The Japan Times: Subculture Inspires Young Male Cross-dressing Trend
I came across this article and wanted to post it, not for the purpose of making people say, “oh, hey Japan is messed up.” But to emphasize how different gender roles and sexuality are expressed here than where I came from. One might have the former reaction upon glancing at that headline, but read the article, and your response may change slightly (or not, but at least you’ll have more information).
Or, if you’re in TL;DR mode:
Japan has a long history of cross-dressing males. “Nihonshoki,” or “Chronicle of Japan,” written in the eighth century, describes Yamato Takerunomikoto disguised as a woman, Mizuha said. Until the Edo Period, people dressed their sons in girls’ clothes to pray for good health because girls were thought to be more resistant to disease, she said.
And of course opposite-gender representation has long been a cultural element of stage entertainment, from kabuki to the all-female Takarazuka musical troupe, whose members play both sexes, to TV celebrities dressed in drag.
While still considered strange, cross-dressing is much more visible here in the cultural consciousness than in the West.
Anyway, a big lesson that I’ve learned here: There are social, cultural, and developmental roots that shape a person and are the reasons they are the way they are. I don’t mean this in a negative way at all.
I don’t have to agree with the choices a person might make about their life (note: I am not saying whether I agree or disagree with cross-dressing, either—but we can talk about that sometime), but I will make an effort to understand that person.
More understanding, less judgmental. That’s where I’m headed! I am getting better at it.
