We often find ourselves saying, “Everyone is beautiful in their own way.” Yet, in reality, people still tend to conform to the societal standards set by various media and judge others based on beauty criteria that don’t necessarily align with their individuality. Today, we’d like to offer a different perspective by delving into the world of Japanese animation, not just as entertainment but also as a form of “soft power” that has the potential to reshape your perception of beauty for good.
Society has long been fixated on youthfulness, and even today, the definition of beauty remains closely tied to this notion. Whether it’s various industries continuously producing products and technologies to delay aging or most magazines avoiding featuring older individuals on their covers, it all reflects the prevailing beauty standards. However, Studio Ghibli chose to break free from these confines through Howl’s Moving Castle, an adaptation of the novel by Diana Wynne Jones. The story revolves around Sophie, an 18-year-old girl lacking confidence in her own appearance. But after being helped by the handsome wizard Howl, she is cursed by the Witch of the Waste to transform into an elderly woman, whom, at first, Sophie reluctantly accepts and tries to conceal from her family.
The Witch of the Waste herself becomes one of the victims of the beauty drama, adding value to the concept of youthfulness from another perspective. In one sense, she is portrayed as a cruel and envious character, but behind it all lies a deep fear of aging, forcing her to rely on magic to maintain a youthful appearance, even though aging is a natural part of human life.
From left to right: Sophie, Witch of the Waste | Photo credit: Anime X Feminist
In addition to exploring the theme of beauty, “Howl’s Moving Castle” also exposes the painful reality that society often believes beauty and old age cannot coexist. This is evident through the initial portrayals of both Sophie and the Witch of the Waste. In reality, everyone worries about the effects of aging. However, the film conveys through Sophie’s character the importance of accepting oneself even after being cursed into old age, showing that aging can be a beautiful aspect of life that doesn’t need to be concealed. It emphasizes that beauty and aging are not solely dependent on one’s appearance or age.
Race
First row: Light from Death Note Volume 3 Second row: Light, redrawn with Japanese features Photo credit: Quora
First row from left to right: Japanese, white Second row: Anime characters Photo credit: Wattpad
First row from left to right: White, JapaneseSecond row from left to right: Original character with white features, ‘Japanized’ character Photo credit: Lipstick Alley
It’s often the case that when we watch Japanese anime, we might wonder why characters who appear to be of European descent with fair skin sometimes have Japanese names. At times, it’s apparent that many anime tend to portray stories about Japanese characters, yet they are often infused with an underlying concept of White Supremacy in the way characters are drawn. This is because the models used by artists often come from Caucasian backgrounds, emphasizing beauty standards that prioritize features like fair skin, prominent noses, narrow faces, and double eyelids.
One clear example is the practice of whitewashing, where characters’ skin tones are lightened or altered from reality. In a semi-prepared noodle advertisement by Nissin in 2019, tennis star Naomi Osaka, who is of mixed Japanese-Haitian heritage, was featured alongside Kei Nishikori, another tennis player, to compete against characters from Prince of Tennis. However, the production team altered Naomi’s skin tone to make it significantly lighter to conform to societal beauty standards, which contradicted her actual appearance and ethnic background as a biracial individual.
In addition to the above-mentioned example, the alteration of skin tone is a common occurrence in various forms of media, including magazine covers, films, television programs, and music videos.
However, in the following year, the well-known twin artists Kamikita Jitsuna and Kizuna, who are renowned for their work as illustrators for the Pretty Cure manga series, created a sci-fi work titled Unrivaled NAOMI Tenkaichi. This story narrates Naomi Osaka’s journey to becoming the number one tennis player in the universe. Notably, the character depictions in this work stayed true to the original, marking a significant step towards promoting diversity in portraying authentic beauty.
From past to present, society’s capitalist and consumerist tendencies have cultivated the belief that being overweight is a characteristic of laziness, indulgence in fast food, or poor health. This has led people to be dissatisfied with their own bodies and constantly seek ways to lose weight. Moreover, this pressure extends to those around them, resulting in fat-shaming. The anime series Yuri!!! on ICE begins its narrative with Katsuki Yuri, a figure skater with a relatively larger body size, who becomes disheartened after a disappointing performance at the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. He copes with his feelings by turning to food. Even upon returning to Japan, he continues to face mockery and ridicule from those around him, further eroding his self-confidence. These instances of fat-shaming are portrayed as humorous, rather than fostering empathy and understanding for the character.
As time has passed, attitudes towards obesity have started to change as well. In contemporary action-oriented anime like My Hero Academia, there is a character named Fat Gum who possesses the ability to use his own body fat as a weapon. This contrasts with characters like Choji Akimichi from Naruto, who, despite having similar powers, struggled with his weight. On the other hand, Fat Gum doesn’t view his large size as a disadvantage at all, and it’s even a point of admiration and support from those around him. This shift in perspective highlights a more inclusive and accepting outlook towards body diversity.
It’s important to note that not all cultures view obesity negatively. In Japan, for example, there is a long-standing tradition of sumo wrestling, which has deep roots in Japanese culture dating back over 1,500 years. Sumo wrestlers are known for their large and robust bodies, and these athletes are highly respected for their dedication to controlling their diet and other rigorous practices. Therefore, in Japan, a large physique in the context of sumo is often seen as the result of discipline and hard work in managing their food intake and other aspects of their lifestyle. Consequently, Japan has lower rates of fat-shaming compared to many Western countries.
In today’s world, there is a growing global movement to encourage acceptance of beauty in forms that break away from traditional standards. Even mediums like anime and manga are actively contributing to raising awareness about the problems associated with the prevailing beliefs that link beauty exclusively to youthfulness, fair skin, and slimness. Ultimately, if everyone can wholeheartedly embrace the notion that diversity itself is beauty, it will foster greater self-confidence and a genuine recognition of the inherent worth of being true to oneself.
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