A Comparative Analysis: European Culture and Japanese Beauty Trends

This report investigates the impact of European culture on Japanese beauty trends, exploring the historical evolution of beauty standards in both regions. It begins by examining the history of beauty trends in Europe, including the Renaissance, Elizabethan era, Victorian period, and the influence of Hollywood. The report then delves into the history of beauty trends in Japan, covering the Nara, Heian, Kamakura, Muromachi, Edo, Meiji, and Taisho periods, as well as the post-World War II era. A comparative analysis highlights the differences in beauty standards between Europe and Japan, focusing on aspects such as skin color, facial features, and makeup practices. The methodology employed includes an interpretivist philosophy, a case study research strategy, and a deductive approach, with secondary data collection through books and journals. The findings reveal the significant influence of European beauty trends on Japan, particularly after World War II, with the adoption of Western cosmetics and styles. The report concludes by summarizing the key findings and emphasizing the role of globalization in the exchange of beauty ideals.

Running head: EFFECT OF EUROPEAN CULTURE ON BEAUTY TRENDS OF JAPAN
Effect of European Culture on beauty trends of Japan
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

1EFFECT OF EUROPEAN CULTURE ON BEAUTY TRENDS OF JAPAN
Abstract
The primary aim of study is to find out the effect of the European beauty trends on Japan.
The cultural trends that prevails in Europe has greatly influenced the beauty standard of the
European countries. The purpose of the study is to the find out the difference that lies in
relation to the beauty trends of Europe and Japan. The project has delved deep into the
history of the cultural trends prevailing within Europe and within Japan. Globalization has
played a significant role in spreading the ideas pertaining to the beauty patterns in various
cpuntries of the world. Interpretivism philosophy, case study research strategy and deduction
approach has been employed for the purpose of carrying out the research in the effective
manner. The data collection technique that has been used in the work is the secondary method
and information has been gathered with the help of the books along with that of the journals.
The thematic analysis has proved to be useful in finding out the impact that has been made by
the European beauty trends in the Asian market.

2EFFECT OF EUROPEAN CULTURE ON BEAUTY TRENDS OF JAPAN
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction..........................................................................................................................2
1.1 Problem Statement...........................................................................................................2
1.2 Research aims...................................................................................................................3
1.3 Research Objectives.........................................................................................................3
1.4 Research Questions..........................................................................................................3
2.0 Literature Review.................................................................................................................4
2.1 History of beauty trends in Europe..................................................................................4
2.2 History of the beauty trends in Japan...............................................................................5
2.3 Comparison of Beauty Standard of Europe and Japan.....................................................6
2.4 Social and the economical viewpoint of the beauty standard of Europe and Japan........8
2.5 Influence of the European beauty trend on Japan..........................................................10
3.0 Methodology......................................................................................................................11
3.1 Research Philosophy......................................................................................................11
3.2 Research Approach........................................................................................................12
3.3 Research Design.............................................................................................................12
3.4 Research strategy...........................................................................................................13
3.5 Data Collection Method.................................................................................................14
3.6 Data Analysis Technique...............................................................................................14
4.0 Findings and Analysis........................................................................................................15
5.0 Conclusion..........................................................................................................................18
References................................................................................................................................20

3EFFECT OF EUROPEAN CULTURE ON BEAUTY TRENDS OF JAPAN
1.0 Introduction
The history of the beauty trends exists for around 7000 years and it is present within
every society of the earth. Archaeological evidence has brought out the fact that the use of the
cosmetics started in the ancient Greece and the Egypt. It was considered sinful by the Church
leaders of wearing make up in the Middle Ages in Europe. There were however many women
who indulged in this practice. In the era of the Renaissance till the 20th century lower classes
had to go out so that they could work outside and this changed the colour of the European
skin from light to dark on being exposed to the sun. The societal and the cultural trends has
been undergoing changes and this had an influence on the prevailing beauty trends in Japan.
The beauty trends in Japan are influenced by the Western models and the actress in the years
between 1920 and 1950 (Aquino and Norbert, pp 432). Culture and the consumption have an
integral relationship in the modern world. The consumption decisions which are made within
the market cannot be said to be independent event but they are related to the values along
with the cultural allegiance (Sysling, pp 222). The purpose of this project is to discuss about
the history of the beauty trends among the Asian nations. The project also compares the
beauty standards of the European and the Japanese market. The project also throws light upon
the social and the economical viewpoints in relation to the beauty standards. The project also
talks about how the beauty trends have changed with the passage of time.
1.1 Problem Statement
The national culture within a country has an effect on diffusion of the products across
the countries. With the advent of globalization, culture has emerged to become a crucial
strategic issue that has to be managed in the proper manner. The countries act as the source
that plays an important role in the mental programming of the people living in the cities. He
women make use of cosmetics so that they can audition the different selves. The women want

