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A short while ago we published a
story
by Takao Aoyama, who questioned the global craze for Asian women
among a large number of non-Asians.
He asked some very fundamental, hard-hitting questions – if
they are so cool and pretty, how come the rest of the world is still
imitating
Britney Spears?
In response to that article,
MYNIPPON has
received hundreds of emails and we have published
selected ones in the past. However,
the emails do not seem to stop.
This is an issue that has generated strong passions among
people of all nations but the overall themes that emerge take two
paths – One, Asians (including Japanese) should be proud of their
culture, heritage, and physical attributes and not spoil or abandon
these since these are part of their uniqueness and two, everyone
should be free to live the way the want to and if that means
abandoning your roots, it is perfectly acceptable.
We believe that the beauty of this world comes
from diversity. What a
dull place would this planet be if we were all alike!
Emilie has discovered the passion for Asia through her
relationship with a Japanese man.
She writes, “I am a white American girl, dating a Japanese
male. I never was attracted to Asian men growing up until I met a
few in college and got hooked. It's not that I am an Asian-wannabee,
but that I simply am fond of Asian features. I also really admire
the Japanese culture and look forward to living in Japan someday. I
don't pre-judge Japanese girls who dye
their hair lighter or wear western fashion.
It's sad that some people are not satisfied with themselves, but
others are just following the trends. It's natural that people just
want to fit in, as long as they don't go overboard. When I went to
Japan for the first time, I admit that I was tempted to dye my hair
black, not because I don't like the way I look, but because I felt
uncomfortable having people stare at me all the time. But after a
while, I became more comfortable in my own skin. I think that's
something that everyone has to deal with in their own way and at
their own pace. And not every Asian girl looks bad with blond
hair.
Maybe they feel more comfortable with blond hair. Some would argue
that people shouldn't get nose jobs or implants to make
themselves look different. I think it's just up to the individual,
and people shouldn't be so judgmental about what others do. Perhaps
the saddest thing is when people judge others so harshly.”
Duane, who lives in Japan and studies the
culture more closely, does not approve of this behavior.
He comments, “It is true that anyone can choose who they
want to be with or who they prefer to live their lives with.
What bothers me the most is how can you choose one race of men over
another without being racist or prejudiced? Most of all, how
can you completely turn your back on your own culture and assume
that you are welcome into another culture? Just because your
skin color is similar, doesn't make you the same. What will
you teach your kids? Will you tell your kids that the only
good color is white? Now, speaking of hair color, I think the
whole thing with Japanese changing their hair color to other than
their natural black hair is completely obnoxious.
I think Japanese need to find their own unique individuality
- be yourself.”
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