Modern girls(モダンガール,modan gāru)(also shortened tomoga) wereJapanesewomen who followed Westernized fashions and lifestyles in the period afterWorld War I.
 Modern girls wearing "Beach Pajama"style clothing walking downGinzain 1928 | |
| Years active | Interwar |
|---|---|
| Country | Japan |
| Influences | Naomi |
Mogawere Japan's equivalent of America'sflappers,Germany'sneue Frauen,France'sgarçonnes,or China'smodeng xiaojie(Ma đăngTiểu tỷ).[1]By viewingmogathrough a Japanese versus Western lens, the nationalist press could use the modern girl archetype to blame such failings asfrivolity,sexual promiscuity,andselfishnesson foreign influence.[2]The period was characterized by the emergence ofworking classyoung women with access to money and consumer goods. Using aristocratic culture as their standard of Japaneseness, the critics of the modern girl condemned her working class traits as "unnatural" for Japanese. Modern girls were depicted as living in the cities, being financially and emotionally independent, choosing their own suitors, and apathetic towards politics.[3]The woman's magazine was a novelty at this time, and the modern girl was the model consumer, someone more often found in advertisements for cosmetics and fashion than in real life. The all-femaleTakarazuka Revue,established in 1914,[4]and the novelNaomi(1924) are outstanding examples of modern girl culture.
Origins and etymology
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Jun'ichirō Tanizaki's 1924 novelNaomiis credited as creating the term "modern girl". The novel was such a hit that it caused considerable outrage among elders in Japan. However, younger women embraced the story and celebrated the values displayed by several of the main characters. The character became a feature of manysilent filmsproduced in Japan at the time by directors likeYasujirō Ozu.Actresses such asTatsuta Shizuebecame known for their depiction of modern girls in contrast to the more traditional values depicted by other characters in films.[5]
The modern girl archetype was further bolstered by magazines such asThe Housewife's Friend(Chủ phụ の hữu,Shufu no tomo),founded in 1917, andWoman(Nữ tính,Josei),founded in 1922; both magazines ran articles, fashion tips, and advice on the modern girl lifestyle,[6]withJoseidescribed as "the bible of the modern girl."[7]
Behavior
editThe values of modern girls emphasised complete financial and emotional independence.[8]Modern girls would work service industry-style jobs and live on their own, not dependent on their family. They smoked, watched movies, and hung out at the cafes; they were sexually liberated, choosing their own suitors. Many of them participated incasual sex.[6]In a 1928 short story by Kataoka Teppei, a young typist dates three "modern boys" at the same time.[9]She is described as decadent, hedonistic, and superficial.[9]
However, the ideals of modern girls were not considered to be politically-driven, nor did young women adopt modern girl values and behaviours as a direct form of protest. Instead, modern girls sought change via themselves,[clarification needed]withconsumerismthe first and foremost consideration and driving factor. Modern girls constantly shopped at the newdepartment storesand listened tojazzrecords.
Appearance
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A modern girl's appearance was completely Western. Modern girls worepumpsand short dresses, discarding thekimonoandtraditional hairstylesfor Western-style "garçonne" looks; similar to flappers, thebob cutwas immensely popular among modern girls, who also openly worelipstick.Much of their dress and appearance resembled Western film stars such asOlive Thomas,Clara Bow,andMary Pickford.[6]Pickford is used as a symbol of modernism inNaomi.
End of era
editThe modern girl was a symbol ofWesternization,and a symbol of extravagance and self-centred choices. However, following military coups in the mid- to late 1930s, extremeJapanese nationalism,theGreat Depressionand theSecond Sino-Japanese War,the popularity of Western fashion, ideals and entertainment declined sharply. The decline of the modern girl, previously driven by the use of disposable income on consumerism and shopping, was only exacerbated further by the severe rationing ofWorld War II.Following World War II, the developments of post-war Japan prompted a return to the 19th century ideal of "good wife, wise mother".
See also
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- New Woman
- Kogal
- Haikara-san ga Tōru,a popular 1970smangaandanimeseries byWaki Yamatoin which the lead character, Hanamura Benio, is a "modern girl," or "haikara-san "(" Miss High-Collar ")
References
edit- ^The Modern Girl Around the World: Consumption, Modernity, and Globalization,Edited by Alys Eve Weinbaum, Lynn M. Thomas, Priti Ramamurthy, Uta G. Poiger, Modeleine Yue Dong, and Tani E. Barlow, p. 1.
- ^The Gender/Sexuality Reader: Culture, History, Political Economy,edited by Roger N. Lancaster and Micaela Di Leonardo, pp. 493-494
- ^The 'Modern' Japanese Woman,The Chronicle5/21/2004:
- ^Makiko Yamanashi,The Takarasienne and Moga: Modernity in the Prewar Girls' CultureArchivedApril 13, 2015, at theWayback Machine
- ^Joo, Woojeong (2017).Cinema of Ozu Yasujiro: Histories of the Everyday.Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. p. 82.ISBN978-0-74869-632-1.
- ^abcThe Gender/Sexuality Reader: Culture, History, Political Economy,edited by Roger N. Lancaster and Micaela Di Leonardo.
- ^"Sex in the City: Chastity vs Free Love in Interwar Japan"
- ^Saunders, Rebecca (December 6, 2021)."'Modern girls': Japan's first recognizable youth culture movement ".The Japan Times.RetrievedMarch 22,2023.
- ^abThe New Japanese Woman: Modernity, Media, and Women in Interwar Japan
Further reading
edit- The Gender/Sexuality Reader: Culture, History, Political Economy,Vintage Books
- The New Japanese Woman: Modernity, Media, and Women in Interwar Japan
- Dunn, Michael,Taisho Chic: Modern girls and outrage,The Japan Times,May 10, 2007.
- The Modern Girl Around the World: Consumption, Modernity, and GlobalizationEdited by Alys Eve Weinbaum, Lynn M. Thomas, Priti Ramamurthy, Uta G. Poiger, Modeleine Yue Dong, and Tani E. Barlow
- Silverberg, Miriam (1991). "The Modern Girl as Militant." in Gail Bernstein,Recreating Japanese Women: 1600-1945.pp 239–66.
External links
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