1. Introduction There are the words “BL(short form of Boys’ Love)”, “Yaoi” and “Hujyoshi(means Rotten girls in Japanese).” Each of them became famous rapidly. But those kinds of works including comics, CDs, novels, animes, and games, often have really sexual scenes and are provoking discussion. So I would like to research how this boom started and why are they so attracting for women. Also I am going to think about the international reaction about these.
2. Definition of the terms BL is a name of the huge genre which is about boys’ love. Therefore it usually includes everything. Yaoi came from “Yama nashi, Ochi nashi, Imi nashi: No climax, No punch line, No meanings,” which are used by yaoi authors as a self-ridicule word. This word originally
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Most of boys’ love works are made by women and for women, but nearly all of the characters are male and main story is about boys’ love and women are not at all involved in the stories. Then why is it so popular? Kaneda Jyunko analyzed and suggested six points. 1. Sexuality always gives anxiety or fear to women. Yaoi is an escape from it. 2. When women have misogyny, they try to feel close to non-women existence, which is usually a man. And yaoi is a representation of this. 3. By making a man like a woman, women try to make a revenge on men. 4. Yaoi has an ability to change the current gender system by showing what is hided in the society. 5. Yaoi is far from the reality, real sexuality, and the power of gender. Those enable women to enjoy it. 6. In yaoi, women love the relationship of two men rather than one as a …show more content…
Conclusion Boys’ love is a relatively new culture and due to the explicit sexual expression, it still has a lot of problems. Also the prejudices from inside Japan or outside have not disappeared. However, it is gradually accepted by societies and that can be seen in many manga or novels titled “Hujyoshi Kanojyo” (Hujyosi girlfriend), “Tonari no 801 chan” (My neighbor Yaoi-chan), and “Mousou syoujyo otaku kei” (Fujyoshi Rumi). All of them are the stories about Hujyoshi, but the images of them are positive. In addition, the existence of the job to send Japanese doujinshi to foreign countries proves the international demand. And it is really interesting that America already had a slash novel culture starting with Star Trek before they imported Japanese Boys’ Love. Unfortunately, there are not that much academic research on this topic because of the prejudices and the shared feeling that to talk about it is embarrassing. Therefore, we have to remove all those obstacles and simply look at the culture and research. Apparently in this genre, tons of money are spend each year and it has the importance in
Women pageant queens think they are supposed to represent the ideal of female beauty. The tomboy is especially associated with childhood and is defined by the girlhood performance of masculinity. As Michele Abate noted, “The traits most Americans are likely to name as constitutive of this code of tomboy conduct include proclivity for outdoor play (especially athletics), a feisty independent spirit, and a tendency to don masculine clothing and adopt a boyish nickname” (Abate). What does it mean to be a boy in children’s literature and the kind of varieties of boys that are represented? J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series typically features a social, educational, and physical dangers of school life that provide opportunities for adventure, mischief, and exploration. This collection of experiences allows boys to enact traditional forms of boyhood while practicing many of adult men’s culture and the ability to plan out schemes. Not all boys in children’s literature fit these conventional models of the physically robust athlete, hearty survivalist, or mischievous bad boy. Children’s literature also includes boys such as Laure in Little Women, who are described as sensitive, saintly, sickly, or effeminate. The literary and popular texts help understand expectations of boyhood and the insight into contemporary constructions of
Ladies and gentlemen, this is rape culture. Rape culture teaches young girls to not dress “provocatively,” tells them that “boys will be boys, they can’t help themselves,” and establishes sexual violence as the norm. Rape culture normalizes hypermasculinity and promotes victim blaming. Rape culture is incredibly dangerous and very, very common.
