Gender and Pop Culture in Japan

Gender and TV in Japan

“D o r a m a”

•Mass Popularity•Seasonal, 9-12 episodes•Important Medium

“Trendy Dramas”

• Real life, hard issues• Elements of sit-com, romance, soap

opera• Evening, winter• Big Stars• Bubble Economy

GENDER ON TV:TRADITIONAL!• Normative

heterosexuality• Formula:

attractive heterosexual lead with love interests

• Varying levels of progressiveness, usually pretty traditional

Depiction of Gender: Traditional

• “CA to oyobi!” • Arisa Mizuki plays Sae• Traditional Female character

playing typical feminine role

DEPICTION OF GENDER:

LESS TRADITIONAL?

• “ATTENTION PLEASE”

• Stars Aya Ueto as Yoko

• Ostensibly progressive

BEFORE AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

DEPICTION OF GENDER: NON-TRADITIONAL

• “You can stay if you become my pet.”

• To her surprise, he agrees. She names him Momo.

Takarazuka

rose of versailles (star and cosmos troupe together):http://youtube.com/watch?v=CkV5ZCxQIsk

Gender and Contemporary Art in Japan

Makoto Aida, The Giant member Fuji versus King Gidra, 1993.

Minako Nishiyama, The Pinkù House, 1991.

Minako Nishiyama, Moshi Moshi Pink, 1995.

Yoshiko Shimada, Shooting Lesson #11, 1992.

Yoshiko Shimada and BuBu, Heal and Repair, 1998.

Yasumasa Morimura,To My Little Sister: Cindy Sherman, 1998.