4EFFECT OF EUROPEAN CULTURE ON BEAUTY TRENDS OF JAPAN
to improve the physical attractiveness so that they can create a positive impression on people.
The desire of the individuals in the society of improving the self-attractiveness can be said to
be inherent in relation to the individuals who are living in the society. Problem that made the
researchers carry out the research pertains to the inadequate information about the influence
of the European culture on the beauty trends of Japan. The researchers have talked about the
beauty trends in the European and in the Asian culture. They have however not talked about
how the culture of the Europeans has influenced the beauty trend of Japan. The problem
arises owing to the fact that much amount of light has not been thrown upon about the
difference in the beauty trends in the two cultures- European and Japanese.
1.2 Research aims
The aim of the research is to find out the influence of the European culture on the beauty
standards prevalent in Japan.
1.3 Research Objectives
 To find out regarding the beauty trend in the European culture
 To discuss about the prevailing beauty trend of Japanese culture
 To establish the difference in the beauty standard of Europe and Japan
 To establish the changes in the beauty trends over the course of time
1.4 Research Questions
 What are the beauty trends that are common in the European culture?
 What are the beauty trends within Japanese culture?
 What are differences in beauty standards of Europe and the Japan?
 What are the changes that have taken place in the beauty standard of Japan and
Europe?

5EFFECT OF EUROPEAN CULTURE ON BEAUTY TRENDS OF JAPAN
2.0 Literature Review
2.1 History of beauty trends in Europe
The women in Europe have been involved in adhering to the standards of beauty so
that it can enhance their beauty and create a good effect on the people. During the
Renaissance, the ladies coming from the Northern Europe used to pluck the hairline so that
their foreheads would look higher. The women used to scrap the hair in the backward
direction under that of an elaborate headdress. According to Võ (pp 300), the women who
used to live in the warmer climate used to display the hair in the plaits under the turbans or
the caps. In the Elizabethan age, the men used to wear the short hair and they grew the short
beards. Queen Elizabeth played an important role in setting female trends that had a
tremendous influence on the people living in the period. The women in the society used to
copy Elizabeth by making use of the white powder along with the red wigs. The people in the
Victorian era used to advocate natural beauty that was restrained. The culture in the Victorian
society used to lay a great amount of emphasis on the aspects of the hygiene and the health
and the magazines of that time were against the use of the industrial cosmetics that was based
on lead. During the era of 1940’s, the actors and the actresses of Hollywood set the trends in
relation to the fashion of women. Tanned skin was thought of to be symbol of the high class
at that point of time. The biosocial approach refers to the interactionist approach in which
nature along with nurture played an important role in the aspect of the gender development.
The social labelling that is done on the genders in the society paves the path for their
development of character and their personality (Jewkes, pp 110). The integration of the
influences of the nature along with the nurture helps in imbibing certain notions in the minds
of the female members in the society that helped in guiding their actions in the society. It was
held that the role of the women was limited to the domestic sphere and they used to take
recourse to cosmetics so that they could please the men who were considered to be the

6EFFECT OF EUROPEAN CULTURE ON BEAUTY TRENDS OF JAPAN
superior race in the society. The differential treatment that was perpetrated on the girls in the
society had a great role in the formation of their characters within the wider society.
The Second World War brought about some changes in the beauty trends as stress
was laid on the conservative values in this time. “Doe-eye” effect was created by applying
shadow on lids and by making use of the eyebrow pencil. A social revolution started in the
1960 and the men along with the women of this time of the different ethnicities used to wear
their hair in the natural manner. In the present time, great amount of stress is laid on the
standard of the extreme thinness which is considered to be modern in the present age. It has
been stated by Gasco-Buisson ( pp 2189), The people prefer the eyebrow along with the nose
piercings and it has crossed in the mainstream of the youth culture. Industrial revolution has
made possible the production of the cosmetics in great quantities. According to Alós and
Noora ( pp 435), The conventional attitude to make up was forgotten in the 20th century and
the beauty products are sold in the open market. Plastic surgery has emerged to become a
common phenomenon in the 20th century. Face-lift was performed first in the year 1901.
Liposuction was carried out in the year 1974 as the women are conscious about their weight
in the present age.
2.2 History of the beauty trends in Japan
Japan is a country that is steeped in the ancient wisdom along with the traditions that
has an effect on the beauty trends of the country. In the Nara period that lasted from 710-814,
the women used to put on the white powder on the face. The white skin was thought of to be
beautiful at this point of time. Round chin along with the wide shoulder was thought of to be
attractive at that point of time. The knowledge of the beauty standard in that of the Heian
period was derived from the Murasaki Shikibu literature called the Genji no Monogatari. In
this period, it was thought of that the women who had longer hair was more beautiful and this
trend was opposed to the Chinese trend that favoured the short hair Russo et al.( pp 45).

