57 minute read
Know your rights
from Fall 2021 zine
エリカ・マリー・ハスヌマ
このようにボディ・ポジティブを包括的に考えることが重要な のは、私たちは常に自分の外見に何か問題があると言われる 世界に住んでいるからです。どこにいても、もっと細い方がいい とか、もっと太い方がいいとか、肌が白い方がいいとか、顔の形 が違う方がいいとか、いろいろなことを思い出させてくれます。 日本では電車に乗っているだけでも、ダイエットスムージーやダ イエットジムの広告、肌を明るくする化粧品の広告などを目にす ることがあります。日本では、平均以下の体重の人が太ってい ると思われているのが怖いですね。体重以外にも、社会や企業 が “欠点 “としている、ごく普通の美しい外見がたくさんありま す。例えば、東アジア系の人の中には、一重を二重にする手術 をする人がいます。有色人種の中には、肌の色を明るくしようと したり、美しい地毛をまっすぐにしなければならないというプレ ッシャーを感じたりする人もいます。私は「自分の体は自分で選 ぶ」という考えを心から支持しますが、体の改造（特に永久的 で、有害または危険な可能性のあるもの）が、否定的で憎しみ に満ちた場所から行われる場合は、明らかに大きな問題があり ます。流行のダイエット、痩せ薬、肌の漂白剤、「欠点」を修正す るための整形手術など、外見を変える製品やサービスを販売す る企業は、一般の人々の間で育まれた不安を糧としていること が多いのです。
しかし、注意しなければならないのは、例えば、髪をまっすぐ にしたり、少し筋肉をつけたりしたいと思うことは本質的に悪い ことではないということです。整形手術のような永久的な改造 であっても、本質的に「悪い」ものではありません。会社や社会 が「必要だ」と言っているのではなく、自分が望んで幸せになる ためのものであれば、それは個人の判断です。会社や社会が「 必要だ」と言っているのではなく、自分が望んでいるからこそ幸 せになれるものであれば、それはその人の判断です。今の体重 では不健康だからといって、体重を減らしたり増やしたりしたい と思う人がいても、それはその人の判断です。一方で、痩せよう としたり、肌の色を変えようとしたりして、自分を傷つけてしまう 人がいれば、それは大きな問題です。同じように、髪の毛を伸ば したり、ウエストトレーナーを使ったりしないと「何かが悪い」と 感じる人がいたら、それは有害です。自分に物足りなさを感じて 変わろうとするのではなく、ボディ・ポジティブになることで、より 素晴らしく、美しく、幸せな自分へと進化し、成長することができ ます。言うは易し、行うは難しですが、自分の外見にポジティブ になることは、外見を変えろと要求する企業や社会に直接反発 する方法です。現実には、誰の外見にも「悪い」ところはありま せん。
ボディ・ポジティブは、数十年前の太った人の権利を守る活 動家の努力によって生まれました。そして、ボディ・ポジティブを 広めてくれた有色人種の女性やLGBTQ+の人々にも多くの恩 義があります。特に、「すべてが欠点」と言われる現代では、ボ ディ・ポジティブを体重だけではなく、その人のすべての身体的 特徴を包括するものとして考えることが重要です。ボディポジテ ィブとは、体重だけでなく、自分の体のすべての特徴を含めたも のであり、自分の体のすべての側面について考えるべきなので す。誰もが不安を感じることがあり、それは今の世の中では理 解できます。しかし、社会や貪欲な企業は、あなたの体が人生 のあらゆる場面であなたを支えてきたという現実を変えること はできません。あなたの体はあなたの生涯のパートナーであり、 あなたが生きていること、健康であることに常に最善を尽くして います。あなたの体は、あなたと話すことはできないかもしれま せんが、どのような形であれ、常にあなたを支えています。だか らこそ、あなたも自分の体を応援し、変えたいと思うかどうかに 関わらず、自分の体に対してポジティブになるべきなのです。
翻訳：アイリン・リー
Body Positivity and How Our Environment Destroys It
by Nataliya Dey Yordanova
Body positivity is a difficult topic to discuss. There is a tendency to connect your physical image versus your physical well-being, and this exacerbates the anxiety and poor self-image we may already have. That friend that means well says you look fine when you are trying to lose or gain weight. Many companies refuse to endorse plus-size models or refuse to provide products to that market. Doctors bring up weight at unrelated times making their patients feel attacked and self-conscious. We look at Instagram where our friends post selfies and we stop to wonder “What if I had that?” “What if I looked more like that?” “Would people find me more beautiful if …?” We need to find the vocabulary and skill to approach weight in a way that minimally impacts body positivity.
To be clear, being over a certain weight does put you at other health risks down the road as well as joint discomfort. The same goes for being underweight, which can put you at higher risk for surgery and malnutrition. It is a real issue, but we lack the proper vocabulary and approach to talking about this without implying judgment. Many doctors lack the tact and sensitivity when bringing up the issue with their patient, often making the patient uncomfortable and worsening their self-image. The worst offenders are those who bring up weight as an issue with something completely unrelated to the diagnosis or recovery of the intended topic of the appointment or visit.
There was an issue in Cosmo Magazine that had a series called “This is Healthy”, which portrayed different size women in athletic clothes doing exercises. I believe the intended outcome of this was to improve body positivity when it comes to women of different sizes wearing athletic clothes, as well as show that even people who are overweight do healthy activities, such as yoga. However, there was a lot of controversy surrounding this, ranging from outrage from the general public to health care professionals. In both cases, we saw some people saying that the only real issue is how the title is interpreted, whereas others criticized some of the girls for being too big or too small. It was surprising to see not only regular people but also healthcare professionals degrade and attack the women in these photos. A video by Doctor Mike, a YouTuber and pediatrician, called “Doctors React to Controversial Cosmo Cover” addresses the issue quite well I found. It talked about the article potentially promoting obesity and ignoring the health issues of being overweight or underweight can cause, and that titles like these are meant to provoke and to inflame in order to bring in more readership to magazines. For the most part, I think the video does a good job at addressing the positives and negatives of this type of titling on articles and what impact media has on the collective thought on weight and body positivity.
On another note, a good friend of mine was the first person to ever react to my comment “I want to lose weight” with “You can do it. Let me know if you need help.” The typical reaction I got is “Why? You look amazing!”. I understand it comes from a supportive place, but it keeps linking my weight back to my appearance. My personal goal for losing weight may include some insecurity of my image, but it stems from concerns of later health issues down the line that run in my family that are often triggered by weight. Overall, there needs to be a separation both in media as well as our interpersonal interactions between health and body image.
With that cleared up, what about your body’s appearance? Why does someone being larger than average or someone who is thinner than average make them somehow less than anyone else? Why do girls grow up stressing out breast size and having curves in the “right” places? Why do boys grow up anxious about their height, voice, or sizing? Most of all, why are we so kind and accepting to others but when we look in the
mirror we hate what we see? All of these questions are constantly circling us and fan the flames of our concerns and anxiety related to our self-image. In my opinion, this is in part from our social environment and how easily we are impacted by opinions around us. When these opinions come into contradiction with each other or our reality, we start to disassociate to feel included or stand out less. For example, if you were in a country where being thin is the standard and often prized by society, but then you see movies or magazines from overseas where someone more muscular or with a bigger butt is desired and you see people becoming drawn to this, what do you think will happen? This person will try to attain that body in order to be more appealing, especially if it’s something that is within their power to change. Some people have such strong psychological disassociation that they develop bulimia or other eating disorders that are very dangerous all because the brain physically rejects or requires food to close the gap between the image and the reality.
None of these issues are helped at all by social media, where we see people from all around the world, each with different genetics and opportunities, not to mention the filters that everyone slaps on top of their photos to correct blemishes, make themselves look more fit, enlarge their breasts, and many other natural things. I remember a few years ago, there was a TikTok challenge that said you were perfect if your waist was the same size as an A4 piece of paper. This was mostly trending in the Asian community from my recollection, but there was a lot of criticism saying it degraded women and promoted anorexia. This wasn’t the first challenge related to physical appearance and I don’t expect it to be the last. Also, has anyone else noticed how bombarded women (and even children) are in Japan with laser hair removal ads? From the trains to your smartphone, there is always information on the newest, trendiest trick or tip to improving your physical appearance. With so much information overload, we forget to stop and appreciate our bodies, our appearances. Recently, there have been challenges to love yourself, where you look in the mirror every day and give yourself a compliment about your appearance. Over time, you start dressing in more stylish clothes and taking selfies. Many people who do this see their self-esteem improve through self-love. This is a great challenge to focuses on you to teach you how to accept yourself. Instead of looking in the mirror and thinking, “Eh, I look very bloated today”, you start by telling yourself you look amazing, even if you don’t believe it. Positive self-affirmation is a very powerful tool in changing your view of your own body.
