In Kamikaze Girls, Momoko says the following line to Ichigo upon their first meeting, “I shouldn’t judge by appearance, but appearance says everything” (Kamikaze Girls, film). One of the easiest ways to express your individuality is through the clothing and makeup you wear. Does the clothing and makeup you choose to wear reflect your personality? Or does your personality reflect upon your clothing and makeup type? In the novel, Momoko addresses the idea of being defined by the clothing you wear with the. “Of course you should judge people by how they look. You’re dressed like a Yanki so you probably are a Yanki, but even if you aren’t, you’re dressed like that because you want people to think you’re a Yanki. And I’m dressed like a Lolita because I am a Lolita.” In several of the text given, the clothing and makeup a person wears defined who they were, whether it was certain style type of clothing, reflecting upon their personality, or displaying the differences between the person’s roles in society.
Momoko from Kamikaze Girls would be defined by the clothing she wears: Lolita. Lolita is a fashion style that was popularized during the 1980’s (What is Lolita? http://www.lolitafashion.org/what_is_lolita.php). It is based on Victorian and Rococo era clothing. In the fashion world, “Lolita” commonly refers to clothing that goes for a cute appeal; the “typical” clothing of this style appears child-like with its accompaniment of lace, frills, and embroidered prints.(What is Lolita? http://www.lolitafashion.org/what_is_lolita.php)( Lolita and Japanese Society, http://www.lolitafashion.org/lolita_culture.php). However, not all Lolita wearers follow the path of the general Lolita. In fact, there are many subgroups to Lolita fashion: Gothic, Sweet, Casual (Toned Down), Classic (Classy and Tamest), Punk, Hime (Princess), Shiro (All White) and Kuro (All Black), Country, Sailor, Wa (Kimono-esque), Guro (Gory), Ero (Erotic), Kodona (Masculine/Boy-style), and Aristocrat (Matured) (Lolita Styles, http://www.lolitafashion.org/styles_list.php). The fashions that Momoko follows in Kamikaze Girls (the film) are Gothic, Sweet, and Shiro. Gothic Lolita is generally black or darker clothes (Gothic Lolita, http://www.lolitafashion.org/gothic_lolita.php). Sweet Lolita is the style most commonly found on Momoko. It is the “traditional” Lolita fashion that goes for the cuteness factor of lace, ribbons, frills, embroidery, and pastel coloring (Sweet Lolita, http://www.lolitafashion.org/sweet_lolita.php). Shiro is the Japanese word for the color white. Thus, like the name implies, Shiro outfits are made up entirely of the color white or colors similar to white. With her Lolita outfits, Momoko usually pairs her Vivienne Westwood’s Rocking Horse Ballerina shoes, which she “decided were absolutely essential for full Lolitahood” (Takemoto Novala (novel), 43). To get a better idea of what the Lolita fashion looks like, please watch the video below, which includes the clothing from the Lolita brand Baby, the Stars Shine Bright. (If you dislike cutesy/bubble-gum type songs, I would suggest muting the video)
But do these clothing, based off of the fashion from the Rococo era, define who Momoko truly is? During Rococo era, the fashion was a “decorative style that was fancy, ornate, and feminine” (Takemoto Novala (novel), 05). The women and Lolitas, as Momoko points out in the manga version, must present themselves as graceful, calm, elegant, and beautiful beings (Takemoto Novala (manga), 39). The women of the Rococo era were also supposed to be dainty and weak. Momoko displays these ideals of the Rococo era throughout the film, novel, and manga. In the film, Momoko was sitting in her school’s gymnasium and states the ideals of being physically weakness, “But for Rococo, fragility is considered a feminine virtue. Tough girls who defend themselves disgust me.” To the people living in during the Rococo period, women would tighten their corsets as much as they could so that the smallest shock would make it difficult for them to breathe, and they’d faint and have to be carried off. This was even considered attractively ladylike” (Takemoto Novala (novel), 08). Momoko showed her refined personality through the dainty and elegantly stitched clothing she had worn.
