Herbivorous Males
A new generation of Japanese men in their 20s and 30s has been dubbed the ‘Herbivorous male’ or ‘ojo man’ meaning girly man, by marketing writer and columnist Maki Fukasawa. They are shy and against consumerism, rejecting traditional masculinity in romance, jobs and consumption in a quiet social revolt against the previous Japanese baby boomer generation who are typically aggressive and proactive. In a CNN Asia article Fukasawa explains why she coined the name ‘herbivores’, “In Japan, sex is translated as ‘relationship in flesh… so I named those boys ‘herbivorous boys’ since they are not interested in flesh.” Fukasawa believes the girly men are actually closer to Japanese pre-war character; with their uncompetitive nature and no desire to win people over. They believe that in life and work, doing OK is OK. The Herbivore male is metrosexual without the testosterone, drinks tea over alcohol, wears Gap and a little make-up. They are skinny, thrifty and sit down to wee.
The Japanese automotive and alcohol industries have been struggling to sell cars and beer as a way of achieving and enhancing social status to the 20-something male market. It appears boys no longer want cars, and girls don’t want boys who waste their money on cars. Being popular is low on their priority list and they are not worried about physical things in the same way they are not interested in a physical relationship. After Japan’s economic slump in the late 80s and early 90s, the herbivores have grown up being cautious and suspicious of the careless spending habits of their elders.
To cater for the new broadening Japanese herbivore tastes, companies have introduced weaker beers, male cosmetics and even bras for the herbivore’s moobies, free of lace and frills in an attempt to make them more masculine.
IMAGE CREDIT: Crocheted Dinosaurs, Flickr
Source/Reference
Thanks to Ellie Osbourne for this story. Ellie’s favourite Herbivore is a Diplodocus.
