Attractiveness and the Erotic Capital concept

I have recently been thinking of the difference in regards to the importance of beauty, between Asian and European societies (that I have the experience of living in). In certain European societies, the importance of appearance is rather diminished in some contexts or even demonised, thought of as superficial, skin deep and not going together with brains. On the other hand, in many Asian societies it is openly expressed and believed that a beautiful face can bring fortune, a good future, better chances in life etc. Hence the increase in plastic surgery in those countries. 

Related to this topic, there is an upcoming open lecture by Catherine Hakim at NIAS in Copenhagen (that unfortunately I cannot attend) on October 9. 

The lecture is called "Erotic Capital in the Northern European and Asian Context". I copy paste from the event the following: 

<< NIAS - Nordic Institute of Asian Studies and the Centre for Stratification Research at Copenhagen University invite you and others in your network to an open lecture by Catherine Hakim on 'Erotic Capital in the Northern European and Asian Context'. 
Thursday, 9th October 2014 at SFI - The Danish National Center for Social Research. 

Catherine Hakim is a renowned British sociologist and the mind behind the concept Erotic Capital:

"Erotic capital is the unacknowledged but powerful personal asset that counts just as much as educational qualifications for success in jobs, politics, media, sport and the arts. It is a combination of physical and social attractiveness that is just as important as economic, human and social capital for success in all areas of public life, as well as in private romantic and sexual relationships.  Like money, attractiveness is transportable, instantly recognisable, so is more universally valuable than qualifications, for example.

Attractive people earn more, have more friends, get more co-operation and support and achieve goals more easily both in public and private life. Doors open for them. In her bold and eye-opening book (Honey Money in Europe and Erotic Capital in the USA), renowned sociologist Catherine Hakim reveals the power and steadily-growing importance of erotic capital in our winner-takes-all societies and challenges the disapproval meted out to women and men who use sex appeal to get ahead.

During the lecture Hakim also presents evidence that beauty and elegance are valued more highly in Asian cultures (such as Thailand, China and Japan) than in the dominant Puritan Anglo-Saxon culture of northern America and northern Europe that has traditionally disparaged beauty as superficial and even dangerous or sinful.

Hakim sets out the three social and economic developments that make appearance and style more influential today than they ever were in the past: the increasing importance of white-collar and service work, rising affluence that allows people to seek luxuries, and the ubiquity of digital photographs in the media, on the internet, and on social networking sites."

 http://www.stratifikation.ku.dk/kalender/arrangementer/erotic-capital---in-the-northern-european-and-asian-context/

Date: Thursday, October 9, 2014 14:15-16:00
Venue: SFI - The Danish National Centre for Social Research, Herluf Trolle Gade 11, 1052 CPH K >>

If any of you go, please keep me updated or pm me about it!

We like to think of ourselves ("western", European, etc) as rather logic driven, scientific minded and pragmatic, but what if the Asian mindset of accepting the importance of appearance is even more pragmatic, holistic and down to earth? 

I recently found the following statistic from a job listing site, in this Guardian article:

I don't know if it's unfair, sad or good or just natural, but it definitely is something to think about.

Japanese Beauty Ideals and the National Museum of Denmark Purikura - Cosplay event discussion

Well, a lot has happened in the past months and I really didn't have the time or energy to update my blog.. On the positive side, in my consulting company I have been very busy teaching company executives transferring to Japan about intercultural communication and Japanese business.

But I have been wanting to discuss and follow up on the cosplay and Japanese culture event at the National Museum of Denmark. 

It was a very successful event and I was surprised to see the appeal of Japanese culture on such a number of very young people. I wonder what it is that triggers their initial interest for Japan. (For me it was Kendo and the Japanese aesthetics). 

First, some pictures from the event discussion: 

National Museum of Denmark, Discussing Purikura and beauty ideals with Martin Petersen, curator of the Japanese photography exhibition (that I loved and blogged about before) and Line, Danish K-pop blogger.

(And I spent some more time searching for the cosplay pictures or the name of the event's official photographer but I cannot find them, sorry next time!)

But what I really wanted to discuss here was the question directed during the talk and the one I usually get when I discuss Japanese women and beauty: "Do the Japanese do this/ that makeup/ make these changes on Purikura, because they want to look Western, like us?"

While there is some global consensus on certain beauty ideals, local, cultural or ideal differences (of what is beautiful) exist and are strong, even inside Europe.. One example, the different beauty and gender ideals I encountered between Sweden and Greece.

Some people asked during the discussion at the Museum, if the changes Purikura machines make on the pictures is the result of the Japanese women's desire to look Western. Even if there is some partial truth to it (because of the globalisation of beauty that applies to all countries) and some of the characteristics that are considered to be Western are sought after in Japan, this doesn't mean that they (characteristics) are sought after because they are Western but because they objectively satisfy the Japanese beauty ideals and aesthetic. In previous academic research (see for list of references my MSc research), it was discussed how the Japanese think of whiteness as a characteristic of Japaneseness, and regard it as the true Japanese colour. 

White skin is regarded as the original Japanese skin. Big eyes are also considered beautiful. I did not focus on discussing eyes with my informants during my research but I was told that "foreigners have beautiful eyes because they are big, with long eyelashes". So the focus is not on looking like foreigner, but looking like the Japanese idea of beautiful, which includes big eyes. Also, in Japanese manga, "good" characters are drawn with big eyes usually, while the "bad" guys have small "linear" eyes, that express their evil thinking and anger. It's not at all that in Manga the good guys are european and the bad guys are asian! The eyes are merely expressing the characters. In that case, the big eyes symbolize the good and pure character probably. Maybe, this explains the preference for big eyes. 

Purikura machines also cater to the Japanese ideal and importance of youth. The face shall have big eyes, small mouth, soft skin, like all babies have. Purikura machines usually enlarge the upper part of head so that the lower part looks smaller (or vice versa). It looks pretty weird (like a baby) on the result, but I've noticed most purikura machines the last years give this result. How is THAT beauty ideal Western?

This ideal is in sharp contrast with the Mediterranean countries that I can speak of, for example. I know in Greece and Italy, the ideal is to have a fuller, big mouth and the naturally round eyes are made to look almond shaped with smoky eye makeup. Also, we are supposed to have a TAN, not be white. Baby faces are desexualised, so that men might be heard saying: "look at her, her face changed and she's finally become a woman". And if one has a baby face, they're trying to look older with make up or clothes.

...... And I can think of many more examples of why we should not think that "they want to look like us"....

It's a Eurocentric opinion to think that big eyes and white skin symbolise "western" or "us".. Instead we should look at it from the Japanese (or Asian) perspective. It doesn't have to be that everyone has an obsession with looking Western.