Some of my final thoughts on this issue are as follows. One, I think doctors need to have training about body image and weight-related bedside manner. Also, if a doctor crosses that line and makes you uncomfortable, try calling them out on this behavior and ask that they keep their commentary related to the manner at hand. When you see that new Instagram post where someone is wearing swimwear, does that make you feel motivated or is it just destroying your self-esteem? If so, try unfollowing that person, muting them, or if it’s a recommendation then clear out your history so the algorithm stops recommending it to you. Finally, I encourage you to really hear what someone says when they want to make changes, whether that is to lose weight, gain weight, or change something about their physical appearance. At the end of the day, you are beautiful no matter what you look like.
I stood in front of my mirror at age thirteen, sporting my new pink and blue nike track shorts that all the cool girls at my school had already, finally feeling some proximity to the belonging that every young girl naively reaches their hands out for. But something about the picture seemed crooked; the fabric didn’t hug my thighs in the flattering way it did on those girls. I began buying children’s sizes in the hopes that the tighter fabric would tilt the picture back into a position that would satisfy me, so to speak, but it didn’t. Nonetheless I wore those shorts to school in different colors every other day. This was where I received my first exposure to the bullying and body shaming I would endure well into adulthood: “do you eat?”, “why do your legs look like that?”, “you’re so skinny!”, “eat a cheeseburger!”. I prayed for some god to fill me out with puberty and begged my mom to take me to (multiple) doctors, convinced there was something wrong with me, or of the existence of some miracle pill I could take that would give me hips overnight, but in time I realized this was just the shape my body would take. As an adult I have tried to open up some discourse on the subject of skinny shaming, but consistently get trapped in the endless cycle of “stop complaining, women would kill to have your issues’ ‘. We’ve had enough. It’s time to talk about it.
The most common “insult” I receive, and admittedly the one that has dealt the most damage, compares my body to that of individuals with restrictive eating disorders. Even perfect strangers at times feel they have the space to make these comments, or ask me to disclose my eating habits to ensure I am not starving myself. I should not have to explain why this is problematic, but my years of existing in this body have taught me that people can be surprisingly dense and insensitive: Likening skinny women to people with eating disorders not only waters down the severity of said disorders, it creates an image of eating disorders that is potentially dangerous; not all skinny women have eating disorders; not all people with eating disorders are skinny. Restrictive eating disorders are notorious for being competitive in nature, so when we set a physical bar for what a disorder like Anorexia can look like, we run the risk of delegitimizing women in need of help that don’t match the ‘anorexic’ body type while simultaneously creating an environment that is exponentially more competitive for them.
What’s worse, in the event that you do encounter a skinny individual that actually is undergoing recovery from an eating disorder, these comments inflict a new form of damage. Telling women with physical and/or mental ailments attempting weight gain and recovery that they “look anorexic”, or suggesting they “just eat a cheeseburger” to fix it, is not only comically ignorant, it’s invalidating. As an individual that has attempted weight gain multiple times, I can personally attest to the fact that it is not that simple. Every body metabolizes the food we eat at different rates; some people have an easy time losing, some people gaining. It is next to impossible to tell from one look at a person what is going on inside their body, unless you are a licensed doctor, that is. So it is better to not make any assumptions.
But I have made these points in the past with no success in striking some level of understanding, so let’s take it further. Ironically, being subjected to a lifetime of strangers commenting on your weight with the tired old “eat a cheeseburger” and “you need to put some meat on your bones” can, and has, led to binge eating disorders. Intense, unhealthy calorie counting diets are not a problem that plague only thick-bodied communities, these are symptoms of disordered eating that I have observed -and regret to say personally participated in- in my own community. It takes the form of downloading apps that tell you how much you need to eat daily to gain 20 pounds in six months; even if that means
subjecting your body to unhealthy amounts of food and force feeding, sometimes to the point of making yourself physically ill.
Also ironically, when you tell a skinny individual expressing these grievances and insecurities that their feelings are not valid because their proximity to the socially accepted beauty standard is enviable, you are -likely unintentionally- perpetuating the fat-phobic attitude that allows the standard to exist in the first place; you are acknowledging and reinforcing the idea that thin bodies are more desirable. We cannot deconstruct that system on a societal level without first deconstructing it within ourselves. Weight has nothing to do with beauty, it informs nothing of individual value, and having a low weight does not make you immune to body image issues. Acknowledging the body shaming and consequential body dysmorphia that skinny individuals have experienced does not have to come at the expense of a body positivity movement that still encourages non-skinny people to love and appreciate their bodies. It is important to understand that these experiences within the thin community are very much as real as the trauma they leave behind. It’s the way we feel shame at the slightest hint of a hunger pain, it’s the way we convince ourselves that everyone is going to notice we accidentally skipped that meal, it’s the way we have to pretend to find inappropriate jokes about our bodies funny because we feel obligated to be grateful for our proximity to a beauty standard we didn’t ask for, it’s years of swallowed trauma and body dysmorphia.
Even in my 20’s I feel that same “crooked picture” feeling I felt when I was thirteen looking in a mirror. I feel it every time a pair of thigh highs don’t stay up, every time I feel full while I still have food on my plate, every time the veins on my hands are a little too visible. All I, and countless others ask for is a little sympathy and renewed awareness of the language you use around us. This experience is not enviable. Do not make assumptions about my health. Do not tell me what food to put in my body. I know I am skinny, I don’t need a reminder.