As Mayumi had stated on the class forum, “Momoko lives in the world of Rococo which is filled with candies, dreams or sweets and Ichigo lives in the world of bike gang which is filled with strict or actual fight” (Mayumi Ishihara, Proboard Forums – Kamikaze Girls). Although these girls have very different personalities, they both used their clothing choices to display their character types. Momoko had a sugary style of dressing whereas Ichigo dresses, tougher than Momoko, in the Yanki clothing. Yanki clothing includes the following items: sarashi wrapped around their chest, Tokko-fuku Kamikaze coat embroidered with Chinese characters, and sometimes a gauge mask (Sofie, http://listverse.com/2009/04/20/10-unusual-japanese-fashions-and-subcultures/). Along with this outfit, the members would shave off their eyebrows such as Ichigo had done in the novel, Kamikaze Girls. Yanki were influenced by the Bosozoku into being devoted to motorcycles and motorcycle gangs (Patrick Macias, http://www.newpeopleent.com/sites/kamikaze_girls/culture.html#essay2). Ichigo was very involved in motorcycles; she worked part-time at a garage and reveals her great knowledge of motorcycles once she laid her eyesight on the DJ・1R Viva You that Momoko’s grandmother owns (Kamikaze Girls (film))(Takemoto Novala, (novel) 74). By following the Yanki ideals and wearing the Yanki clothing, Ichigo’s tough character would be defined by her clothing.
Makoto and Yuki from the film Cruel Story of Youth are also victims to being defined by their clothing. Throughout the movie, Makoto is seen wearing bright colored makeup and clothes that are colorful, flouncy dresses. Makoto’s dresses went against the dresses seen in movies such as Tokyo Story as Caroline Stinger pointed out (Caroline Stinger, Proboards Forums – Cruel Story of Youth, http://eas314.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=cruel&action=display&thread=12). Makoto’s style would be best described as “rockabilly fashion.” The rockabilly era was popular in the 1950s and early 1960s. The makeup and clothing add to Makoto’s rebellious side for it went against the norm in fashion a decade earlier. Due to Makoto’s rebellion against the social norm, her clothing and makeup had also gone against the norm by also being rebellious in a sense. Thus, one could say that Makoto could be defined by her appearance for it best matches her disobedient personality.
Unlike Makoto, her older sister Yuki wears what would be considered normal clothing and makeup. Yuki was not as rebellious as Makoto thus she did not challenge the social norm with her appearance. The dress styles that Yuki wore were similar to the fashion from a decade earlier. Yuki did not wear bright colors for her makeup for she chose to go from a much more natural look. She wore modest clothing that was appropriate for her age group. She would wear cardigans that were buttoned up and natural, earthlike colored outfits. Yuki’s clothing was not as flashy as Makoto’s, which is similar to her personality. Rather than trying to break away the social norm, Yuki would rather blend in with society. Through her appearance, one would not think much of her rebelling and think of her living in normalcy. Yuki had a more much calm personality, which matched her fashion sense.
Like the sister’s of Cruel Story of Youth, Akane and Kasumi Tendo from Ranma ½ also have a gap in their fashion that matches each personality. Due to her athletic and tomboy attitude, for most of the first episode of the anime, Akane dresses in a tomboy manner. She is mostly seen wearing a martial artist’s uniform. Her eldest sister, Kasumi, describes Akane as “basically a sweet girl at heart, yet hopelessly violent” (Ranma ½ (film). Being introduced to Akane, while wearing this uniform, would give the viewers the illusion that she is a strong, tomboyish girl. Her eldest sister, on the other hand, dresses more mature and feminine clothing. Being portrayed in this type of clothing gives the viewers of the anime the idea that Kasumi is more mature than her youngest sister and also more feminine.
Unlike Kasumi from Ranma ½, San from Mononoke Hime does not wear feminine clothing nor does she try to represent herself as a feminine girl. San, instead, wears torn pieces of cloth over her body; even her shoes are made of this material. Around her neck, San wears a strand of long, white shards. I assume the shards are either rocks or teeth from possibly the wolves to connect further draw San away from being human and closer to nature. With San dressed like this, it would be assumed that San has a wild, animalistic and naturalistic personality.
