まさか自分がこのトピックを取り上げるなんて思いもしなかったけど、この間ちょっとしたカルチャーショックを受けたので。東京に住むようになって、いろいろなユニークなファッションに出逢った。ヤマンバ、サイバーゴス、白塗り、着ぐるみん等等。でも驚くほど珍しいとは思わなかった。だって、ミーシャが日本のカルチャーを尊敬しやってきたのはこういうものに触れたかったから。
でも最近、あるファッションスタイルを学んだ。自分にとっては本当にびっくりするような、理解するのが難しいタイプのもの。それはずばり、”モテ系”。
モテ系ファッションについて学ぶことで、カルチャーの難しさを改めて思い知らされた。日本とアメリカのファッションは共通点がたくさんある。だけど、男性にアピールすることが目的のモテ系ファッションを通して、両者にはまだまだ多くの違いがあることも分かった。もともと、モテ系的なファッションに注目したことはなかったけれど、偶然そういう機会をいただいた。きっと、何が起きたか知ったらみなさん驚くことでしょう…
There comes a tipping point, the “hump” as we’d say, when nothing in an adopted culture can really be all that surprising anymore. This is especially true in my experience working in fashion in Japan. I’ve seen my share of fashion with flair while living in Tokyo- the yamambas, cyber goth, shironuri and kigurumin, but they wouldn’t make me surprised. In fact, those are something I *expect* to see as someone interested in the subcultures.
But recently I was learning about a type of fashion that that honestly took me by surprise. I had never really cared to pay much attention to it, but when I did I was taken aback in a slow-simmer way. Kind of like hearing a country cover of a hip hop song that takes a few minutes to process. So what was this fashion that confuggled me? It’s *drum roll*
… “Mote-kei.”
Mote-kei (mo-tay-kay) is translated as Pretty-style but it literally means “attractive-style”. It is a way of dressing pretty, with a defined goal of catching or keeping a (Japanese) man/woman. Learning about mote-kei and just how penetrative its ideas for catching the opposite sex through clothing are really awakened in me a renewed urge to get to the bottom of something. Usually fashion is just fashion. But sometimes there is something more there. Luckily, I had the perfect opportunity to go head-to-head with it. And you may find it curious as to what happened…
上載画像： above photo Source: ar Online. It reads, “7 rules to getting lovable hair. Rule 1: bangs. Rule 2: Curls…”
“Mote-kei” magazine “ar”. A choice headline: “How to get a yummy face!” Source: Amazon