Danshi

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Danshi means "young man" in Japanese and its modern context is used to describe nontraditional masculine men. [1] The most common version of it is "Soushokukei danshi" which was coined in 2006 by Maki Fukasawa and translates to "herbivore man". [2] It has gained traction in Japan to describe men who do not pursue women and have little interest in sex and a smaller desire to work corporate salary jobs. [3] [4] They are also more likely to shop in a feminine manner rather than a masculine one. [4] The term has been used to describe "feminine men". [4] This term has led to many other similar terms describing masculinity in Japan. [5] These terms often include diet-related terminology to denote them from one another. One such term is kurīmu danshi which translates to "creamy men" and are characterized by their care for women's feelings and have a soft but masculine personality. [5]

Contents

What is a Danshi?

A danshi is a young man who embraces nontraditional masculinity in Japan. [3] Traditional masculinity in Japan involves being a breadwinner for the family and being aggressive when seducing women. [4] In post-war Japan, it replaced the soldier as the biggest form of male masculinity. [2] This fashion of masculinity has been fading among 20-34-year-old men as 60% of them identified as a "Soushokukei danshi". [4] One theory of the origin of the myriad of danshi is societal pressures put on men to work a salary job and provide for the family. [3] They have decided to push back against this as it does not match their desires.

Array of Danshi

Nontraditional Masculinity

All of these categories of Danshi correspond to a different kind of masculinity most of which are nontraditional. For instance, they may adopt a more feminine shopping behavior such as fashion and beauty products and unlike traditional masculinity, they enjoy cooking and eating sweets. [4] [2] These two activities are seen as feminine in Japanese society. [5] The older generation deems all kinds of danshi but the carnivorous as effeminate and emasculated. [7]

Danshi in Relationships

Danshi take different approaches to relationships than those who exhibit traditional masculinity. For instance, they may have a sexless marriage as 45% of married couples in Japan are sexless. [3] Most of these couples are content with this and their relationship remains strong. These relationships are monogamous and Soushokukei Danshi assumes a more passive role. [8] This passive role comes from wanting an equal relationship with women, a lack of self-confidence, and a preference for a close platonic relationship with women. [2] [8] Gyoshoku danshi wait for women to give them attention and love by becoming friends first. [7] Kurimu Danshi care for women's feelings and get to know and form relationships this way. [7] Nikushoku danshi are aggressive in seducing women and do not wait around or try to get them to know them as well initially. [5]

See Also

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References

  1. "男子, だんし, danshi". Nihongo Master. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Nihei, Chikako (March 2013). "Resistance and Negotiation: "Herbivorous Men" and Murakami Haruki's Gender and Political Ambiguity". Asian Studies Review. 37 (1): 62–79. doi:10.1080/10357823.2012.760528. ISSN   1035-7823.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Gershon, Daphne (March 2022). "More than a makeover: Discourses of masculinity, hyposexuality, and marriage in Queer Eye: We're in Japan!". International Journal of Cultural Studies. 25 (2): 157–173. doi:10.1177/13678779211064634. ISSN   1367-8779.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Chen, Steven (January 2012). "The Rise of 草食系男子 (Soushokukei Danshi) Masculinity and Consumption in Contemporary Japan: A Historic and Discursive Analysis". Gender, Culture and Consumption: 283–308 via Research Gate.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Nicolae, Raluca (2014). "SŌSHOKU(KEI)DANSHI: THE (UN)GENDERED QUESTIONS ON CONTEMPORARY JAPAN". Romanian Economic and Business Review. 9: 66–81.
  6. 1 2 Gray, Gavan Patrick (2022-10-12), "Japanese Gender Norms and Their Impact on Male Attitudes Toward Women", Gender Violence, the Law, and Society, Emerald Publishing Limited, pp. 143–159, retrieved 2024-10-01
  7. 1 2 3 4 Prażmo, Ewelina Maria; Augustyn, Rafał (2020-05-22). "Parasites, Herbivores and Dried Fish: Dehumanising Metaphorical Blends in Japanese". GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies. 20 (2): 148–167. doi:10.17576/gema-2020-2002-09. ISSN   1675-8021.
  8. 1 2 Charlebois, Justin (2016-11-15), "Herbivore Masculinities in Post-Millennial Japan", East Asian Men, London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, pp. 165–181, ISBN   978-1-137-55633-2 , retrieved 2024-09-30