In Mononoke Hime, Lady Eboshi sets herself apart from the other women who reside and work in Iron Town. She does this by being their leader and through her fashion. The Iron Town women were once prostitutes in other villages until Lady Eboshi had rescued them. The women now wear little clothing, which could be a factor from their previous lives. They wear only a shirt held together by a small colored tie, sandals, and sometimes a wrapped up towel on their head. However, Lady Eboshi has more elaborate clothing. Miyazaki once stated in an interview for Mononoke Hime that he had an image of Lady Eboshi being like a “shirabyōshi” (Tokuma Shoten and Studio Ghibli, Interview: Miyazaki Hayao on Mononoke-hime http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/interviews/m_on_mh.html). Shirabyōshi are women who dressed as men and performed dances (Shirabyōshi, http://www.danceanddance.com/Dance_styles_review.php?Dance_style=197). The common shirabyōshi outfit includes the following items: “tate-eboshi (a samurai’s hat), tachi (samurai’s sword), hakama, red and white suikan (male Shinto outfit), and kawahori (hand fan that men carried)” (http://www.myetymology.com/encyclopedia/Shiraby%C5%8Dshi.html). Lady Eboshi had possessed the entire common outfit except the kawahori. By dressing like a shirabyōshi, this put Lady Eboshi at a higher level than the other women. This outfit displayed power of a nobleman for the shirabyōshi women wore; thus, it was used by Lady Eboshi to portray her own power and her role as the leader of Iron Town.
In the film Sandakan No. 8, Osaki and Keiko face a similar split between beauty and fashion like the Iron Town women and Lady Eboshi in Mononoke Hime. Although the split in Mononoke Hime was between the women’s roles, the split in Sandakan No. 8 was due to the difference between city life and the countryside. When Osaki and Keiko are sitting across from one another at the table in Osaki’s house, the gap is very visible between the two women. From the looks of Osaki, one could tell that she had lived a hard life as a previous brothel girl and a peasant. Her skin is tanned from being out in the sun for so long; in the past if a person had tanned skin, it meant that the person was from a lower class that was required to do outdoor work. She was dressed in more traditional clothing though the clothing were tattered and faded while her body was frail. Keiko, on the other hand, was dressed in modern day, lightly colored pants with a bright colored shirt. Her skin was also pale; the paleness of the skin was considered to be beautiful. After all the trouble that was placed upon Osaki for being forced to become a prostitute, her clothing represented her worn-out state. Keiko’s outfit represented her young and lively self.
Note: Before starting this paragraph, if you would not mind scrolling down the page a bit to the bottom of this paragraph, there will be a video. It requires loading time, so I strongly suggest that you let it load as you read. Thank you! :)
The Tamagawa Taiko dancers had portrayed themselves as being traditional and youthful by combining the qualities found in both Osaki and Keiko by coincidence. In the performance entitled “Awa Odori,” the women dancers were wearing bright colored Japanese Yukatas. A Yukata is a light-weight cotton spring/summer kimono (Yukata – The Summer Casual Kimono, http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/fashion/yukata_kimono.html). They also wore amigasas on their heads. An amigasa is half-moon shaped straw hat that partially covers the dancer’s face (Bartman905, Amigasa, http://bartman905.wordpress.com/2010/12/04/amigasa/). The Yukata and amigasa are frequently paired with one another in the Awa Odori. Upon the first look of these dancers, one may assume based off their performance wear that these people would be as gentle as their appearance set them out to be. Due to the chance of getting to know some of the dancers, they truly were gentle women in the way that they spoke and acted. Even though their outfits were part of a costume, it did reflect upon the kind side of these girls.
Here is the video of the Tamagawa Taiko drumming and dance video. The Awa Odori dance is from 1:14:20 until 1:19:17.
Tamagawa Taiko @ Ursinus from Ursinus College on Vimeo.
