Japanese Street Fashion Video: Pop Culture Subculture and Life
Japanese Fashion trends local and global…Subculture refocusing life….
Pop culture often starts as seeds of dissent in mini cultural backlashes or desire for uniqueness. Then if the tide is right certain subcultures are adopted by the masses and they become pop culture. The invasion is complete but the original most typically loses its “soul” in the transgression for unique, outlandish, outrageous and rebellion are bled dry. It lies dead at its own hands…
Japanese street fashion is a pantheon of style and culture from the extraordinarily peculiar Lolita Fashion including Gothic Lolita, Sweet Lolita and Punk Lolita to the Ganguro, Kogal, Bōsōzoku, Visual Kei, Cosplay and more…Why has it not yet grown to dominate pop culture around the globe?
Some cultures have such enormous influence that they are adopted outside of their nation, region and around the globe. The spread of rap is a good example of how a subculture grows and is disseminated globally to then take a position as commonplace and pop.
The keys to the success of such cultural infiltrations can at times be apparent. The money behind advertising being a prime example of purchased influence. However, often advertising money does not fetch the purchases or persuasion desired. Pop stars can often give life to certain trends yet where does their pop authority originate?
Globalization allows for instant global mini-cultures. However why do some styles, fashions, and forms of rebellion excel and other die or stay stunted perhaps never to be on the pages of our newsstands, or to dominate the TV screen?
Why do some grow into popular coolism and others are considered uncool?
What is cool and what makes it tick local and global?
What is the difference between popular cool and popular hot?
Are you cool or hot and do you want to be either cool or hot?
Rap has a reputation as sexist and angry by contrast how would you describe the images in this video? Could these ideas ever go global? Why or why not?
14 Comments: To leave a comment click here:
Great video, Livingsword!!!
I don't really have answers to your questions, I just enjoyed seeing the fasions and thinking of how much I miss by not going to Japan for myself.
I definitely want to be cool and not hot! Ha! OK, so I answered one question.
Hi Gabrielle,
The creator of the video did a great job. I find fashion, style and culture to all be of interest so this kind of thing is a gold mine!
I am pleased to have sent you on a mini vacation! LOL
I think cool and hot are rather like beauty...they are in the eye of the beholder...which means it says more about the beholder than the beheld...
Livingsword:
I found this video interesting, but I doubt if Japanese coolness will spread out across the globe. Not that they aren't cool, they are, maybe even super cool. But you can clearly see in the video that it takes major buckolas to dress up like that every day. And I just don't think the average everyday kid around the globe has that kind of loot. Plus, it takes worldwide exposure--a lot more than a four minute spot on U-Tube---something else the average kid is missing.
Another thing, the Japanese are a monolithic society---one racial group. In my opinion, that provides them with a certain level of comfort when it comes to their cultural extremism: dressing wild, dancing wild, behaving in a wild manner. They all look alike, they all dress alike and they all play alike. They're comfortable with each other. They don't experience the stress of competition for coolness from competing ethnic groups.
For example, the United States is made up of a number of ethnic groups who all express their own degree of coolness and, in a way, compete against each other for the coolest position. Hispanics, blacks, whites, asians, we all have our own thing and, from time to time, one cool form of expressionism emerges above the rest. The coolest. But it seldom reaches across the oceans to other cultures. We had more cool influence in the old days. I can remember when cowboy jeans and American music was in great demand. But now we have so many competing groups that a new look, new music and new clothes are competing for the coolest spot.
I reiterate, money is the driving force behind most of what's cool. Whether it be clothes, haircuts, cars, or anything else, moola is the big driving engine. In fact, if you attain a position of super wealth, Bill Gates or Donald Trump, for example, you're considered cool---just because you're rich. Look at Michael Jackson. He attained super wealth and managed to spread some of his coolness around the globe. He was good. But a lot of that was because he was constantly in the worldwide media. Lot's of exposure.
Finally, I think these Japanese young people are pushing the super cool level, but whether or not their form of coolness will catch on beyond their own borders will depend in large part on the amount of exposure they get, and how much it costs the average kid to look like that. Bucks and exposure are the secret to spreading coolness.
Stay cool man.
Happy trails.
I remember this from my time in Japan. It always seemed that a half dozen identically counter cultural types were heading around together. The contrast with the uniformity of the office workers was extreme, yet even the counter cultural types needed a group to feel part of and with which they can have a shared culture.
Wild.:)
LS this is not for me, lol. All I can say that I can be cool with smile on my face, no need for clothes [I mean funky clothes to make me cool, lol]. Anna :)
Hi Swubird,
Sorry for the tardiness of my reply I was off trying to save the global economy :)
ROFL Superb comment!
You mean they don’t just roll out of bed looking like that?
I think the racial part of your comment is particularly fascinating. Japan is very homogenous racially. However there is a vast dominant module (social sciences techy talk :) that is very structured and supports similarity and conformity not uniqueness. These “style agents” in the video are counter cultural. I think the culture and race perspective works against globalization of many Japanese trends (similarly to other homogenous nations) whereas the diversity of the US is powerful in projection.
In the early 80’s I was a punk/new-waver (blue hair etc) and a lot of this has similarities except there was no “cuteness” component (we were more anti-cute although new-wave was more about style and fashion than the rebellion of punk). Kids can find money for the strangest things… LOL
This counter cultural movement is large in other areas such as Manga ( a similar style in animation, art, film, books) etc and is exported around the world…also the style is at times emulated in computer games. However in Asia it is quite popular yet is not near gaining critical mass in other parts of the world.
