There's no place quite like Japan for that paradigm-shifting-without-a-clutch experience. My daughter starts Junior High School next month, and she's been happily getting her school supplies together. The other day I saw her picking a new wardrobe at an online retailer that carried all the brands girls are wearing these days, like Beverly Hills Polo Club, School Scene, and of course, Playboy. Say what? It turns out that in Japan, the famous bunny logo is extremely popular with fashionable girls, who think it looks oshare (oh-SHA-reh), or stylish and chic. Hiding my surprise, I asked her what "Playboy" was, and she replied, "It's a famous maker of girls' clothes. Don't you know anything, Dad?" I shrugged -- if the symbol was removed from its special meaning in the U.S., I guess it didn't matter if some 13-year-olds had little bunnies sewn into their socks. It's similar to the way the perception of cursing changes in Japan, a country that has no "foul" language or anatomically-based swear words to speak of, with the most common insult being baka (stupid). If my son were to use the "F" word around me I'd likely not bat an eye, since it has no power in a country where no one would be shocked by it.
A surprising clothing brand for girls in Japan.
7 comments:
Hmm, that's pretty surprising. I guess Playboy's really diversifying. Your daughter does sound pretty 'oshare', though, I must say! Hehe.
Basically it's the same mechanism that brings "Chrysler Jeep" bicycles and "Zippo" bicycles, e.g. random licensing of American brands to places they don't care about. They probably just collect a flat 5% from the clothing makers in Japan and don't even know what's being made.
I've heard that Japan has no swear words more than once. However, I've also been watching Oruchuban Ebichi which turns that notion on its head. At least, with one word. I won't post it here unless asked out of decency.
Yes, "manko" is the only word rude enough that you can't say it on TV. Still, it's never used as an insult or interjection, only a rude word for the object.
By the way, if I ever need windows in the U.S., I am totally getting them from this company.
some teenage girls here (in germany) also like the playboy bunny, just because its a cute character, i think. with the difference they know the origin. they dont like the playboy but they like the (mostly pink) clothes and stuff.
Interesting that this would be the legacy of Playboy. Lord knows I haven't picked up the magazines in an age, what with the net at all. Course I only read it for the articles anyway... ^_^
Same thing goes in England, to my knowledge the only playboy stuff i have ever seen on sale here seems to be stuff aimed at young girls...the logo is plastered all over lamps and rugs and shirts and just about anything else they can get their hands on, not even sure if they sell the actual magazine itself here at all...although i have never looked for it
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