Final project research - Ethical and social obligations

Ethical and social obligations/feelings

With a fashion that comes from another culture and uses mental health motifs like Yami-Kawaii, it’s important to understand and acknowledge that there will be issues raised. The first will be the use of potentially upsetting or triggering imagery. Yami-kawaii traditionally uses heavy medical and mental health related designs, this is to both aid the design as well as to signal the core discussion/community of the fashion. However, those who are/have been effected by health issues may take this as more of a way to capitalise on a serious issue, instead of starting a conversation.

A lot of this misinterpretation/difference in meaning comes from the difference in our two cultures. Japans extreme and fun fashion subcultures were created from a want to rebel against the more uniform way of living and dressing there. For yami-kawaii, it was a way to make mental health more digestible and normal in a society that classifies it as a weakness. In western culture, especially in recent years, mental health has been taken far more seriously and identified as a real issue. As such it is treated in a similar way to a broken leg, something that can be fixed or at least treated.

So to wear something that’s bringing up mental health in such a sugar-coated way, it can be seen as mocking or counterproductive to the progress we have made as a western society.

I completely understand the apprehension, even though I myself personally do not find the imagery upsetting or detrimental, it will not be the case with everyone. However, I cannot drastically change or water down the themes of Yami-kawaii without ultimately changing the meaning altogether, in doing so would in a sense also be nullifying the aim behind the fashion to begin with.

The next issue that was raised was the idea of cultural appropriation, due to this being a Japanese originating fashion that has then migrated over to the west. I admittedly never thought of this potential social and ethical question. When I think of potential cultural appropriation in the west, the first thing that springs up is the use of Geisha as a costume. Even in my local nightclub called ‘Tokyo tearooms’, I found that they had white women dressed in rather messy looking Geisha costumes (think smithy’s Halloween quality) outside the club welcoming in punters. When I saw this display first hand I remember commenting out loud that it was ‘Tacky’. I felt this way due to the clear lack of effort and respect that went into these costumes, if perhaps they had bought real geisha garbs and really looked into the prep work of Geisha, then maybe I would at first glance have felt differently. However, reflecting on that now I can see that the most glaring issue was not the costume quality, but infact what it represented. Geisha is a long standing and very highly regarded tradition in Japan, a career that requires extreme dedication and training. Having Caucasian women with no knowledge or real respect for this particular tradition using it to sell a product is understandably disrespectful.

But in the same way we see fashions and cultural ‘landmarks’ migrate here in their most basic forms, we see our appearance emerge and make an impact on their styles back in their country.

One example are makeup trends that involve:

.Skin whitening cream (this can be found in makeup and skincare sections all over japan and korea)

.Double eyelid tape (a method that changes the appearances of hooded lids)

.Makeup techniques that allow for the widening of the eye

.Contact lenses that change the colour of the wearers iris

Now although these may not be exclusively used to emulate a more western/Caucasian look, they very much stray away from the traditional features of their countries. This is also promoted in popular music such as J-Pop and teen magazines.

So going back to Yami-Kawaii, how can this be seen as cultural appropriation? and if it’s a grey area, how can I ensure I am giving the respect to its roots?

Firstly I am and will be making sure to cover all bases in regards to my knowledge of its origins and core themes, this will allow me to know the very basic nature of what I will be using as my foundations. I by no means want to misrepresent or damage the heritage of the fashion.