べサニー・ケネディー
私は13歳のときに鏡の前に立ちました。学校のクールな女の子たちが すでに持っていたピンクとブルーのNIKEのトラックショーツを身につ け、若い女の子たちが皆、素朴に手を伸ばす所有物にようやく近づい たことを感じていました。しかし、この写真は何かが歪んでいるように思 えました。生地が私の太ももを、彼女たちのようにお世辞にもきれいに は包み込んでくれなかったのです。私は子供用のサイズを買い始めま した。それは、生地がしっかりしていることで、写真がいわば私を満足さ せる位置に傾くのではないかと期待したからですが、そうはなりません でした。それでも私は、毎日のように色違いのショーツを履いて学校に 通いました。ここで私は、大人になるまで耐えてきたいじめやボディシェ イミングを初めて受けました。「お前は食ってるのか」「なんでお前の足 はそんな風に見えるんだ」「お前はそんなに痩せてるのか」「チーズバ ーガーでも食ってろ」。私は、思春期の私を満たしてくれる神に祈り、母 に（何度も）医者に連れて行ってくれるよう懇願しました。私には何か問 題があるのではないか、あるいは一晩でヒップが手に入る奇跡の薬が あるのではないかと確信していましたが、そのうちに、これは私の体が 取るべき形なのだと気づきました。大人になってからは、スキニーシェイ ミングについての議論を始めようとしましたが、「文句を言うな、女性は お前の問題を抱えたくてたまらないんだ」という終わりのないサイクル に常に陥っています。私たちはもう十分です。そろそろ話し合おうじゃな いか。
私が受けた最も一般的な「侮辱」であり、正直なところ最も大きなダ メージを与えたものは、私の体を制限型摂食障害の人の体と比較する ものです。見ず知らずの人であっても、このようなコメントをするスペー スがあると感じたり、私が飢えていないかどうかを確認するために食習 慣を開示するよう求められることがあります。なぜこれが問題なのかを 説明する必要はありませんが、長年この体で生きてきたことで、人は驚 くほど鈍感で無神経であることを学びました。痩せている女性を摂食 障害の人に例えることは、摂食障害の深刻さを軽視するだけでなく、潜 在的に危険な摂食障害のイメージを作り出しています。痩せている女 性ばかりが摂食障害ではありませんし、摂食障害の人ばかりが痩せて いるわけでもありません。制限型の摂食障害は、自然界での競争が激
しいことで知られています。そのため、拒食症のような障害がどのように 見えるかという物理的なハードルを設定すると、助けを必要としている 「拒食症」の体型に合わない女性を委縮させてしまう危険性があり、同 時に彼女たちにとって競争が激しくなる環境を作り出してしまいます。 さらに悪いことに、実際に摂食障害から立ち直ろうとしている痩せた人 に出会った場合、これらのコメントは新たなダメージを与えます。身体 的、精神的に問題を抱えながら体重増加や回復を試みている女性に 「拒食症のようだ」と言ったり、それを解決するために「チーズバーガー を食べればいい」と提案したりすることは、滑稽なほど無知であるだけ でなく、無効なことです。何度も体重増加を試みた経験のある私として は、そんなに簡単なことではないという事実を自ら証明することができ ます。食べたものを代謝するスピードは人それぞれで、簡単に痩せられ る人もいれば、太る人もいます。その人の体の中で何が起こっているの か、医師の資格を持っている人でない限り、一目見ただけではわから ないのです。だから、決めつけないほうがいいのです。
しかし、私はこれまでもこのような指摘をしてきましたが、ある程度の 理解を得ることができませんでしたので、今回はさらに踏み込んでみま しょう。皮肉なことに、見知らぬ人から「チーズバーガーを食べなさい」 とか「骨に肉をつけなさい」などと言われ続けてきたことが、過食症の 原因になっています。激しく不健康なカロリー計算によるダイエットは、 太った人たちだけを悩ませる問題ではありません。これらは、私が自分 のコミュニティで観察し、残念ながら個人的に参加した乱れた食事の 症状です。半年間で20キロ太るためには、毎日どれだけ食べればいい かを教えてくれるアプリをダウンロードしたり、時には体調を崩すほど不 健康な量の食事をしたり、強制的に食べさせたりすることです。
また、皮肉なことに、痩せている人がこのような不満や不安を訴えて いるときに、社会的に認められている美の基準に近いことが羨ましいか ら、その気持ちは妥当ではないと言うと、おそらく無意識のうちに、そも そも基準の存在を可能にしている脂肪恐怖症の態度を永続させてい ることになります。私たちは、まず自分自身の中でそのシステムを解体 しなければ、社会的なレベルでそのシステムを解体することはできませ ん。体重は美しさとは無関係であり、個人の価値を決めるものではあり ません。また、体重が少ないからといってボディイメージの問題から逃 れることはできません。痩せている人が経験してきたボディシェイミング やその結果としてのボディディスモルフォニアを認めることは、痩せてい ない人が自分の体を愛し、評価することを促すボディポジティブ運動を 犠牲にする必要はありません。痩せている人たちが経験したことは、彼 らが残したトラウマと同じくらい現実的なものであることを理解すること が重要です。ちょっとした空腹感に恥ずかしさを感じたり、うっかり食事 を抜いてしまったことに誰もが気づくだろうと自分を納得させたり、求め てもいない美の基準に近づいたことに感謝しなければならないと思っ て、自分の体に関する不適切なジョークを面白いと思うふりをしなけれ ばならなかったり、長年飲み込んできたトラウマや身体の醜さを感じた りします。
20代になっても、13歳のときに鏡を見たときに感じた「歪んだ絵」の ような感覚が残っています。ハイヒールが上がらなかったり、お皿に食 べ物が残っているのにお腹がいっぱいだと感じたり、手の血管が見え すぎていたりするたびに感じます。私や他の多くの人たちが求めている のは、少しの共感と、あなたたちが私たちの周りで使っている言葉への 新たな認識です。この経験は決して羨ましいものではありません。私の 健康状態を勝手に決めつけないでください。私の体にどんな食べ物を 入れればいいか教えないでください。私は自分が痩せていることを知っ ているので、それを思い出させる必要はありません。 翻訳：アイリン・リー
Let Us Be Bare
By John Stone
Why must we hide our bodies? Is it because someone may take offence to seeing our genitals as we strut down the street? Is it because a child might learn that women’s nipples exist? Is it because garbage people with no self-control will assault you if they see your body?
Fuck. That.
While there are obvious practical reasons to cover up your body, such as winter being a thing, it is absurd that societal and legal standards prevent people from being naked. In the US, for example, some states go so far with their nudity bans that they criminalize public breast feeding. Who is this protecting?
Nobody. Obviously.
This unnecessary standard only enforces the shame which many people feel over their bodies, and none of the common arguments in support of it hold water. If you’re offended by the prospect of seeing a naked person existing in public, then you’ve been brainwashed into thinking nudity is wrong. Societal standards have wronged you. If you’re afraid of children seeing naked folks, stop that shit. Your hardwiring kids to feel shame about their own bodies. If you argue that people should be clothed because you believe that nudity invites sexual assault, you need to take some time and self-reflect on how you view your fellow humans.
Do. Better.
Perhaps it might feel a little weird at first if people can just start cruising the streets in their birthday suits, and those early adopters are going to have to brave a LOT of stares (don’t lie and say you wouldn’t be one of those staring), but any big change for the better is going to feel a little strange at first. Imagine how much better people’s feeling about their bodies would be if they did not have to feel shame in existing as their natural selves, without repercussion, anywhere that they wanted.
Hell. Yeah.
Some house-cleaning: we would need to set some new standards for when you should still really put something on. For example, we will have to accept that nobody’s undercarriage is the cleanest thing in the world, so it might be considered a bit rude to put your not-as-clean-as-you-think ass on somebody’s brand new sofa. These are things that we will just have to learn to handle as we go.
Last point: I still think we should have clothes. I would just like our relationship to them, as a whole, to change. Your wardrobe should be about self-expression, not about hiding your body. Whether you fell sufficiently self-expressed by wearing a three-piece suit or nothing at all, your dress should be determined by you and you alone.
ジョン・ストーン
その通りです。
誰も守っていません。
明らかにそうです。
このような不必要な基準は、多くの人が自分の体に対して感 じている羞恥心を強いるだけであり、それを支持する一般的な 論拠は何もありません。もしあなたが、公共の場に裸の人間が 存在するのを見て不快に思うなら、あなたは裸体が悪いものだ と考えるように洗脳されているのです。社会の基準があなたを 間違っているのです。子供が裸の人間を見るのを恐れているの であれば、そのようなことはやめてください。子供が自分の体を 恥ずかしいと感じるように仕向けているのです。裸体が性的暴 行を招くと信じているために人々に服を着せるべきだと主張し ているのであれば、時間をかけて自分が仲間をどのように見てい るのかを自省する必要があります。
Do.
より良くするために。
地獄ですね。
そうですね。
Loving and Accepting Who I am
Sakura Hirose
I have had an experience of hating myself and not liking how I looked. When I was in middle school there was a time where I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror or look at the reflections of myself in the windows of the street. During this time, I kept on pushing myself hard to fit in the beauty standard I thought was right in a bad way which made my situation worse.
I wasn’t exactly told by a doctor that I had this symptom, but I am pretty sure I had dysmorphophobia. Dysmorphophobia is a type of phobia where it is defined as a preoccupation with an imagined defect in one’s physical appearance. The biggest possible reason why I had dysmorphophobia is because of the mental illness I had during middle school. I suffered from trichotillomania. This is a type of mental illness where a person keeps on pulling out hair when they feel a certain amount of stress and a huge blank spot caused by hair loss appears. Because of the hair loss, I lost self-confidence and I always thought that I was the ugliest looking person in the world. I always thought that every person I see while walking is looking at me and laughing about how I look. To hide the ugliness of the hair loss, I thought getting slender is the only way to make myself look prettier. This led me to go on an unhealthy harsh diet. The diet I went on did make me slender, but the more I lost weight, the more miserable I looked. One day, I suddenly couldn’t look at the mirror. The person reflecting on the mirror looked so ugly and miserable and it just made me want to stop looking at my reflection. Until I graduated middle school, I went through numerous therapies to make my situation better. By the time I graduated middle school, my situation got a lot better, but I didn’t fully like myself and how I looked.
My turning point was when I started going to high school. All the friends that I met in high school kept on complimenting me on how I looked and dressed. Every day, when I meet them, they will tell me “Sakura you look so cute today as always! I love your shoes” or “Sakura you look so gorgeous! I love how you wear your makeup today!”. All these small comments made me feel confident about how I looked and helped me feel nice about myself. The comments also helped me feel I was accepted no matter how I looked. After I started accepting how I looked I was able to look at the mirror again. From my own experience, I learned that loving and accepting ourselves makes our lives much easier to live. It might be difficult to take a step to start loving ourselves, but that one step will help make our lives exciting and happier to live.
