The Making of a Japanese Schoolgirl: Fashion, Fascination, and Fetishization
Author
Kitahara, Momo
Term
4. term
Publication year
2025
Submitted on
2025-06-01
Pages
63
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan figuren af den japanske skolepige bliver formet, reguleret og til tider udfordret i og omkring skolen. Med fokus på de såkaldte black school rules (burakku kōsoku)—både formelle regler og skjulte normer—analyserer studiet, hvordan krav til uniform, udseende og adfærd producerer en normativ femininitet defineret af beskedenhed, lydighed og konformitet. Med afsæt i Judith Butlers teori om køn som performativitet forstås skolepigen som en rolle, der kontinuerligt skabes gennem efterlevelse af institutionelle forventninger, mens Hofstedes kulturdimensioner bruges til at indplacere disse normer i bredere japanske værdiorienteringer. Metodisk anvendes kritisk diskursanalyse af skolepolitikker og bredere mediediskurser med kvalitative kilder som retningslinjer, nyhedsdækning, spørgeskemaer og rapporter. Samtidig belyser specialet forhandling og modstand inden for dette system med særlig opmærksomhed på kogyaru-subkulturen, hvor ændrede uniformer, makeup og en mere assertiv adfærd udfordrer skolens idealer. Analysen peger på, at skoler fungerer som et mikrokosmos, der både afspejler og forstærker kønnede hierarkier, men også rummer handlemuligheder, som synliggør spændinger mellem kulturel tradition og skiftende sociale realiteter.
This thesis examines how the figure of the Japanese schoolgirl is shaped, regulated, and sometimes contested in and around the school. Focusing on black school rules (burakku kōsoku)—both formal regulations and hidden norms—it analyzes how requirements for uniform, appearance, and conduct produce a normative femininity defined by modesty, obedience, and conformity. Drawing on Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity, the schoolgirl is treated as a role continually enacted through compliance with institutional expectations, while Hofstede’s cultural dimensions situate these norms within broader Japanese value orientations. Methodologically, the study employs Critical Discourse Analysis of school policies and wider media discourse, using qualitative sources such as guidelines, news coverage, surveys, and reports. In parallel, it explores negotiation and resistance within this framework, with particular attention to the kogyaru subculture, where altered uniforms, makeup, and assertive behavior challenge school-based ideals. The analysis indicates that schools operate as a microcosm that both reflects and reinforces gendered hierarchies, yet also leaves room for agency, highlighting tensions between cultural tradition and shifting social realities.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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