7EFFECT OF EUROPEAN CULTURE ON BEAUTY TRENDS OF JAPAN
Round face, sharp nose and pouty lips was thought of to be attractive in this time period. The
Kamakura period took place from 1185- 1333 that was known as war period and the women
of this age were not the elegant ladies of the Heian period. This age laid more importance on
the strong and the active women. This age was known as the “female warriors era” and the
women had the hair upto the back. In the Muromachi Period, black teeth trend was popular
and the eyebrows of the women were shaved and they were repainted high on forehead.
During the Edo Period, custom of the teeth blackening was very popular and the trimming of
the eyebrows was a characteristics of the married women of the age.
Natural make up was thought of to be preferable in this age and the slim face and the
oval face of the women were considered to be desirable in this age. In the Meiji and in the
Taisho Period, the women stopped the custom of the teeth-blackening as the Empress did not
want to blacken the teeth. Those women were thought of to be beautiful who had the long
face and the white skin. The women did not paint the lips inside the lip line. According to
Alfonso et al ( pp 32), the women after the Second World War was greatly influenced by the
European standards and they preferred the western style. The western cosmetics like the eye
shadow, fake eyelashes along with the mascara had emerged to become popular in this age.
In the recent age, the women started to reinvent themselves and the general beauty trend that
is preferred in the modern age is the white skin.
The Gender theory of power holds that the power in the society is in the hands of the
men who try to dominate over group of the women in the society. Power within each society
is centralized at hands of men and it can be stated to be power of gender domination of the
man as group over women as group. The gender theory of that of power points forward to the
idea that the society is divided on the basis of gender into dominant group of men and that of
dependent group of women (Sturgeon, pp 24). The feminists criticized existing situation in
the society and they wanted to end the incidence of the male domination within the society.

8EFFECT OF EUROPEAN CULTURE ON BEAUTY TRENDS OF JAPAN
They wanted to liberate the women from the male dominance that was harmful for the overall
development of society. The feminists wanted that the present system of the patriarchy needs
should be replaced by society that is on the basis of comprehensive equality in between the
men and the women. The women after the Second World War started to adopt a powerful
look that was on the basis of the gender norms of the time. The women were able to realize
their identity with the help of the new mode of thought that came up after the emergence of
the Second World War.
2.3 Comparison of Beauty Standard of Europe and Japan
The construction of the female beauty is embedded within complex interaction in
between the gender, nationalism along with the class status. According to Vecino et al ( pp
912), the current representation of the feminine beauty within Japanese media rests on the
sexualised distinction in between the Eastern and the Western women. It can be said to be
significant subtext in relation to the Orientalist discourse. The interlocking in between
representation of the cultural and the sexual difference can be secured by mapping discourse
of the Orientalism in the phallocentric discourse of the femininity. According to Ndichu and
Shikha ( pp 45), the distinctions can be said to be constructed based on the local and the
popular cultural sites in the global arena. Sexualised representation of the white westerners
within Japanese media have been employed for the creation of the visual quotation regarding
the Japanese people. On the other hand, the exoticized representation of the geishas along
with the kimono-clad women are found within the Japanese advertising that can be
instrumental in reviving domestic tourism industry of Japan. It has helped in capitalizing on
the element of the prewar along with the early post-war nostalgia.
The cosmetic industry was at the initial stage developed in the West and it spread
across the world on account of globalization. It has been argued by Richards et al ( pp 412),
the representation of the feminine beauty of Japan can be said to be among cultural forms that