廣瀬 桜
私には、自分が嫌いで、自分の顔 が好きになれなかった経験があ ります。中学生の頃、鏡の中の自 分も、街の窓に映る自分の姿さえ も見られない時期がありました。 その間、自分が正しいと思う美の 基準に合わせるために、悪い意 味で自分を追い込み、状況を悪 化させていました。
私は医者からこの症状があ ると断定されたわけではありませ んが、異形恐怖症であったことは 間違いありません。異形恐怖症と は、恐怖症の一種であり、自分の 外見上の欠点を想像してそれに とらわれることと定義されていま す。私が異形恐怖症になった最 大の理由は、中学時代に患って いた精神疾患にあると思います。 私は「抜毛症」という精神疾患を 患っていました。これは、ある種の ストレスを感じると髪の毛を抜き 続けてしまい、髪の毛が抜けて大 きなハゲができてしまう精神疾患 です。抜けていく髪の毛のせいで 自分の容姿に自信が持てなくな り、自分は世界で一番醜い人間 だと思っていました。歩いていると きに目にする人は皆、私の顔を見 て笑っているのではないかといつ も思っていました。抜け毛の醜さを 隠すためには、痩せることが唯一 の方法だと考えました。そのため、 不健康で過酷なダイエットを行い ました。確かに痩せたのですが、 痩せれば痩せるほど自分が惨め に見えてくるのです。ある日、私は 突然、鏡を見ることができなくなり ました。鏡に映る自分があまりにも 醜く、惨めに見えて、もう自分の姿 を見るのはやめようと思ったので す。中学校を卒業するまで、私は この状況を改善するために様々な 治療を受けました。中学校を卒業 する頃には、状況はかなり改善さ れましたが、自分の容姿を完全に は好きになれませんでした。
転機となったのは、高校に入学 したときでした。高校で出会った 友人たちは、私の外見や服装を褒 めてくれました。毎日のように会う と、「さくら、今日もかわいいね。と か、「さくらちゃん、いつもかわいい ね！その靴いいね！」とか、「さくら ちゃん、すごく素敵だね。今日のメ イクも綺麗だね！」と言ってくれまし た。このような小さなコメントのお かげで、私は自分の見た目に自 信を持つことができ、自分のこと を好きになることができました。ま た、これらのコメントは、私がどの ような格好、様子をしていても受け 入れられていることを実感させて くれました。自分の見た目を受け 入れられるようになってからは、再 び鏡を見ることができるようになり ました。私自身の経験から、自分自 身を愛し、受け入れることは、人生 をより生きやすくするということを学 びました。自分を好きになるための 一歩を踏み出すのは難しいかもし れませんが、その一歩は私たちの 人生を刺激的で幸せなものにして くれるはずです。
翻訳：アイリン・リー、廣瀬 桜
Me vs Me
By Kaya Rist
From the first moment I openly called my disordered eating what it was, I’ve had to sit with the disconcerting and bitter fact that it will always be able to have an iron grip on me. It manifests itself in so many facets of my world that even thinking of working on it feels like I’m about to step into a roach-infested home that only I can clean. This infestation will persist for the rest of my life.
We hail those who recover, and frankly, we should. What we seldomly acknowledge is that the recovery process is not complete with a doctor’s sign off. Eating disorder recovery is constant and serves as both healing and prevention. I’ve made reluctant peace with the fact that my disordered eating will always be a part of me, and that I could have it so much worse. The problem is, I still can.
While it doesn’t define me, the way my DE has been enforced through the cultures I’ve lived in makes it infuriating and discouraging to truly confront this mental illness as a part of me. Everywhere I go there is something challenging my healing. Healing is not linear, but what is allowing these intrusive, poisonous thoughts to persist and fuel my fears of relapse, even as I continue to seek a fulfilling and healthy life?
America: [Diet culture and the values of the champion-athleticism paradox]
I was first praised for self-control over my eating habits when I turned down an offer for ice cream at the age of 14. I wasn’t long into my struggles with disordered and restricted eating, and already, I outrightly replied “I don’t think that’s anything to praise me for.”
Most of the adult women around me openly discussed their dissatisfaction with their bodies, in particular how their weight and shape made them view themselves. They openly traded tips about low-calorie meals and diet shakes, labeling foods “good” and “bad” as if they were kids on Santa’s list. I internalized a desire to not want to grow into a female adult body with boobs or curves since these seemed to be the vilified parts; they were fat and fat was bad. It took years for me to accept and appreciate the fact that the weight I gained as I grew through puberty was natural. Needing new jeans every other year and having stretch marks on my thighs was because of growth. My body was keeping up with my transition into adulthood.
For all the flack Americans get for the obesity rate, most kids I knew were physically active. They participated in team sports and the like, and if not, they ran around the playground or their backyards with their friends, tiring themselves out with glee time and time again. I fell between the two. Bike rides around the neighborhood with friends and running up and down hills sledding in the winter for hours on end were blissfully exhausting. I was by no means skilled in any of my athletic pursuits but I enjoyed the fresh, allergy-inducing air and a chance to be with friends. However, as I began to get older, winning became top priority.
As the focus on winning began to trump enjoyment, I found myself feeling less and less encouraged to try because being active was no longer about having fun. Being less than adequate, try as I might, this made most activities feel pointless. Eventually the sole exception became physical activity for weight loss and maintenance, not about my genuine happiness or well being outside of my body’s defining numbers. The idea of even starting a new form of physical activity has become synonymous with attempting to become proficient, something I have never been in this field, so why should I bother? Ironically, I was shocked by how many of my old schoolmates and teammates openly shared their own struggling relationships with food and exercise years later. The American ideas of fitness and diet have ultimately left me
hyper aware of the willpower I need to muster to participate in any form of exercise and following a balanced diet for the right reason: because it can be cathartic, freeing, and improve my overall wellbeing. However, it feels that hidden motivations cemented by diet culture will incessantly try to shift my priorities to keeping up a certain appearance and an all-or-nothing approach to fitness.
Norway: [Conditional positivity and the Law of Jante]
While I count myself lucky to live in one of the happiest countries in the world, it’s worth noting how widespread personal dissatisfaction with one’s own appearance is. Plenty of this can be attributed to the rise of blogger and influencer culture in Norway, but there has long been a general desire for unity through homogeny.
Aksel Sandemose defined the term “Janteloven”, or, the Law of Jante as the unwritten social rules have been interwoven into Nordic societies for centuries. The general idea of it is to discourage diverging from the norm and thinking anything special about yourself. While I have grown to appreciate its notes on egalitarianism, it still does not fail to make one feel guilty for diverging from the norm. In this case, that norm is the enthusiasm for time outdoors and physical activity, as well as dietary habits.
Body positivity and body neutrality fall into one circle here, conditions applying; In Norway, you can have bigger legs! But they need to be powerful. You can have wider hips! But they need to be active in going out for a 4 hour hike every Sunday. You can have a tummy that pokes out over your knees! But only if you’re choosing a slice of bread with cheese and red pepper for a snack instead of a cookie. You can flaunt your size 40 bikini body on Instagram! Only if you’re tan, but still white, blonde, and over 170cm. Krop er topp! (The body is [thumbs up]). Scorn seeped its way into meal times and I grew increasingly self-conscious over what I ate and how much during social meals. I obsessed over how I was working out and what results I was achieving. The joy of movement was thrown to the wayside. Body-positivity feels conditional; you can have these features but only if you seem to be doing something to achieve otherwise, still aiming for the ideal that has been set. You’ve tried, so now you’re allowed to exist as you. That is your reward. You are still working for a means towards an end.
Japan: [Unrealistic beauty standards, unhealthy methods to achieve the aforementioned, and not fitting the norm]
When I first moved to Japan, I pledged to myself that I would not compare my body to those of Japanese women. Our genetic makeup is completely different, and I should not expect to fit the mold they’re squeezing into. I ignored the labels on clothing tags, since I knew the sizing wasn’t completely relative to me. I began incorporating more vegetables into my daily meals simply because it tasted good and I felt reinvigorated. I walked or took the subway almost everywhere, I got a full night’s rest, and oddly enough, standing out amongst the crowd actually led me to gain more self-confidence since there was nothing I could do to blend in. I was probably at my healthiest in Japan. I started going on runs for fresh air and to explore my neighborhoods, disconnecting with my music in my ears, and reconnecting with a place that fueled my soul. As fortunate as I was to have the experience I had, the insecurities of almost an entire culture and their dangerous coping mechanisms seeped in.
