Tokyo--Bastion of Femininity, Hose and Heels

[Gretchen_To_Be]

Hello everyone

I'm in Japan on a business trip and have to share my delight at the fashion sense of women in Tokyo. Despite temperatures in the mid- high-80s, and high humidity, the prevalence of professional women decked out in beautiful dresses and skirts suits is remarkable, and nearly all are wearing sheer hose and high heels.

Most are also carrying parasols to shield them from the sun, which makes the ladies look like movie stars.

It's heady stuff for a CD to be immersed in so much fashionable femininity. I wish I could take and share pics, but I would never take clandestine candids because that would be creepy. Suffice to say that it was 3 days of vicarious joy.

Take care,

Shibumi

[hope springs]

A great point Shibumi, every time ive seen a documentary or anything about japan, the women are remarkably well dressed.

[Linda E. Woodworth]

Hi Shibumi,

I was in Japan in 2005 on Business and have to agree with you. The women were gorgeous and always well dressed. Yes, I wish I could have imitated them but it was not meant to be.

[JessicaJHall]

Sounds like heaven!! haven't been there in decades but I loved it there! I'm traveling in Sedona, AZ ..nothing but yoga pants and women who gave up years ago everywhere! Gawd I can't wait for the sportswear thing to die, but I'm afraid it never will. It's almost like the GG's are CD'ing all the time now.. /rant
Can't say I blame them though, the way men harass beautiful women, I would want to tone it down too... nah, not me!

[Joni T]

I spent 10 days in and around Tokyo back in '01. I have to concur that the women there dress waaaay better than they do here.
Jon

[GreyEyes]

Japan is an interesting place. I always see stories of how beautifully the women dress, that there are bras for men, and makeup is not limited to the theatre or only one sex. How do I mix that with stories I hear from Japanese women that Western sexual partners are preferred because they are more attentive to their partners' needs, that there is deep discrimination against foreigners and the immediate progeny of mixed relationships are valued for their beauty but are looked down upon by everybody? It is though in a very odd sense, Japan -- like us -- is "two steps forward and two steps back" but in a different direction.

[KatieV]

Crossdressing seems to be fairly accepted in Japan - there are even TV shows which feature the artistic transformation of young boys to girls - they are quite beautiful and convincing. Definitely not Jerry Springer!

[Thrymr's Bane]

The way that the Japanese approach clothing and gender expression is extremely attractive for a crossdresser, but some of the reasons that it's the way it is don't sit well with a lot of western cultural ideals when you examine things closely. They're very into professionalism, long term loyalty and strict social etiquette which seems both very comforting and restrictive at the same time. So on one hand it's nice to have a lot of well dressed people around, but we westerners also like to think that we are past looking down on people who aren't dressed at their best while walking around a city. The whole "men make prettier women" attitude that I occasionally come across is a bit off putting as well.

I'm not saying either cultural standard is right or wrong, but both are complex and have their positive and negative aspects. I'm sure many of us would like to be able to blend certain parts from both somewhere in the world though.

[Tinkerbell-GG]

Shibumi, I can tell you many of the women there don't exactly love this reality. They live this way because it's expected; it's tradition. But I studied Japanese culture for many years from high school on, and interacted with many of the people, and some of my most memorable and disturbing moments is being an innocent 15 year old girl being told by an equally innocent Japanese 15 year old girl that she hated her future and that most Japanese girls look at western life as a dream and will willingly do ANYTHING to get there. Including marrying someone they didn't like. I was shocked. And sad. Japan seems so western?!! But it's really not - not in gender equality.

Truth is, the clothing that makes you 'heady' makes many women feel restricted and controlled. Silly, isn't it? Just let people wear what they want and you boys could have your day while the girls could relax. Social restrictions are SO BLOODY SILLY!!

[Gretchen_To_Be]

Hello Tink

Thanks for your reply. I'm sure you are right. I'm also certain that if I had to wear hose and heels every workday because of social norms, they would quickly lose their allure--especially in 85 degree humid weather. As has been discussed often on this forum, many members who are further along the gender spectrum and live as/become women lose the fetishistic and probably superficial appeal of these clothing items. For a fetishistic CD like me, it was visually stimulating to be in an environment with so many women dressing everyday in reality the way we like to dress in our fantasies, or when we try to emulate women. Sorry if you took offense or found my post flippant.

What I noticed in Tokyo was that while hose and heels was almost universal for professional women, and maybe 70% wore a "uniform" of a shapeless dark blue skirt, white blouse and low heel, the other 30% looked like they stepped out of the pages of Vogue. Truly stunning ensembles, tailored in a more fitted way, with slim pencil skirts, elaborate tops, or classy dresses...and much higher heels. Maybe they are just keeping up with the Joneses but those gals seemed to strut their stuff a bit more. I suspect some of them dressed for the aesthetic satisfaction of it, not because they had to conform. I could be wrong.

My wife is a stay at home mom. Believe me, she works harder than I do in that role than I do in my job. When we go out, I know for a fact she enjoys getting dolled up. And she wears skirts and dresses with heels almost always (or awesome boots) and if it is cooler will almost always wear hose. She says she likes to dress that way, but again if she had to wear it everyday for work, I'm sure her attitude would be different. Of course, part of it may be because she is Colombian, another society that imposes some macho ideals on women...and who married an American partially to get away from that. I'm grateful she didn't ditch her Latina dress sense in the process. She dresses like the news anchors on Univision, classy but very feminine and just a little sexy.

I hear what you are saying about societal pressure to conform, and how Japanese business culture has created expectations. I agree with you. I still enjoyed my time in Tokyo and wish more American women dressed that way

Take care

Shibumi

[natcrys]

OMG.. I had those same thoughts back in 2010 when I was visiting Tokyo for a conference! So many girls and women wearing heels and pretty clothes. So much better than what I would see during an average walk through a Dutch city!

^{Obvious disclaimer is obvious, but just to be sure: of course, as a CD.. I think everyone should wear what they want.. and what they feel comfortable in.}

Nevertheless.. I'm glad that a lot of women in Tokyo City dress in a very feminine way! As a CD with a love for cute dresses and sky-high heels.. it was a small paradise on earth!

And I haven't even started about Shibuya 109!

[Alice Torn]

Like Paul Harvey used to say sometimes,
It's not one world." The world war two era women, would give an arm and a leg for stockings and nylons, in Europe and America. How things have changed here, and it sounds like in Japan, they still would THERE.

[Emi_]

The culture in Japan is practicing oppression on these women by forcing them to live up to a standard that they themselves did not choose for themselves. For the women you saw, dressing this way is about living up to an expectation of what they are "supposed" to be regardless of their feelings. These women are being put through the same kind of social conditioning that cross-dressers are always bemoaning - being forced to wear a strict image of a gender without freedom for expression or personal choice. There is nothing beautiful about servitude.

[Alice Torn]

Emi, You bring up a good point. That may well be true, what you said, about the more strict national standards in Japan, and what is expected is skirts, dresses and hose. In the western nations, including America, we seem to have an opposite oppression. That all girls are peer pressured by the pop culture, dress like pop stars, wear the "uniform" of tight jeans, t-shirts that are short , and sneakers, like Brittany Spears and others modeled for a whole generation of girls. Both are pressure. I would prefer to see a lot more skirts and dresses and hose, but i know practicality calls for pants much of the time. I would like to see men dress more decent and classy, also, in America.