9EFFECT OF EUROPEAN CULTURE ON BEAUTY TRENDS OF JAPAN
are affected by the importing of the Western concepts. The Western cultural texts have
invaded the market of Japan along with the Westernized ideal of the female attractiveness.
The influence of the cultural trends prevailing in America caused the Japanese women to
trade the kimono for the mini-skirts and they cut the hair.
According to Rocafort (pp 322), the discourse pertaining to the female body that
surrounds the popular representation of the female attractiveness are dominated by the
Western concepts that separates the body from the mind. Mind is held to be a site of the
struggle which can be brought under the control. The control can be said to be embedded
within the capitalism’s ethic of the meritocracy and the hard work. It has been argued by
Oldmeadow and Barnaby (pp 892), the beauty trends can be said to be personal choices
within the cultural texts and the physical identities of the women cannot be said to be separate
from the cultural and the ideological environment within which an individual stays. In the
Asian nations, the women take recourse to the skin-whitening cream and they are very careful
about the colour of the skin. There exist many East Asian countries where the surgery is
given to the women so that they can attain the “double eyelids”. It takes away the natural
beauty of the women in the event of the women trying to meet the standard of the white
beauty.
The development of technology has helped in the discovery of the corm-starch micro-
spheres that releases fragrances while coming into contact with the skin. The hand soaps
along with the hand-sanitisers are used by the European people that helps them in remaining
healthy. The Europeans prefer the mineral based cosmetics that has various kinds of skin-
clearing benefits. The new products that are developed in Europe can easily adapt to the
personal features of an individual. Electrostatic sprays had been in vogue in Europe from
1990-2000 that enables the uniform application of the make-up across the skin of an
individual (Dai and Yun-Ting Chang pp 124). The products like the shampoo and the

10EFFECT OF EUROPEAN CULTURE ON BEAUTY TRENDS OF JAPAN
conditioner contain the emulsions that helps in improving delivery of that of the active
ingredients. The European cosmetic companies make use of the anti-ageing technology that
helps in rebuilding the ageing hair structures. There has been major improvements in the
analytical methods in Europe that has helped the people in gaining better knowledge of that
of the natural ingredients. The organic and the natural products have gained prominence in
Europe and the beauty companies has focussed on the arena of the epidermal DNA
protection.
It has been argued by Matsumura and Honnavara (pp 251), the Japanese people value
the radiant skin and they want to protect their skin from the sun. Japan is warn and the
Japanese make the hairstyles that can last throughout the day. Japanese beauty philosophy
can be said to be close to that of the healthcare philosophy. The difference lies in between the
beauty trends of Europe and Japan as the Western culture lays more emphasis on correcting
the damages after it has occurred. On the other hand the beauty trends in Japan lay stress on
the element of anticipation that can help them in preventing the damages done to the skin.
They put more emphasis on the everyday prevention that can help them in having healthy
skin. It has been stated by Kim and Shamin Ara Jahan (pp 223), skincare can be said to be the
root of the Japanese routines and they think that beauty lies on the healthy skin base of a
person. The skincare routine are embedded in the minds of the Japanese people from an early
age and the Japanese give value to the element of anticipation. The Japanese do not believe in
the emergency superficial care.
2.4 Social and the economical viewpoint of the beauty standard of Europe and Japan
The different countries throughout the world have various standard of the beauty that
is established on the basis of the perspective of the people. The women in Europe especially
the women in the cities of Paris, Milan and the London think that being tall, thin and the
blonde archetype is the dominant ideal Bae et al. ( pp 18). Feminist theory can be said to be

11EFFECT OF EUROPEAN CULTURE ON BEAUTY TRENDS OF JAPAN
the extension of the element of the feminism into the theoretical along with the fictional
discourse. It helps in examining the social roles along with the interests of the men and the
women in the society (Sturgeon, pp 26). It helps in addressing the element of oppression
along with the patriarchy prevailing in the wider society. The people in Europe are
adventurous and they want to make experiments in relation to their clothing style. The
women within Europe were considered to be powerful and hence they used to make
experiments in relation to the beauty trends. The women in Europe maintained a powerful
look as they were provided a privileged position as compared to the women in the Japanese
society. The voice of the women was considered to be crucial in the European society and
this had an influence on their beauty trends (Jewkes, pp 113). Feminist theory helps in
looking at social world by taking recourse to the lens of the gender inequality. It helps in
emphasizing on the power of the men along with the women within the framework of the
society. The women have more rights in the Western world and this is reflected in manner of
wearing the make up in the West. Gender can be said to be a social construction that depends
on the mentality along with the opinions of the people. The complex relationship of Japan to
that of essentialized notion of West can act as a subtext for the cultural identity formation of
the Japanese. The resistance pertaining to the Western presence can be said to be crucial for
the cultural environment of Japan. Adapting the western concepts paved the path for the
process of the negotiation at the time of the early modernization period of Japan along with
the American period (Amemiya and Yumi, pp 89). Leaders who were instrumental in
supervising Meiji restoration were adept at the art of legitimizing the new influence by the
reconstruction of various dimensions of the Japanese tradition. Process of the cultural
negotiation created the way for prosperity that needed the reinterpretation of the past
relationship of Japan to its enemies.