Modesty, Sexiness, and Decoding the Female Way of Dress

In many ways, Japan, and Asia in general, is a socially liberal country just in the same way as it is socially conservative. While the sense of strict social hierarchy and expectations of youth obeying elders are completely in line with traditional Confucian beliefs, there are other physically obvious phenomena that would make any loyal adherent of Confucianism raising a doubtful eyebrow. Today, I would like to focus on the commonly accepted female dress code.

Confucius argues that family is the most basic formation unit of society. And to keep the core family stable is the first thing needed to keep the entire society stable. Chinese classics are filled with stories portraying prostitutes and those who carry on extra-marital affairs as evil. And even in "post-Confucian" Asia, more than anywhere else on Earth, has strong hatred toward prostitution, divorce, and illegitimate romantic affairs, if as social attitudes and legal codes have gradually relaxed.

The modern way of dress among young females in this corner of the world has clearly become "anti-Confucian." By dressing, eh, "provocatively," as people usually say, the females are attempting (many times successfully) to attract males' attentions and indirectly introduce certain emotional instability to their own families. A bit exaggerated perhaps, but after seeing under-aged idols flaunting sex to sell music albums, the power of male lust should no longer be doubted as a serious socio-economic force...

But most of these young girls, whether on the streets of Tokyo, Seoul, or (a bit less so) Shanghai, are surprisingly shy in a (Confucian-like) modest way. They rarely speak to strangers, and even when they do, there is absolutely nothing they say that is sexually suggestive in the same way as they dress. And as I have mentioned in a previous opinion piece written for the JoongAng Daily in Korea, it seems like no matter how "Western" the Asian youth dresses, they still seem to not have lost their Confucian roots in behavior.

Furthermore, especially in Japan and Korea, girls tend to be fiercely private individuals. Every stat from age and weight to sometimes hometowns and real names are closely guarded for personal protection. And of course, many of them try their best to hide their true personalities to strangers and acquaintances alike. Yet, somehow most body parts are OK for public display. You would think if they want to be really secretive about their true nature, dressing conservatively would be a must....

This reminds me of little personal story from my recent trip to Nagano. After having an enormously hard time getting down from an extremely steep set of stairs in Matsumoto Castle, I was about to take a picture of the stairs for future bragging. The old gentleman directing traffic nearby immediately told me not to, "because there are ladies coming down." The guy's action is definitely valid and logical, as it is Japan, where all sorts of sexual perversion exists semi-publicly.

But on the second thought, what really is illogical for him to raise this point here is that, who in the right mind is actually going to wear some sort of miniskirt to a castle, knowing 100% beforehand that there will be steep stairs to climb and descend? In essence, it perhaps could be said that if any female did show up in a skirt, she is doing it intentionally to show off to the public something nobody should be showing off in public by anyway, anywhere, or in any context.

To expose or uphold "privacy"? To be "sexy" or uphold "modesty"? To be "Western" or uphold "Confucianism"? A simple issue of female dress is another complex reflection of Asian society's changing balance of identity and direction. It is human for wanting to be seen as pretty, and it is collectivist society to conform to the dress code of those who are seen as the "prettiest." Physical imitations are easy, just a bit of observation and cash will do. But mental preparation to get line with the physical looks? Well, that would be a totally different issue...