I find the almost coordinated rebellion of “I just have to be me” to be very interesting…It is current in the tattoo trend where everybody is getting a tattoo and it is now more unique to not have one! LOL Hey as ex-Navy you must have a tattoo…I think I read something about that on your blog???
Money as coolness….very interesting…ok let me come at this from another direction...it seems that over the years many prominent counter cultural movements have been anti-corporate and anti-money. Currently success and money are big but that has not always been the case…and it seems the current situation may now emphasize a shift… Is the Donald’s hair cool? LOL Technology is currently cool so having spending power can build cool because you can buy gadgets…but before the downloading of music computers were still not pop-cool….
MJ was cool during his Thriller days but it seems that since then he has been more of a freak show. Although his impact is felt powerfully to this day in music…something you probably have not heard mentioned is he shifted the concept of music by a band…singer with instruments to singer with dance…personally I prefer singer with instrument to singer with dance…but I suppose I am in the minority (remember those old musicals that were dance movies?)
So it seems you are suggesting that advertising and media access are key…hard to argue with that…but rap didn’t start that way…how about hippies, disco and punk? I wonder if it takes a strong amount of support from music to make this happen…
I also still wonder what actually makes us think such and such is cool or uncool…
I really enjoyed thinking through your ideas and developing a response....thanks!
“Live long and prosper man”….*is it cooler with a Jamaican accent?*
I think your new look avatar may start a new subculture and then invade pop-culture…
Hi Looney,
LOL It is interesting how counter cultural types like to travel in herds with their “uniqueness”…
I very much enjoy studying the vast contrast of cultures such as that in Japan…Extremely urban and complex yet extreme nature in close proximity.
Do you envision these groups as entirely counter cultural...I mean the cuteness component is really quite amazing…
I find the sharp asceticism in some ways contrasted to the extraordinary sensuality in other areas to be quite interesting. Also the clash of public vs. private is quite different from here…
LOL Well we are social creatures so we find ways to herd together…we are built for relationship…but now we are broken as a species…
How would you compare this kind of Japanese counter culture to the punk/new-wave movement of the past?
Hi Mr.Satire and theology!
Wild indeed! LOL You know when we were on vacation in Hawaii in Feb we saw a few of these folks around…they seemed to be having a lot of clean fun with lots of giggling…I have to confess I did hug Hello Kitty in Honolulu…
I think some of the guys fashions would look pretty cool on you….
;)
Hello Anna!
LOL LOL
Oh I think you could swing the purple hair and face painted white! LOL
“I can say that I can be cool with smile on my face, no need for clothes [I mean funky clothes to make me cool, lol]. Anna :)”
- ROFL Thanks for the clarification!!!!! I thought perhaps the Epiphany Mythos image on the sidebar had encouraged an unintended consequence LOL LOL Actually I am surprised how many emails I have received in favor of the selection of art here…
You have a great smile!!!
LS wrote: "How would you compare this kind of Japanese counter culture to the punk/new-wave movement of the past?"
It is hard to get into this from my vantage point, given that I am neither part of any of these groups nor even know people who are part of them.
My general prejudices are that most American ones tend to be drug heads and deadbeats, the outward being a reflection of the inner dysfunction. I would gladly be corrected on that point. The Japanese don't have many drug heads, so I tend to feel it is more about establishing a social community in an environment of endless urbanization and crowds.
All of that is just babbling from ignorance. Do you have any views on this?
Hi Looney,
LS wrote: "How would you compare this kind of Japanese counter culture to the punk/new-wave movement of the past?"
Looney wrote: “It is hard to get into this from my vantage point, given that I am neither part of any of these groups nor even know people who are part of them.”
- My perspective is that everybody’s view is of value whether they are involved directly or not in a particular movement etc. We are both on the outside looking in at this form of cultural expression in Japan. So our views bring a perspective that is perhaps speaking of what we know of pop culture in contrast to this particular subculture. To converse about this subculture with a high level of authority we would need a long term insider/practitioner…I have invited the video poster to comment here…
“My general prejudices are that most American ones tend to be drug heads and deadbeats, the outward being a reflection of the inner dysfunction. I would gladly be corrected on that point. The Japanese don't have many drug heads, so I tend to feel it is more about establishing a social community in an environment of endless urbanization and crowds.”
- Well there are a vast array of subcultures including those of sports for example where many would not fall into the “drug heads and deadbeats” area. The same could be said for techy subcultures, Church subculture etc…Yet to go from fringe to dominant (pop) it seems to take a lot of anger and/or passion in general. This is one of the things I find fascinating about this mode of expression in Japan…cuteness…of course there are other components. The contrast between the overall uniformity of Japan vs. this robust and rather outlandish self expression is very interesting.
In the 70’s-80’s punk came around and grew to almost pop culture status but it took the stripping away of the anger for it to move into pop culture in the form of New Wave which was a large popular cultural influence.
Sociologically the acceptance of a subculture into the pop trends seems too often require adaptation that can even alienate the initiators. Punks often hated the New Wavers as they were seen as selling out. This brings into question the concept of advertising and money being the prime movers form subculture to pop culture.
COOL VIDEO!!!! me and my girlfriend (not gf gf...) were just talking about doing this when we go to Japan! 2011 mind you but... gives us a head start on ideas!! so thanks!!!
heheh ^_^
Hello TheCatsMewz!
Super to hear your voice!
Yeah the video is sooo coool. I like the music and the images, the lolita stuff is weird but I like a lot of the other images.
I love the photos of your puppy “Spring” unbearably cute!:
http://darkcat2004.deviantart.com/art/You-Are-My-Sunshine-133776316
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