From the day they are born, parents play a huge role in socializing gender by giving their children toys to play with based on their gender. Boys are expected to like and play with toys such as trucks, cars, trains, and gross things like bugs and mud. Girls are expected to like anything pink, dolls, kitchen sets, and playing tea party with their dolls and stuffed animals. It is acceptable for girls to occasionally play with toys meant for boys but not vise versa. As they grow into their teenage years they are taught to like more things based on one’s gender. Kevin Macdonald writes, “boys like guns, boxing, wrestling and karate, team sports, and fixing things. Girls prefer dolls, sewing, cooking, dancing, and looking after younger children.” In their teenage years girls are not really suppose to like boy things and if they do they are seen as a tomboy. Through time though it has become more acceptable for girls to like a few guy things such as sports. As they become adults their expectations on what they like stays pretty much the same as teenage years. Men like things such as sports, cars, outdoor activities like hunting and fishing, and work. Women are expected to like things such as fashion (makeup, nails, clothes, shoes, etc.), cooking or baking, and doing
The film had nothing to do with the male characters. For once Disney made the male characters the bystanders as the females took center stage. The film is not about finding your one true love and living happily ever after. Surprisingly no one in the film ended up getting married. The female characters stood their ground and remained strong independent women. Instead it is about two sisters in a coming of age story and reconnecting as sisters. Little things like the death of their parents and the catchy songs live up to the Disney formula, but the film as a whole is something new and refreshing. While Disney is not quite on Japanese director, Hayao Miyazaki’s level of producing strong female characters, this movie was a move in the right direction. Instead of a movie with girls this movie is about girls.
Since young girls today spend more time surfing the web, they are exposed to more mainstream advertisements that boast sexual content, and as a result, many girls want to do the things they are seeing young girls just like Winifred do. In addition to exposure to sexual content on the internet, the music of popular culture leaves very little to the imagination. Women in these music videos are more often shown as provocative and wearing revealing clothing. Many girls look up to these women and want to emulate them because they are their favorite artist. For instance, Beyoncé’s album “Beyoncé” features the song “Partition”, where Beyoncé says “He Monica Lewinski all on my gown”. The sexual reference to Monica Lewinski is hypersexu...
The quality of graphic language and depictions of sexuality help to develop the narrative and develop the characters.
They play a role in putting emphasis on themes such as a woman’s passive nature and their beauty. Fairytales are a mode of enhancing the difference between the genders and supporting the dominant gender. Disney films and children’s fairytales put a high amount of emphasis on the theme of feminine beauty ideal (Baker-Sperry & Grauerholz, 2003). It is a social construct that believes that the greatest asset a female has is that of her physical attractiveness and a female should strive to achieve and maintain it. This leads to one believing that females are oppressed, devalued and objectified, particularly in a patriarchal society (Baker-Sperry & Grauerholz, 2003). According to Baker-Sperry and Grauerholz (2003) women find beauty to be empowering and like to engage in rituals that enhance their beauty. Bordo (1993) believes that woman and adolescent girls achieve a high social status and maintain their self-esteem by engaging beauty rituals through the course of the day (as cited in Baker-Sperry & Grauerholz, 2003). The importance of female beauty ideal and physical attractiveness in society is emphasized in many Disney films and children’s media. According to Chyng (2001) many films emphasize the importance of sexuality and often-female characters are portrayed as overly sexual (as cited in Towbin, Haddock, Zimmerman, Lund, & Tanner, 2004).
The preferences of BDSM participants may differ from each other greatly: while some are only intersted in a limited range of BDSM activities, which are not necessarily physically harmful but are humiliating in some way, vebrbally for example, others may be attracted to broad and even potentially dangerous ones. Roles that can be distinguished in BDSM sessions are different as well and can be "switched". Although BDSM is thought to be a form of erotic behavior, most BDSM practitioners describe BDSM activities first of all as a source of sensory pleasure and not so much as a source for erotic
Japan is known for its unique gardening style, their diverse plants, their food, and their beautifully woven tapestries. Yet, most do not know about the history of their drama. Japanese Noh theatre is one of the most precise and prestigious art forms. It has been this way since the fourteenth century when Zeami first created Noh theatre. Zeami’s most famous plays, such as Kinuta, are still performed today. Japanese drama has not changed much since the fourteenth century because it has made a lasting effect on the culture. Noh theatre had a major influence on fourteenth century Japan and has affected modern day drama.
