ok i hope my explanation makes sense/doesn't disrespect anyone's culture.
My Japanese friend told me that a lot of people will dress up because it's one of their only creative outlets/forms of expression. In Japan, the way of life is very rigid as far as your career and family and so forth. Some people who are inherently creative but who are 'trapped' in the rat race (college education -> booming corporate career -> getting married -> raising family if you're female) will dress really crazy to make up for the fact that they can't express themselves in any other way (choosing their career, for example)
anyone who knows more, please feel free to correct me.
ok i hope my explanation makes sense/doesn't disrespect anyone's culture.
My Japanese friend told me that a lot of people will dress up because it's one of their only creative outlets/forms of expression. In Japan, the way of life is very rigid as far as your career and family and so forth. Some people who are inherently creative but who are 'trapped' in the rat race (college education -> booming corporate career -> getting married -> raising family if you're female) will dress really crazy to make up for the fact that they can't express themselves in any other way (choosing their career, for example)
anyone who knows more, please feel free to correct me.
i agree.
plus, east asian cultures (maybe others? not sure) heavily emphasize the group over the singular ("for the class/family/company/country!"), assimilation over individualism, so dressing way out of the norm is their way of rebelling and making a statement. sometimes it backfires, since it catches on as a trend and everyone starts doing/wearing the same thing. so to stand out again, they need to do crazier things. some go a little overboard and look like crazy mofos, but i think they wholeheartedly embrace the fact that they don't look like anybody else.
My Japanese friend told me that a lot of people will dress up because it's one of their only creative outlets/forms of expression. In Japan, the way of life is very rigid as far as your career and family and so forth. Some people who are inherently creative but who are 'trapped' in the rat race (college education -> booming corporate career -> getting married -> raising family if you're female) will dress really crazy to make up for the fact that they can't express themselves in any other way (choosing their career, for example)
Oh gosh, that's so very sad. I will be a lot more tolerant when I see these styles. I can't imagine being so constantly restrained/repressed to that degree!
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"Good taste shouldn't have to cost anything extra." - Mickey Drexler
ok i hope my explanation makes sense/doesn't disrespect anyone's culture.
My Japanese friend told me that a lot of people will dress up because it's one of their only creative outlets/forms of expression. In Japan, the way of life is very rigid as far as your career and family and so forth. Some people who are inherently creative but who are 'trapped' in the rat race (college education -> booming corporate career -> getting married -> raising family if you're female) will dress really crazy to make up for the fact that they can't express themselves in any other way (choosing their career, for example)
anyone who knows more, please feel free to correct me.
lilykind- i think you are on track.
on a side note: i love looking at japanese street fashion. i have some websites i visit and check out because i think it is so creative.
I hope that I do not sound racist when I say this...
I think that the look is cute on Japanese people, but when us white folk try to imitate the look they just look like wierdo Club Kids circa 1993. I am expecting to see Michael Alig and James St James in one of these photos realy soon...
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"Whatever you are, be a good one." --Abraham Lincoln
This reminds me of the ANTM seaon where they sent them to Tokyo. The street style was really funky, the local girls dressed up like dolls and the ANTM girls thought it was so bizarre.