There is too much to unpack around how Japanese women are held to unrealistic and damaging standards across so many areas of society, but one of the greatest is their physical appearance. They are picked to pieces for the way they dress and behave, and how their weight and shape are. Pretty privilege is a real currency in Japan, and while I at times benefited from it for meeting certain beauty standards, it did leave me in fear of losing it.
Women in gym ads are only practicing delicate and soft motions, no weights over 1.5 kg. Bathroom scales are a home staple, and routinely used. Entrancing TV programs share meal programs with microscopic calorie counts and the audience (both televised and sitting beside me on the couch) gasp in amazement at guests’ new measurements. A friend follows a crash diet of 3 grapes and a popsicle, lethargic as hell, to fit a pair of jeans she’s loved throughout high school. I saw what all of this was doing to the women around me, but being surrounded by that toxicity myself, I started to choke as well. Japan asks women to be larger than life and at the same time to shrink themselves for an impossible cookie-cutter fit.
Italy: [Indulgence and la bella figura]
There are so many Italian concepts I embraced with curiosity and awe, like la dolce far niente (the art of doing nothing-- ie. Relaxing 101). Her slightly more controversial cousin is called La Bella Figura (the proper decorum) which places importance on making a good impression by way of proper behavior and a wellkept appearance. It masks itself in self-preservation and respect, and while sometimes nothing boosts your mood more by throwing on your Best and walking with an air of importance beneath you, it can become awfully trying. Feeling the pressure to constantly uphold yourself through every moment in your day caused me to focus more on my appearance in front of others even when it came down to workouts at the gym and how I ate.
While Italian culinary traditions and powerful strides in the worlds of art and fashion have given the country pride, they also pour over into another idea that walks a fine line: indulgence. When trying to overcome restrictive practices, it’s easy to stumble into over-indulgence, and to combat the visual effects this kind of approach to food has, a lot of Italians I saw resorted to supplementing breakfast with just an espresso and/or a smoke. Knowing how those suppress one’s appetite, it’s easy to connect the dots on how Italians balance the richness of their food with maintaining La Bella Figura. Yet, there is a notion in this region of the world that just listening to your body’s desires and choosing what you want to eat is the key to leading a healthy and -- you guessed it -- slimming down.
I was left to ask myself all too frequently: Am I doing this because I want to embrace the benefits a satisfying and fulfilling diet will have in the long run, or in hopes that the results will naturally shave me down? Attempting to find harmony in one of the most integral parts of Italian culture was tumultuous.
The fact is I will never again lead the carefree approach I had to food and physical activity before the age of 13. In recent months, the practice of mindfulness and doing things with intention has helped me work to shape a more holistically healthy lifestyle. Yet, mindfulness implies conscious effort; Wherever I go, I will always need to be wary of when those conscious efforts are working covertly against my progress and will relentlessly need to question my own actions: am I doing this out of pure delight and respect, or succumbing to the need to reduce myself to feel worthy and deserving of love and respect.
自分との戦い
カヤ リスト
私は自分の乱れた食生活をありのままに表現した瞬間から、いつまで も乱れた食生活が私を支配しているという不愉快で苦しい事実と向き 合ってきました。それは私の世界の様々な側面に現れていて、それに取 り組もうと考えることさえ、私にしか掃除できないゴキブリのはびこる家 に足を踏み入れるような感じがします。この汚染は、私の人生の残りの 部分にまで及んでいます。
私たちは、回復した人を賞賛しますし、率直に言って、そうすべきです。 しかし、医師のサインがあれば回復するわけではないということはあま り知られていません。摂食障害の回復は常に続き、治癒と予防の両方 の役割を果たします。私は、自分の乱れた食事が常に自分の一部であ り、もっと悪い状態になる可能性があるという事実に、不本意ながらも 和解しました。問題は、まだその可能性があるということです。
私を定義するものではありませんが、私が生きてきた文化を通して私 のDEが強制されてきた方法は、私の一部であるこの精神的な病気に 真に向き合うことを怒らせ、落胆させます。どこに行っても、私の癒しに 挑戦するものがあります。癒しは直線的なものではありませんが、私が 充実した健康的な生活を求め続けているにもかかわらず、侵入してくる 有害な考えを持続させ、再発の恐れを煽っているのはなぜでしょうか？
アメリカ [ダイエット文化とチャンピオン・アスレチック・パラドックスの 価値観】について] 私が初めて食生活の自制を褒められたのは、14歳のときにアイスク リームのお誘いを断ったときでした。 乱れた食生活や制限食に悩まさ れて間もない頃でしたが、すでに「そんなことで褒められるとは思わな い」ときっぱり答えていました。
私の周りにいた大人の女性たちは、自分の体への不満、特に自分の 体重や体型が自分をどう見ているかについて率直に話していました。 彼女たちは、低カロリーの食事やダイエットシェイクなどの情報をオー プンに交換し、まるでサンタクロースのリストに載っている子供のよう に、食べ物に「良い」「悪い」のレッテルを貼っていました。私は、胸や体 の線がある大人の女性にはなりたくないという願望を内在化させてい ました。というのも、これらの部分は悪者扱いされていたからです。思春 期に増えた体重が自然なものであることを受け入れ、感謝するには何 年もかかりました。1年おきに新しいジーンズが必要になったり、太もも に妊娠線ができたりするのは、成長のためです。私の体は、大人への移 行に追いついていたのです。
アメリカでは肥満率が問題になっていますが、私が知っているほとん どの子供たちは体を動かしていました。チームスポーツなどに参加した り、そうでなくても友達と一緒に運動場や裏庭を走り回って、何度も何 度も楽しそうに体を動かしていました。私はこの2つの間に位置してい ました。友達と近所を自転車で走り回ったり、冬にはソリで坂道を何時 間も駆け上がったり降りたりして、至福の時間を過ごしました。私は決し て運動が得意なわけではありませんでしたが、アレルギーの原因となる 新鮮な空気を楽しみ、友達と一緒に過ごすことができました。しかし、年 齢を重ねるにつれ、勝利が最優先されるようになりました。
勝つことよりも楽しむことが優先されるようになると、私はますます挑 戦する気が失せていきました。努力しても十分な効果が得られないた め、ほとんどの活動が無意味なものになってしまいました。結局、唯一 の例外は、体重減少と維持のための身体活動であり、身体の定義され た数値以外の自分の本当の幸せや幸福のためのものではありません でした。新しい運動を始めようとすることは、その分野に精通しようとす ることと同義になりました。皮肉なことに、私の昔の学友やチームメイト の多くが、数年後に食べ物や運動との関係に悩んでいることを率直に 語っていることにショックを受けました。
アメリカのフィットネスやダイエットに対する考え方は、結果的に私に、 どんな形の運動にも参加し、バランスの取れた食事をするために必要 な意志の強さを強く意識させました。しかし、ダイエット文化に支えられ た隠れた動機が、私の優先順位を一定の外見を保つことや、フィットネ スに対するオール・オア・ナッシングのアプローチに変えようとしている ように思えてなりません。
