Shut up and look cute
Though you would think that Japan would be pleased that a Flower of Nihon has been crowned Miss Universe for the first time in almost 50 years, by many people here (including Mrs. JP) is complaining about Riyo Mori’s looks. Some are even saying that she does not look “Japanese” enough.
According to recent article by a Japanese weekly magazine, the blame for a Miss Japan who does not look Japanese enough should go to Ines Ligron, the producer of Miss Universe Japan since 1998.
“Ines has no regard at all for cuteness. She respects traditional Japanese values of humility, earnestness and proper manners, but says taking them on to the world will only leave you crushed,” a Miss Universe Japan spokesman tells Shukan Bunshun. “Rather than these values, she encourages contestants to be independent, set goals, be intelligent and emphasize their strengths. Rather than pale-looking women, she wants women to be mature, glamorous and healthy looking. Japanese wouldn’t think of beauties along these lines.”
Hmmm. . . Women who are independent and intelligent, and who set goals and emphasize their strengths. . . We can’t have any of that over here, can we?
Anyway, Ligron does not let any of the criticism bother her, and she encourages Japanese women to stand up and express themselves.
“In Japan, there’s still too much of the idea of punishing those who stand out,” Ligron tells Shukan Bunshun. “Don’t think the same things as everybody else and show more of your own personality. Don’t just copy the fashions of popular idols. It’s important to take care of your own personality.”
I watched Ms.Mori in a short TV interview on 11th June 07. I was very impressed by the fact that she wasn’t an ordinary Japanese women at all. She was so independent, steady character and spoke distinct clear Japanese without any vagueness. Some commented she spoke the language like a westerner(strange expression).
She even explained that she had enough confidence when the contest started because she had been working so hard and well prepared for the pageant. She has definitely given very strong impression to the judges that she was not only the women of appearance but full of intelligence and independent character. She could have been actually standing out from other competitors.
June 12th, 2007 at 12:52 amHa ha ha! Oh, I absolutely love that this issue has been raised in Japan and that dailogue about it will continue! Fascinating.
How long till Ligron expands her empire and tries to come up with a Japanese Academy award winner or pop star? . . . Or gets kicked out of the country. I think it’s really interesting that she is so dedicated to the whole Miss Universe pagent world. Not everyone goes to Japan and sticks it out for so many years with a firm goal in mind.
June 12th, 2007 at 1:01 amHow can she not look Japanese enough? Is it because she’s over five feet tall (5′8″ in her case) and has good teeth?
June 12th, 2007 at 1:29 amPaul, young Japanese women usually make themselves somewhere coquettish, girly, amiable or agreeable facial expressions. But Riyo Mori doesn’t do that at all. Moreover she isn’t feminine of character, and she looks cool beautiful rather than pretty. So, she isn’t the cutie type of woman which is the fondness standard of many Japanese.
Most Japanese girls on TV, in Movies, in Magazines, on the streets, in the subways are cutie type. Therefore Riyo Mori looks like a foreigner such as Chinese or Japanese American.
June 12th, 2007 at 2:31 amJapanese auto dealers make cars for the west and for themselves.
There’s no reason why the definition of “beauty” can’t expand in Japan.
June 12th, 2007 at 3:18 amWhile most Japanese women may be the “cutie type”, there are, in my opinion, a good number who look quite stunning and who can hardly be described as “cute”. For example, I would have to say that Ito Misaki or Nakatani Miki look far better than Miss Universe and can be rightly described as simply beautiful. Ms. Mori on the other hand is fine, I suppose, but she looks like she might not have been very out of place on the set of Dallas back in the day thanks to her makeup and hairstyle.
Personally, I’d rather not see the effects of globalization (which is perfectly fine in an economic sense) encroach upon and erode the diversity in the standards of beauty that can be seen worldwide.
June 12th, 2007 at 3:22 am“Personally, I’d rather not see the effects of globalization (which is perfectly fine in an economic sense) encroach upon and erode the diversity in the standards of beauty that can be seen worldwide.”
If anything, globalisation IS diversifying the standard of beauty. Miss Mori is an example of a “different” kind of beauty than Japan would have had in the past. In other words, she’s expanded beauty in her own country, not suddenly restricted it! And certainly “kawaii” is gaining an audience outside of Japan.
On the flip side, we now have an East Asian Miss Universe. This hadn’t happened in many, many years when the pagent was dominated by a bunch of white folk and hot Latinas.
Honestly. One Miss Japan wins a Miss Universe pagent and you’d think that suddenly all women in Japan believe they aren’t beautiful and the cuties you have all enjoyed over the years are going to disappear. That’s ridiculous and histrionic. Miss Ligron is presenting a challenge to the status quo, but there is such a deeply rooted sense of aesthetics in Japan, it isn’t suddenly going to disappear!
June 12th, 2007 at 5:41 amI ask the question to every man… ‘if she wanted to take you to bed would you say No’.
June 12th, 2007 at 5:47 amI am married to Yamatonadeshiko, and I would say no!
June 12th, 2007 at 6:33 amDoesn’t she say something about healthy? Looking at
Miss Mori I couldn’t help but notice that her legs
were not very muscular for someone who is supposed
to be a ballet dancer. She appears to me the typical
thin woman.
Mikey
June 12th, 2007 at 7:14 amMarie, you rock.
June 12th, 2007 at 9:55 amI am married to Yamatonadeshiko, and I would say no!
yeah right, more like Maki Tsukada (judo champion) then I would believe you.
I’m from a judo background.
June 12th, 2007 at 10:36 am(you took your time cousin) - to get around to wot you are an expert at,but i still think that Ayumi-chan is a “Hottie“.
http://english.people.com.cn/200408/18/eng20040818_153588.html
a Real Woman
rem.
June 12th, 2007 at 2:09 pm[...] Japanese apparently feel Miss Universe Riyo Mori isn’t quite Japanese enough, either in appearance or attitude. [Japundit] This entry was written by Robert Koehler and posted [...]
June 14th, 2007 at 6:47 pm