In Praise of Sheer Perfection: Ballet, Clothing and Japanese Culture

Monden, M

In Praise of Sheer Perfection: Ballet, Clothing and Japanese Culture

Monden, M

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Publisher:: Yale University Press
Publication Type:: Chapter
Citation:: Dance and Fashion, 2014, pp. 309 - 351 (42)
Issue Date:: 2014-12-02

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Monden, M https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5672-5279	en_US
dc.contributor.editor	Steele, V	en_US
dc.date.issued	2014-12-02	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Dance and Fashion, 2014, pp. 309 - 351 (42)	en_US
dc.identifier.isbn	0300208855	en_US
dc.identifier.isbn	978-0300208856	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/30480
dc.description.abstract	Classical ballet has been an icon of romantic imagination in Japanese culture since the end of Second World War. This is particularly owing to the popularity of shōjo manga (girls’ comics). Its unofficial (sub)genre “ballet manga,” both shaped and reflected social and historical reality – from sparkling as a symbol of glamour and romantic dream in the precarious times of the after-war period to mediating the challenges of addressing feminine independence and psychological complexity in the 1970s onwards. This notably “feminine” emphasis of the art form, which corresponds with the female dominance in ballet learning in the country, poses a number of questions relating to ballet, fashion, and gender. What aspects of ballet have made it so admired in Japanese girls’ and women’s cultures? Does the art form infiltrate Japanese men’s and boys’ culture, too? If so, how? This chapter will attempt to answer these questions. I argue that not only fairy tale-like romantic narratives of ballet, but also conventional ballet costumes for females, which can be described as “the long white, bell-shaped dress made of layers of muslin, or a variety of muslin called tarlatan,” appeal to girls and women in contemporary Japan. The increasing attention paid to male learning of ballet, which coincides with emerging young ballet boys who achieve international fame, both corresponds with and problematizes a recent tendency in Anglophone culture to “masculinize” ballet in order to lure boys into learning the art form. Japanese stars of competitive figure skating, a close and sporty cousin of ballet with its combination of decorative outfits, artistry, and high level of athleticism, in turn, challenges the accusation that elegance “feminizes” and by implication devalues the seriousness and athleticism of the sport.	en_US
dc.publisher	Yale University Press	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Dance and Fashion	en_US
dc.title	In Praise of Sheer Perfection: Ballet, Clothing and Japanese Culture	en_US
dc.type	Chapter
utslib.location	New Haven	en_US
utslib.for	1203 Design Practice and Management	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building/School of Design
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.consider-herdc	true	en_US
pubs.place-of-publication	New Haven	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US

Abstract:

Classical ballet has been an icon of romantic imagination in Japanese culture since the end of Second World War. This is particularly owing to the popularity of shōjo manga (girls’ comics). Its unofficial (sub)genre “ballet manga,” both shaped and reflected social and historical reality – from sparkling as a symbol of glamour and romantic dream in the precarious times of the after-war period to mediating the challenges of addressing feminine independence and psychological complexity in the 1970s onwards. This notably “feminine” emphasis of the art form, which corresponds with the female dominance in ballet learning in the country, poses a number of questions relating to ballet, fashion, and gender. What aspects of ballet have made it so admired in Japanese girls’ and women’s cultures? Does the art form infiltrate Japanese men’s and boys’ culture, too? If so, how? This chapter will attempt to answer these questions. I argue that not only fairy tale-like romantic narratives of ballet, but also conventional ballet costumes for females, which can be described as “the long white, bell-shaped dress made of layers of muslin, or a variety of muslin called tarlatan,” appeal to girls and women in contemporary Japan. The increasing attention paid to male learning of ballet, which coincides with emerging young ballet boys who achieve international fame, both corresponds with and problematizes a recent tendency in Anglophone culture to “masculinize” ballet in order to lure boys into learning the art form. Japanese stars of competitive figure skating, a close and sporty cousin of ballet with its combination of decorative outfits, artistry, and high level of athleticism, in turn, challenges the accusation that elegance “feminizes” and by implication devalues the seriousness and athleticism of the sport.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/30480