As you can see, the first appearance of a person could tell someone much about their personality or their interests of another person. The way Momoko dressed in Lolita and Ichigo in Yanki fashion described the girls’ attitudes and personality traits. Makoto, from Cruel Story of Youth, used her rockabilly fashion and makeup to rebel against the social norm whereas Yuki, Makoto’s older sister, had used her fashion to display her maturity. In Ranma ½, Akane’s fashion in the first episode consisted of a martial artist’s outfit thus giving her the tomboy appearance, which matched her tomboy attitude. Kasumi, Akane’s eldest sister, wore feminine clothes which emphasized her feminine qualities. Unlike the feminine qualities that Kasumi possessed, San from Mononoke Hime had presented herself as an animalistic human being by her wild-like appearance. Lady Eboshi had confirmed her role of being the head of Iron Town by dressing like a shirabyōshi. In Sandakan No. 8, Osaki and Keiko displayed their contradicting fashion of city and country life. Osaki’s clothing were torn and faded while Keiko had bright colors and modern trends. Osaki, like her clothing, was becoming more worn-out as the days went by. Keiko, on the other hand, was lively and vibrant. The women of Taiko were presented as delicate and gentle women through their costuming “Awa Odori.”
How many times have you seen a person in a public area – perhaps a mall, school, etc. – and immediately had an opinion of that person? Is it not an uncommon thing for humans to judge one another based solely on the outward appearance of a person? This judgment may positive or negative depending on the point of view. The clothing a person chooses is based upon personal liking of said piece, which generally depicts the person’s character type and/or what he or she would like to become. But could the clothing a person choices to wear truly reflect the personality of someone as shown above?
~*~Sources~*~
* "Gothic Lolita." Lolita Fashion - For Lolitas of All Styles. http://www.lolitafashion.org/gothic_lolita.php.
* Ishihara, Mayumi. "Kamikaze Girls Thread." EAS314 Contemporary Japanese Culture. http://eas314.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=kamikaze&action=display&thread=29&page=1.
* Kamikaze Girls. DVD. Directed by Tetsuya Nakashima. n.a.: Viz Pictures, Inc., 2004.
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* Macias, Patrick. "Kamikaze Girls." NEW PEOPLE Entertainment. http://www.newpeopleent.com/sites/kamikaze_girls/culture.html#essay2.
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* Neko, Nessa. "Lolita and Japanese Society." Lolita Fashion - For Lolitas of All Styles. http://www.lolitafashion.org/lolita_culture.php.
* "Shirabyoshi." Dance. http://www.danceanddance.com/Dance_styles_review.php?Dance_style=197.
* "Shirabyōshi." SpeedyLook Encyclopedia. www.myetymology.com/encyclopedia/Shiraby%C5%8Dshi.html.
* Sophie. "10 Unusual Japanese Fashions and Subcultures." Listverse. http://listverse.com/2009/04/20/10-unusual-japanese-fashions-and-subcultures/.
* Stinger, Caroline. "Cruel Story of Youth Default Thread." EAS314 Contemporary Japanese Culture. http://eas314.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=cruel&action=display&thread=12.
* "Sweet Lolita." Lolita Fashion - For Lolitas of All Styles. http://www.lolitafashion.org/sweet_lolita.php.
* Takemoto, Novala. Kamikaze Girls. San Francisco, CA: VIZ Media, LLC, 2002.
* Ursinus College. "Tamagawa Taiko @ Ursinus on Vimeo." Vimeo, Video Sharing For You. http://vimeo.com/21991552.
* "What is Lolita?." Lolita Fashion - For Lolitas of All Styles. http://www.lolitafashion.org/what_is_lolita.php.
* "YUKATA - KIMONO ENCYCLOPAEDIA." Japanese Lifestyle. http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/fashion/yukata_kimono.html.
* bartman905. "Amigasa." Konnichiwa. http://bartman905.wordpress.com/2010/12/04/amigasa/.
* xXHeLLoKIMMIXx. "Baby the Stars Shine Bright! Sweet Lolita Fashion!." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ4TOhoXTLw.