ノルウェー [条件付きのポジティブさとヤンテの法則】について]
世界で最も幸せな国のひとつであるノルウェーに住んでいることは幸 運だと思いますが、自分の外見に対する個人的な不満がどれほど広 がっているかは注目に値します。ノルウェーでは、ブロガーやインフルエ ンサー文化が台頭してきたことも要因の一つですが、均質性による統 一性を求める一般的な願望が昔からありました。
Aksel Sandemoseは、北欧社会に何世紀も織り込まれてきた不文 律の社会的ルールとして、「Janteloven」（ヤンテの法則）という言葉 を定義しました。これは、北欧社会に何世紀にもわたって織り込まれて きた不文律であり、規範から外れたり、自分自身について何か特別な ことを考えたりすることを禁じるものである。平等主義への配慮を評価 するようになりましたが、規範から外れることへの罪悪感を抱かせない ようにしています。この場合の規範とは、屋外での活動や身体活動への 熱意、食生活などです。
ボディ・ポジティブとボディ・ニュートラルはここでは一つの輪になって いて、条件が適用されます。しかし、脚は力強くなければなりません。ノ ルウェーでは、足が太くても構いません。しかし、毎週日曜日に4時間の ハイキングに出かけるようなアクティブさが必要です。お腹が膝上まで 出ていてもOK! でもそれは、おやつにクッキーではなく、チーズと赤ピー マンを挟んだパンを選んでいる場合だけです。サイズ40のビキニボデ ィをインスタグラムで披露することができます。日焼けしていても、白人 でブロンドで170cm以上の人に限ります。Krop er topp! (体は親指 を立てて)」。 軽蔑の念は食事の時間にまで浸透し、私は社交場での食事で何を どれだけ食べるかについて、ますます自意識過剰になっていきました。 私は自分がどのようにワークアウトしているか、どのような結果が出て いるかに執着しました。体を動かすことの楽しさは忘れ去られてしまい ました。ボディポジティブには条件があります。このような特徴があって も、それを達成するために何かをしているように見えればよく、設定され た理想を目指していることに変わりはありません。努力したからこそ、あ なたはあなたとして存在することが許されるのです。それがあなたの報 酬です。あなたはまだ、目的のために手段を講じているのです。
日本では [非現実的な美の基準、それを達成するための不健康な方 法、標準に合わないこと] 日本に引っ越してきた当初、私は自分の体を日本の女性と比較しな いことを誓いました。日本の女性とは遺伝子が全く違うのだから、彼女 たちのように型にはまってはいけないと。洋服のタグに書かれているラ ベルを無視して、サイズが完全に自分に合っていないことを知ってい ました。毎日の食事に野菜を多く取り入れるようになったのは、単に美 味しくて元気が出たからです。ほとんどの場所で徒歩や地下鉄を利用 し、十分な睡眠をとりました。不思議なことに、人混みの中で目立つこと で、自分に自信が持てるようになりました。私は日本で最も健康だった と思います。新鮮な空気を求めてランニングをしたり、近所を散策した り、耳に入ってくる音楽との関係を断ち切って、自分の魂に活力を与え てくれる場所と再会したりするようになりました。幸いなことに、私はこの ような経験をすることができましたが、ほぼすべての文化の不安とその 危険な対処法がしみ込んできました。
日本の女性が、社会のさまざまな分野で非現実的で有害な基準を 課せられていることについては、説明しきれないほど多くのことがありま すが、その中でも特に重要なのが外見です。服装や振る舞い、体重や 体型などが問題視されています。日本では「美人の特権」というものが 存在します。私はある一定の美の基準を満たすことでその恩恵を受け たこともありましたが、それを失うことへの不安もありました。
ジムの広告に出てくる女性は、繊細で柔らかい動きだけを練習して いて、1.5kg以上の重さはありません。体重計は家庭の必需品であり、 日常的に使用されています。テレビ番組では、カロリー計算をした食事 メニューが紹介され、視聴者（テレビに映っている人も、ソファに座って いる人も）はゲストの新しい測定値に驚いている。ある友人は、高校時 代に愛用していたジーンズを履くために、ブドウ3個とアイスキャンディ ー1本のクラッシュダイエットを行い、無気力になっていました。このよう なことが周りの女性にどのような影響を与えているのかを知りました が、私自身がそのような毒に囲まれていると、私も息苦しくなってきまし た。日本では、女性たちに大きくなることを求めると同時に、ありえない ほどのクッキーのようなフィット感のために自分を縮めることも求められ ます。 イタリア。[耽溺とla bella figura】。]
イタリアには、la dolce far niente（何もしないことの芸術、つまり101 のリラックス）のように、私が好奇心と畏敬の念を持って受け入れた概念が たくさんあります。その中でも、少し物議を醸しているのが、「La Bella Figura（正しい礼儀）」と呼ばれるもので、適切な行動や手入れの行き届いた 外見によって、良い印象を与えることを重要視しています。これは、自衛と尊 敬の念を装ったもので、ベストを着て偉そうに歩くことほど気分を高揚させ てくれるものはありませんが、ひどく努力を要するものでもあります。一日の あらゆる瞬間に自分を維持しなければならないというプレッシャーを感じて いた私は、ジムでのトレーニングや食事の仕方にしても、他人の前では自分 の外見を重視するようになりました。
イタリアの伝統的な料理や、芸術やファッションの世界における強力な進 歩は、この国に誇りを与えてくれましたが、一方で、「贅沢」という一線を画 す別の考えにも影響を与えています。制限された習慣を克服しようとする と、過剰摂取に陥りがちです。このような食へのアプローチがもたらす視覚 的な影響に対抗するために、私が見た多くのイタリア人は、朝食をエスプレ ッソやタバコだけで済ませるようにしていました。これらが食欲を抑えること を知っていれば、イタリア人がどのように料理の豊かさとLa Bella Figura の維持を両立させているのか、容易に想像がつきます。しかし、この地域で は、自分の体の欲求に耳を傾け、食べたいものを選ぶことが、健康的に痩 せるための秘訣であるという考え方があります。 私はあまりにも頻繁に自問自答することになりました。自分がやっているの は、満足度の高い充実した食生活が長期的にもたらすメリットを享受した いからなのか、それともその結果、自然に体が削られていくことを期待して いるのか。イタリア文化の最も重要な部分の1つに調和を求めようとしたこ とは、波乱の連続でした。
13歳までのように、食事や運動に対してのんびりとした生活を送ることは できませんが、ここ数ヶ月は、マインドフルネスを実践し、意図的に物事を行 うことで、よりホリスティックで健康的なライフスタイルを形成することができ ました。しかし、マインドフルネスには意識的な努力が必要です。どこに行っ ても、その意識的な努力が密かに私の進歩を妨げていないかどうかを常に 注意し、自分の行動に疑問を持つ必要があります。私は純粋に喜びと尊敬 の念からこれをしているのか、それとも自分を減らして愛と尊敬に値すると 感じさせる必要に屈しているのか。 翻訳：アイリン・リー60
-Nao Iida
By Hana Kasai
What does body positivity mean for you? For me, body positivity is choosing what will make my body the happiest. When we think of being healthy, we might think of eating only salads. We might think we need to stay away from carbs, from bread, from sugar, from ice cream and chocolate. But the brain is part of our bodies and keeping our bodies healthy also means paying attention to our mental health and thinking about what makes us happy. Constantly depriving your body and brain of what it wants to eat can create a negative relationship with food. Food is fuel for our body, but it’s also comforting and exciting, not to mention delicious! It’s okay to eat cute trendy foods with friends, cake on your birthday, and popcorn during a movie. The best way to be body positive is to have a positive mindset around food and your body and think about how the food we eat can bring happiness to our lives. Itadakimasu!
河西 華
貴方にとってボディ・ポジティブとはどんな意味をもちます か？私にとってボディ・ポジティブとは、自分の体が一番喜ぶ ことを選ぶことです。健康になるためには、サラダだけを食べ ればいいと思うかもしれません。炭水化物、パン、砂糖、アイ スクリームやチョコレートなどを控えなければならないと思う かもしれません。しかし、脳は体の一部であり、体を健康に保 つことは、心の健康にも気を配り、何が自分を幸せにしてくれ るかを考えることでもあります。体や脳が食べたいものを常 に奪っていると、食べ物との関係がネガティブになります。食 べ物は体を動かすための燃料ですが、美味しいのはもちろん のこと、心を和ませたり、ワクワクさせたりするものでもありま す。友達と一緒にかわいい流行の食べ物を食べたり、誕生日 にケーキを食べたり、映画の時にポップコーンを食べたりして もいいのです。ボディ・ポジティブになる一番の方法は、食べ 物や自分の体に対してポジティブな考え方を持ち、食べたも のがいかに自分の人生に幸せをもたらしてくれるかを考える ことだと思います。頂きます! 翻訳：アイリン・リー
By Ayaka Dowdy
When you think of the ideal body what comes to mind first? The answer to this question tends to vary depending on the person that you ask. This is due to the fact that not everyone was brought up in the same environment with the same cultural influences. Being extremely thin can be seen as the ultimate beauty standard in one place, while in another “,” a fuller body type would be more of an ideal look for that cultural environment. What constitutes a “perfect body” depends on the person and their belief system. Consequently, this can cause a lot of issues when it comes to children of multiracial or multicultural backgrounds. I know this firsthand as I was raised in a multicultural household where the people who raised me and instilled their ideals were from two completely different cultural environments.
