The years following the Meiji Restoration saw the rise of modernisation, the emergence of an imperial state, and the introduction and dissemination of Western dress. Both the rapid onset of the...Show moreThe years following the Meiji Restoration saw the rise of modernisation, the emergence of an imperial state, and the introduction and dissemination of Western dress. Both the rapid onset of the economic boom in post-war Japan and the burst of the bubble were instrumental in the reorganisation of society, but in different ways. The sudden economic power accelerated the growth of the consumer market and created fertile grounds for the expansion of media infrastructures. The hegemonic salaryman masculinity became a symbol for the country’s prosperity and is strongly linked to the construction of the Japanese male adult identity and the idea of men as the central pillar of the family. The economic bubble burst of the 1990s, this thesis argues, can be seen as the watershed moment that set the scene for a reconsideration of the hegemonic ideal and allowed other masculinities to rise up. Popular media, such as men’s fashion and lifestyle magazines, played into the decrease in popularity of the salaryman among women and were instrumental in conversing alternative gender ideologies. Younger generations of Japanese men have been socialised to view fashion as more of an integral part of their lives than older generations and are resisting the hegemonic gender narrative through the consumption and reproduction of alternative sartorial masculinities provided by the media.Show less
