In Japan, in our wanderings, we ran across a store that was rather hard to miss: Tokyo Hands. Well, in romaji it's spelled "Tokyu", but that doesn't translate to us westerners. It's a large multi-story department store. One floor, that we spent a large amount of time on, was dedicated solely to toys and costumes. This was like a pop-culture museum in which the curator was a Japanese teenager with a penchant for spending all his money on gadgets rather than clothing or things to attract the opposite sex. From what I understand, this is a practice learned later in life.
When I had completing scouring the goods, I went to go purchase my poo-shaped lollipops and toys (yes, in addition to gadgetry, this store had a lot of feces shaped articles). I noticed loads of wigs behind the register. They weren't costume wigs like the others, they had an air of legitimacy about them. The same begging, pleading tone that make-up containers and ads have. Those ads don't just spur allure and lust, there's something deeper with more yearning. The urge to look a way that just simply, biologically, can't.
The wigs were on noticably caucasian-esque models. Though they were certainly still Asian. They appeared to be wearing light make-up, to make their skin appear pastier. The wigs were all light colors: auburn, blond, strawberry blond, none were black. The models eyes also appeared large, be it by surgical intervention or make-up artist magic.
If American and Japanese ideas of beauty were put into Venn diagram, we'd have very little fitting into the center cross-section. It was at this moment that I realized a factor of beauty in any culture will be a feature that the homogenous society cannot generate from its gene pool. In other words: we always want what we can't have.
White people cannot (by lack of proper genetic material that would exist in a totally homogenous group) generate black haired, tan, lusciously lipped, skinny women. Yet, often, in a largely white society (cough, cough AMERICA) these things are considered exceedingly exotic and beautiful. These features are often found in ethnic groups such as south American, African, and Asian. But sure as shit not northern European. I know this because I'm Danish. I lack all of the above mentioned features, which puts me in a unique position to be especially sensitive to noticing how desirable they are by the remainder of society.
Alas, as I noticed in Japan, caucasians in America are not the only ethnic group pining after features that don't naturally occur in its non-mixed gene pool. The whole world does it, and they go to great lengths to do so.
Tonight, on vh1 will premier Jessica Simpson's new series "The Price of Beauty". The trailer appears to show this as a documentary series on the perception of beauty in other cultures and countries. Much more interesting than her prior reality show effort "Newlyweds". I realize I'm at risk of sounding like I'm pimping this show, but I am genuinely interested in it, and hope that it shows Jessica acting as a journalist, as opposed to a ditzy rich girl.
I don't want to preemptively criticize the first television show I've been excited for since Arrested Development, but I do wonder about the choice of Simpson as lead for the show. She's been a lightning rod for looks-ism for years. She's either been lusted after for her giant cans, and had a mildly successful pop music career because of them and her dad, or she's been lambasted for her weight (thinness being an American idea of beauty). All the while, she's made money endorsing Proactive, clothing (she has her own line, which includes high heeled shoes), and fragrances. She's certainly allowed herself to be a tool for the beauty industry.
The show's press release made it appear as though the point of the show is that beauty comes from within, regardless of what one's culture dictates it be outwardly projected. It's possible that the choice of Simpson to host the show isn't a hypocritical one, but is actually very poignant. Maybe she's more qualified to show the risks, costs, and hypocrisy of beauty across the world than any body else. After all, she's been praised and chided by the media due to the American idea of beauty. More than any one else, she may have an axe to grind in a hopefully intellectual and enlightening way.
Check out a trailer currently on the Huff Post, here.
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