The biological characteristics are an important fact on the development of sexual identity, a more accurate definition for biological characteristics can be sex, according to the Oxford dictionary sex means: “Either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and most other living things are divided on the basis of their reproductive functions.” (“Sex,” 2013) The sex definition is connected to the idea of the genital organs that define us as males or females. Therefore the sex is one of the main sexuality boosters, because the male is form by testosterone and estrogen the levels of testosterone are higher than the levels of estrogen and that cause in the male most violent and masculine traits. On the other hand, the girls have more estrogen levels than testosterone, because the estrogen is the one that generates de corporal development on the women (Gwartney, 2013).
Japanimation (Japanese animation) is becoming one of Japan's most popular exports to the world; it has become a growing phenomenon in the US. Anime has attracted hordes of fans in many countries; the artistic detail, and the intriguing and the outrageous storylines are causing fans to be addicted. College fan clubs, societies, and the Internet have popularized anime (derived from a French word, but is used in Japan to describe animation) to the point of conventions being held all over the world. Anime ratings range from “G” to “NC-17.” These ratings only exist when they are imported into the US, as in Japan their rating system is different. The Japanese air shows on television that contains a lot of violence and nudity in it. On American television, extreme violence and nudity is prohibited for children, especially if the show is animated. Some animes are cute and are made specifically for children; then there are animes that are for teenagers that have romance, love, and everyday situations that teenagers go through. The most gruesome kind of anime consists of bloodshed, violence, nudity, sex, and bad language. Ding said, "Well first of all, when you have Saturday morning cartoons on channel twenty and fifty, people thirst for good animation and something different. Anime is just that, Americans have never seen or even thought of extreme violence, nudity, or cussing in cartoons. Since the Japanese don't think that nudity in cartoons is lewd, no one in Japan cares if they see someone naked popping up on the screen" (G. Ding, personal communication, November 2, 2000).
in Japan, it is a major component of their popular culture, and composers such as Koji
Western Washington University (2011). US / Japan culture comparison. Retrieved February 9, 2014, from www.wwu.edu/auap/english/gettinginvolved/CultureComparison.shtml
According to research by Marissa McClure Volrath, an elementary art teacher, her findings allowed us to realize and understand that gender identity can been seen through a child’s artwork and how it is presented. “Although many young girls’ drawings do seem to adults’ perception to convey the sweetness, innocence, and themes of girlhood, they are also the kinds of drawings often hung up and ignored or referred to as “sweet” or “cute.” They are unlikely to solicit the attention of a young boys’ drawing of a gun or a superhero fist fight. They seem pleasant and innocent. However, these drawings reveal and conceal girls’ desires to see themselves not how they are but how they wish they might be or think they should be—a complicated matter operating on multiple levels of pleasure, desire, and sociality oppressed (McClure-Vollrath, 2006, p. 68).” Socially the world expects girls to be interested in princesses and the color pink, that’s the social norma and looked to as socially acceptable. The study performed by McClure Volrath allows a way to see beyond the social norms and understand that through a child’s art we are able to see a difference in a child’s gender identity. The media often has an influence on a child’s gender identity. Drawings a boy may draw of a gun might be seen in a cartoon that they religiously watch, and this is looked to as being a social norm. Boys often watch violent or action packed cartoons or television shows, whereas girls might draw a pony seen in their favorite cartoon. Girls are often expected as a norm to watch cartoons and shows that might involve drama and romance. “Again, identity is a social concept. When we engage any media, no matter what form it may take, we are in essence receiving the ideas from those authors. Simply, it is a different format by which we now exchange ideas (Worsham, 2011).” As we grow we take in information we see, as stated before, our surroundings mold us.
Gender is a sociological factor which is a set of relationships, attributes, roles, beliefs and attitudes of human. On the other hand, sexuality can be referred into two traits. First is Biological; second is Physiological. Biological trait is about the difference of sex organs, the production of estrogen or testosterone. Physiological trait is about the difference of facial features, size of bones, shoulders, muscles, fatty issues. According to American Psychological Association, gender and sexuality impacts and is impacted by cultural, political, legal, and philosophical aspects of life. As popular culture is the culture of today, which is always based on universal activities, it is effortless to alter the mind of human so the concept of gender and sexuality would be easier to change. Therefore, this essay is going to discuss about how popular culture affects gender and sexuality in human's attitudes.