JPop Writing: Masculinity Versus the Bishounen

I'm taking a class on Japanese Pop Culture where we are required to write responses to our weekly reading. I hope my late-night entries are insightful enough to post here as well. The book we are reading this week is Japan Pop! .

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The term “pretty boy” implies more than a young, attractive, male. The American term has acquired a negative, “sissy” connotation –a man obsessed with physical appearance worth little aside from his looks. In Japan, there exists a word, “bishounen,” which literally translates to “pretty boy.” However, the feminine attitude possessed by Bido of Yukan Club, from the Maia Tsurumi essay, is not a definitive portrayal. Bishounen are not necessarily petty, frequently taking on protagonist roles in popular media.

The traits each culture associates with masculinity can be observed in popular culture. For example, in Gears of War, a testosterone-laden, American video game, characters are older and unrealistically muscled, with stronger jaws and more facial hair. The game itself has a large focus on its weapons arsenal, and its story focuses on shooting aliens to survive and exact revenge. In Final Fantasy, which is mentioned in the Eri Izawa’s article on romance, the protagonist is often younger, with a boyish face and thinner body. The stories often revolve around the main character’s growth through the adventure rather than the specific creatures he has to face.

Another interesting feature which arises with bishounen is homosexuality. Yukan Club’s Bido acts feminine to attract women. One can see a similar trait in reality. Heterosexual women make up the majority of “Boys’ Love,” or “BL,” readers. This work can vary between romance, pornography, and pedastry. However, they all share a common tread: idealism, a trait also seen in other media, like NHK, morning, dramas.

Most of my contact with Japanese culture comes from American conventions. In the United States, homosexuality is treated with a more black-and-white, taboo attitude. From my experience, most American, BL, purchases are made by girls between fourteen and seventeen. I believe this stems from the aforementioned idealism, and as people grow older and experience their own relationships, gay or straight, they want more realistic depictions. Another interesting feature of this phenomenon is that the purchased work usually does not depict direct, homosexual, action. The buyer sees two male characters standing next to each other, and a relationship forms in the buyer’s head.

The ideal American male is cold and aggressive. However, as shown by womens’ actions, the Japanese have developed another desirable ideal, where the male is accepting of his feelings. This type of personality is embodied in popular culture by the feminine, physical, traits of bishounen.