styles and Androgynous Bodies in Japan 40 1 Introduction: Mediating Dansō and Genderless 40 2 Contextualizing Androgyny in Japan 47 3 Fashioning Genderless 52 4 Dansō as Ways of “Doing” 58 5 Conclusion: Queer Styles 63 References 65 “I’ll Create My Own Precedents”: Female Rakugo Performers on Tokyo’s Yose Stages 71 1 Introduction to Rakugo 72 2 Women on Rakugo Stages 74 3 Difficulties 76 Portraying Female Characters 76 Navigating Androcentricity and Misogyny 76 Who to Imitate? 76 That Voice of Yours Is Gross 76 Training 76 Harassment and Abuse of Power 76 4 Strategies for Female Empowerment 87 Choosing Your Own Portfolio 87 Role Models: Master and Peers 87 Voice Production 87 Appearance on Stage 87 Stage Persona: Playing with Femininity 87 5 Conclusion 96 References 101 Not Quite There: Nike’s Diversity and Inclusion Agenda and Japan’s Readiness 109 1 Introduction 109 2 Advertising for Social Good 110 Case 1: You can’t Stop Us 110 Case 2: Minding My Own Business 110 Case 3 Nike Playing Safe 110 3 Discussion 124 References 126 Hybrid Masculinities? Reflexive Accounts of Japanese Youth at University Josō Contests 133 1 Introduction 133 2 Hybrid Masculinities?: Theories on Cultural Appropriation 136 3 The Meaning of Josō and Femininities: External and Internal Motivations 140 External Motivations for Josō vs Hybrid Masculinities 140 Internal Motivations for Josō 140 4 Conclusion 156 References 158 The Widening Road: Constructions of Gay Japanese Men on YouTube 160 1 Introduction 160 2 Theoretical Framework 162 3 Introducing Data 164 4 Discussion 179 Appendix 180 References 181 Boys’ Love, Transmedia Storytelling, and LGBT Awareness in Contemporary Japan 184 1 Introduction 184 2 BRM/Yaoi/BL as a Counter-Discourse 186 3 The “Birth” of BRM in the 1970s and 1980s 187 4 Yaoi: Fanfiction Community in the 1980s 189 5 Commercial Success of BL in the 1990s 191 6 Gay Questioning of Yaoi/BL 193 7 “Transformative BL” and Destigmatization 193 8 Transmedia Storytelling and the First “Gay Boom” of the 1990s 195 9 Transmedia Storytelling and the Second “LGBT Boom” of the 2010s and Onward 200 10 Issues Concerning Representation 207 11 Conclusion 211 References 212 Creating the Body Beautiful Cosplay: Crossdressing, Cosplay, and Hyper Femininity/Hyper Masculinity 217 1 Terms and Conditions 218 2 2.5D En Travesti 224 3 Creating the Body Cosplay 231 4 Clothes Maketh the Man 235 5 Following the Rules 238 6 Final Curtain Call 241 References 243 Engagements with Gender, Sexuality, and Authenticity in Cosplay 249 1 Introduction 249 2 Aiming at Authenticity: Gendered Cosplay 251 Crossplay 251 “Trans” Cosplay 251 3 Sex Sells: Authenticity and the Eroticization of Cosplay 262 “Sexy” Cosplay 262 Erotic and Pornographic Cosplay 262 References 279 Index 283