My family is mixed with two different cultures. My mother is Japanese, and my father is African American. Growing up in this household I was constantly being told two different perspectives on every issue and/or topic that was discussed. When it comes to the topic of the ideal body, many people on the Japanese side of my family would indicate in conversation how having a small face, thin body, and tall nose is beautiful. In contrast, the African American side of my family would always push the idea that having a thicker and more muscular figure is what makes a woman beautiful. After growing up and hearing comments that would define what body type makes a woman beautiful “,” it was hard for me to understand what my body “should” look like. I would constantly think about ways that I could transform my body to fit into both these ideal body type standards, but it only made the issue worse. For example, my father was very into sports and often would push me to participate in a variety of sports such as taekwondo and track to help me to build up muscle, which in turn helped me develop a thicker and more muscular figure that was considered beautiful within my African American community. However, this would compromise my efforts to have the thin body type that was considered beautiful by Japanese standards.
My persistence in trying to alter my body to satisfy others to finally feel beautiful caused me to develop slight body dysmorphia. Body dysmorphia is a mental health condition where a person spends a lot of their time concerned about the flaws within their appearance that are oftentimes not noticed by others. My body dysmorphia was not severe. I did not try to starve myself or do any physical harm to my body as a way to achieve the “perfect body”. However, I was obsessed with the way my body looked and often was displeased with what I saw in the mirror. I would frequently spend 20-30 minutes staring at different parts of my body just to end with the feeling of not being perfect. I was constantly worried about how flat and muscular my stomach looked. Additionally, I would worry about if I was thick enough for African American standards, but not too thick enough where I no longer fulfill the categories to be beautiful for Japanese standards. I sustained these thoughts through most of my teenage years and agonized over the idea that I would never have this “perfect ideal body” that everyone talked about. It frustrated me that no matter what I did I would never achieve the body that I was trying so hard to attain.
Around 2012, the body positivity movement started and over the years, the idea/concept became more prevalent and well-known. Suddenly, I began to see celebrities and retail companies that were extremely conservative and obsessed with pushing the idea that there is a “perfect body” including a bigger variety of body types within their products. As a result, a new narrative was pushed that all bodies are beautiful. One
of these companies that were notorious for pushing the idea of a “perfect body” was the Barbie company. Barbie started to come in all shapes, sizes, and colors that would allow little girls to have themselves represented in the toy that they chose to play with. Moreover, there were more models of different sizes also being included within the fashion industry. They would always show their scars and marks to display to everyone that there was no perfect body and that it is impossible to satisfy everyone’s idea of perfection. Over time, after being exposed to these changes and body positivity ideologies I began to understand that the body that I have is beautiful and that I had no obligation to live up to others’ expectations of myself. I believe that loving yourself, scars and all is important and no matter how thin or muscular I was, what was important was that I continue to love my body and view it as beautiful in my eyes rather than try to see how it might be perceived through someone else’s. I still struggle today with body image, but as I continue to grow and become more knowledgeable everyday becomes slightly easier for me to fully accept my body.
アヤカ・ダウディー
アヤカ ヨシムラ
理想のボディとは何でしょうか？この質問に対する答えは、人によっ て異なる傾向があります。これは、誰もが同じ環境で同じ文化的影 響を受けて育ったわけではないという事実によります。ある場所で は、極端に痩せていることが究極の美の基準とされますが、別の「」 場所では、ふくよかな体型がその文化的環境にとって理想的な姿と なります。何をもって「完璧な体」とするかは、人やその人の信念によ って異なります。そのため、多民族・多文化の子どもたちには、さまざ まな問題が発生します。私は、私を育て、理想を教えてくれた人たち が、2つの異なる文化的環境から来ている多文化家庭で育ったの で、このことを身をもって知っています。
私の家族は2つの異なる文化が混在しています。私の母は日本 人で、父はアフリカ系アメリカ人です。このような家庭で育った私は、 あらゆる問題や話題について、常に2つの異なる視点からの意見を 聞かされていました。理想的な身体について言えば、日本人の家族 の多くは、顔が小さくて、体が細くて、鼻が高いことが美しいというこ とを会話の中で示します。一方、アフリカ系アメリカ人の家族は、太く て筋肉質な体型こそが女性の美しさだと主張していました。このよう に、女性が美しく見える体型を定義するコメントを聞いて育った私に とって、自分の体がどのように見えるべきかを理解するのは難しいこ とでした。この2つの理想的な体型の基準に合うように自分の体を 変える方法を常に考えていましたが、それは問題を悪化させるだけ でした。例えば、私の父はスポーツ好きで、テコンドーや陸上競技な ど様々なスポーツに参加して筋肉をつけるように私によく勧めていま した。しかし、これでは日本で美しいとされる細身の体型を目指すこ とができなくなってしまいます。
他人に満足してもらうために自分の体を変え、最終的に美しいと 感じることにこだわった結果、私はわずかながら身体醜形症を発症 しました。身体醜形症とは、他人には気づかれない自分の外見の欠 点を気にして、多くの時間を過ごしてしまう精神疾患です。私の身体 醜形症は深刻ではありませんでした。完璧な体」を手に入れるため に、飢えをしのいだり、体に害を与えたりすることはありませんでした。 しかし、私は自分の体がどのように見えるかということに執着してお り、鏡に映る自分の姿が気に入らないことがよくありました。20〜30 分もかけて自分の体のさまざまな部分を見つめては、完璧ではない という気持ちで終わらせることがよくありました。私は自分のお腹が どれだけ平らで筋肉質に見えるかを常に気にしていました。さらに、 アフリカ系アメリカ人の基準に合う太さかどうか、でも日本人の基準 に合う美しさの範疇を超えないような太さかどうかも気になりました。 このような考えを10代の間ずっと持ち続け、誰もが口にする「完璧な 理想の体」を手に入れることはできないのではないかと悩んでいま した。何をやっても、自分が目指している体にはなれないことが悔し かったのです。
2012年頃、ボディ・ポジティブ・ムーブメントが始まり、数年のうち にその考えや概念はより広く知られるようになりました。突然、「完璧 な体」という考えを押し出すことに非常に保守的で執着していたセ レブリティや小売企業が、より多様な体型を商品に取り入れるように なったのです。その結果、「すべての体は美しい」という新たな物語が 押し出されました。完璧な体」という考えを押し付けることで悪名高 い企業のひとつが、バービー社です。バービーは、少女たちが自分で 選んだおもちゃの中に自分自身を表現できるように、あらゆる形、サ イズ、色のものが登場し始めました。さらに、ファッション業界では、さ まざまなサイズのモデルが増えてきました。彼らは常に傷や跡を見せ て、完璧な体は存在しないこと、そして誰もが考える完璧さを満たす ことは不可能であることを皆に示していました。このような変化やボ ディ・ポジティブのイデオロギーに触れるうちに、私は自分の体は美し いものであり、他人の期待に応える義務はないと理解するようになり ました。傷があろうとなかろうと、自分自身を愛することが大切だと思 っています。どんなに痩せていても、筋肉がついていても、大切なのは 自分の体を愛し続けることであり、他人の目でどう見られるかを気に するのではなく、自分の目で見て美しいと思うことなのです。今でも ボディイメージについては悩んでいますが、成長して知識が深まるに つれ、自分の体を完全に受け入れることが少しずつできるようになっ てきました。 翻訳：アイリン・リー
The two men I loved
By anonymous writer
There were two men I loved in the past “I would die for you”, he told me. “I will protect you”, my country told me. I trusted them to protect me I felt safe because I knew they cared about me “You’re the best thing ever that has happened to me”, he told me with a kind eye. “You’re very important to me”, my country spoke with a voice like a father. Everyone told me how great my abuser was. They said that I’m lucky to have him. Everyone talks about how great Japan is. They said I’m lucky to live in the safest country.
In 2018, the beginning of November, “No, I didn’t rape you”, he said, frustrated. “You said no to him but it doesn’t mean anything. Why didn’t you fight back?”, my county said with a cold voice. “I won’t let you abort my child”, he said “He should have a right to choose too”, my country said “Sure, you can abort if you have evidence”, my country said. “Where is the evidence?”, he said Three years later, I still can’t believe what happened
“Will anybody ever hear my voice?”,
I cried.
