1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910784407203321

Autore

Miller Laura <1953->

Titolo

Beauty up : exploring contemporary Japanese body aesthetics / / Laura Miller

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Berkeley, : University of California Press, 2006

©2006

ISBN

9786612771859

0-520-93884-4

1-282-77185-X

1-60129-397-6

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (xiv, 256 pages) : illustrations

Disciplina

306.4/0952

Soggetti

Human body - Social aspects - Japan

Beauty, Personal - Japan

Beauty culture - Japan

Body image - Japan

Philosophy, Japanese

Japan Social life and customs

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Contents -- Illustrations -- Tables -- Preliminaries -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction. Approaches To Body Aesthetics And The Beauty System -- 1. Changing Beauty Ideology -- 2. Aesthetic Salons -- 3. Mammary Mania -- 4. Body Fashion And Beauty Etiquette -- 5. Male Beauty Work -- 6. The Well-Behaved Appetite -- 7. The Language Of Esute -- 8. Esute Power -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

This engaging introduction to Japan's burgeoning beauty culture investigates a wide range of phenomenon-aesthetic salons, dieting products, male beauty activities, and beauty language-to find out why Japanese women and men are paying so much attention to their bodies. Laura Miller uses social science and popular culture sources to connect breast enhancements, eyelid surgery, body hair removal, nipple bleaching, and other beauty work to larger issues of gender ideology,



the culturally-constructed nature of beauty ideals, and the globalization of beauty technologies and standards. Her sophisticated treatment of this timely topic suggests that new body aesthetics are not forms of "deracializiation" but rather innovative experimentation with identity management. While recognizing that these beauty activities are potentially a form of resistance, Miller also considers the commodification of beauty, exploring how new ideals and technologies are tying consumers even more firmly to an ever-expanding beauty industry. By considering beauty in a Japanese context, Miller challenges widespread assumptions about the universality and naturalness of beauty standards.