Fall 2021 zine

Page 3

ness and ferocity of the ramifications that stem from these issues. Consider the seemingly innocuous fashion or cosmetic advertisements we are bombarded with every day in our lives. We become inculcated to believe that our body that frames our unique souls and minds must be altered to fit into the narrowly tailored mold constructed by society’s idea of vogue. When we are encouraged to become someone we aren’t, our souls and minds along with their bodies could become incapacitated, spurring illnesses of many kinds, undermining the sinews to fully engage in our lives. As such, advocating for body positivity – a concept virtually inexistent in Japan – that asserts a healthy body image of all shapes, sizes, and appearances have a significant meaning. Meanwhile, because non-consensual sex is legal in Japan, many victims of rape are left without justice ever being realized through the legal system. This not only encumbers the healing process of survivors but also discourages people from reporting their incidents. Such iniquitous reality is often overshadowed by the façade of peace and security promoted as the virtue of the country and thus, many people, including Japanese citizens, are unaware that such a primitive set of laws govern the country and its people. While some fervently advocate for the amendment of these obsolete laws that sanction rape and for the requirement of consent to be normalized in society, the large portion of the population in Japan is not even familiar with the concept of sexual consent. Stigma against the survivors and victim-blaming could largely be imputed to such dismal conditions of Japanese law and social norms. Consequently, heartaches and trauma that could have been prevented irreversibly afflict many people, robbing them


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