大切だったふたり
過去に大切に思っていた人がふたりいた。 “君のためにだったら死んでもいい”、彼が言った。 “守ってあげる”、私の国が言った。 信じていた、守ってくれると。 安心していた、大切に思ってくれていると。 “君と出会えたことが人生で最高なできごとだよ” 彼は優しい目をして言った。 “君は大切な子だ”、 まるで父親のような声で私の国が言った。 みんなは彼がとてもいいやつだと話していた。 彼らは、私はいい彼氏がいて恵まれていると言った。 みんなは日本がどれだけ素晴らしい国か話していた。 彼らは、こんなに安全な国に住めるなんて私は恵まれていると言った。 ２０１８年、１１月。 ”あれはレイプなんかじゃなかった”苛立ちながら彼が言った。 ”確かに嫌だと言っていたけど、関係ないでしょ” 私の国が言った。 “なんで抵抗しなかったんだ”、私の国が冷たい声で言った。 “中絶手術なんかさせるわけがない”、彼が言った。 “彼にだって父親として選ぶ権利がある”、私の国が言った。 “DV の証拠があるなら中絶を認めるけど”、私の国が言った。 ”証拠はあるのかよ”、彼が言った。 ３年後、私は何が私に起こったのかまだ信じられない。
“私の声は誰にも聞かれないの？“ 私は泣いた。
The Problem of Japan’s Unaddressed Rape Culture
July 31st, 2021 Airin Ri
Girls and women in Japan have been subjected to acute gender discrimination throughout history in Japan and the problem persists to this day. Despite Japan having the 4th highest GDP per capita and being touted as one of the safest nations in the world, the country is also notorious for its poor record in gender equality. Indeed, the country has consistently been ranked low in the international gender gap rankings. According to the most recent Global Gender Gap Index, Japan ranked 120th out of 156 nations overall which demonstrated that the country is far behind that of other G-7 nations when it comes to gender equality. Such a glim and ignominious international ranking of Japan in terms of gender gap hide the obstinate problem of widespread sexual harassment and rape culture of Japan. In a 2019 survey conducted by NHK, 70 percent of women and 30 percent of men between the age of 15 and 49 answered that they have experienced some form of sexual harassment in their lives. That is, there exists a paradox in which Japan is plagued with unaddressed sexual harassment and rape cases despite its economic vitality and stable political system in place. This seemingly unfathomable paradox begs the question as to why girls and women have to be subjected to their most fundamental human rights - freedom over their own body - viciously violated in mass when fully functioning democratic government and legal institutions are present? The answer, I argue, lies in the male-dominated government and legal institutions that embody conservatorship of patriarchy manifested in the socially and legally condoned sexual abuse, including rape in Japan.
Legally Condoned Rape Cases in Japan
Rape incidents are legally condoned and socially overlooked in Japan to an alarming degree and thus, girls and women who are the prime subjects of these heinous acts are left without justice through the Japanese legal system. According to the report published by the Statista Research Department, the number of recorded rapes in Japan in 2018 amounted to over 1,300 cases. The actual number of rape cases, unnecessitated victim’s complaint to prosecute rape or molestation cases. That is, even the updated rape law does not inculpate all rape, including penetration by a foreign object and rape incidents in which the hard evidence of required elements are not presented. It also must be noted that the law’s active resistance requirement is based on an erroneous premise that the absence of rigorous physical resistance equates to sexual consent. This is exceedingly problematic because tonic immobility, a form of involuntary paralysis also known as freezing, is a common physical and psychological defensive response when people face external attack vis-à-vis rape. That is, the law itself negates the scientifically substantiated common response of rape victims and thereby prevents rapists from being penalized for violating another human’s fundamental right vis-àvis freedom over their own body. Hence, justice for the survivors of rape remains surprisingly elusive in Japan. As an illustration of how draconian Japan’s rape law is, there are scores of heinous parental rape cases in recent years that initially acquitted the culprits, catalyzing public protest – Flower Demo – in which people called for the conviction of these rapists and the revision of the rape law. In one of the cases, for example, in March 2017, a father who raped
however, is expected to be much higher. Indeed, merely 2.4 percent of rape victims report their cases to the police. The dynamic of the rape cases is also worth noting. In 2017, the Cabinet Office of Japan reported that 1 in 13 women experienced rape compared to 1 in 67 men in Japan, an indication that a disproportionate number of women are the victims of rape relative to men. Such unnerving statistics point to the notoriously stringent rape law of Japan. The country’s rape law codified in Article 177 of the Japanese Penal Code requires the incident of involuntary sexual intercourse, anal sex, or oral sex (hereinafter referred to as “sexual intercourse, etc.”) to fulfill unreasonable elements to be legally recognized as rape. That is, for rape to be prosecutable through the Japanese legal system, the prosecutor must present substantiated evidence that there was “violence or intimidation” involved and/or that the victim was “incapable of resistance” (i.e. intoxicated via alcohol or drug use) immediately before or during the act of rape. It must be noted here that this anachronistic rape law was only revised in 2017, which newly criminalized involuntary anal and oral sex (i.e. rape of boys and men), imposed greater penalties for rape charges (e.g. extended the minimum sentence from 3 to 5 years), and
his 19-year-old biological daughter next to her younger sister (also his daughter) on a daily basis, was acquitted by the district court in Nagoya. The rationale behind the judge’s verdict was that, despite the absence of her consent to the act, the victim’s inability to resist the act was questionable. The culprit was eventually convicted in the high court in 2020 on the ground that the victim was financially dependent on the perpetrator and therefore unable to conspicuously resist the act. However, the evidence recognized by the court that the daughter did not consent to sex initiated by her father was not factored into the decision of the guilty verdict. As a result of such a draconian rape law, law enforcement and prosecutors for the rape cases are disincentivized to assist the rape victims in seeking justice. For instance, merely 7 percent of the report on rape is accepted for investigation by the police, meaning 93 percent of the rape cases that actually reached law enforcement are dismissed because the culpability of the case may be questionable. Consequently, only 0.7 percent of the reported cases of rape reached the stage of indictment and conviction of the perpetrator. By the same token, over 53 percent of the prosecutors for rape cases acquiesce and drop the charges even after the arrests are made precisely because of the difficulty in attaining the required legal elements to establish a rape case. Such reality indicates that the rape law of Japan poses an excessively high bar for the victims to seek justice and that the culprit could be loose in society, exposing other girls and women to the psychological and physical harms of rape. Indeed, the social environment to which threatens the well-being of girls and women in Japan arguably emerged from the male-dominated government and legal institutions, reified by the patriarchal cultural aspect of Japan. Male-dominated Government and Legal Institutions of Japan By and large, the government and legal institutions of Japan are dominated and regulated by men, and thus, girls’ and women’s concerns, including fear over rape, are often overlooked or downplayed. When placing legal and governmental institutions under the microscope, Japan’s rather latent yet deeply seated patriarchal cultural value that enables rape culture to exists becomes apparent. In the 2021 Global Gender Gap report by the World Economic Forum, Japan was ranked at 147th in women’s political empowerment, appalling 9 spots behind 128th Saudi Arabia, a country that is infamous for relegating girls and women into second class citizens. As was with the general gender gap ranking introduced earlier, the dismal ranking in terms of women’s political empowerment of Japan was far below that of the rankings of the rest of the G-7 countries, prompting Japanese Diet members across party lines to increase the female representation in politics. Indeed, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the ruling party led by Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide called for the next general election to augment the share of women among electoral candidates to 30 percent by 2030. Yet in the party itself, women make up a mere 10 percent of LDP lawmakers in the parliament. Such a hollow promise that contradicts policymakers’ rhetoric implies that the Japanese government remains all talk and no action. In fact, the LDP leadership remains adherent to the belief that supporting male incumbents gives the party the best chance to hold its seats and thus upholds the status quo of male-dominant government. As such, it must be conceded that this is an ignominious reality for a democratic country like Japan. That is, despite the fact that over half of the constituents are women, there are only a handful of women in the government making decisions for the entirety of the Japanese people. In other words, the Japanese government is not and cannot genuinely represent the concerns, including the rape culture, of the female population precisely because women are staved off from the vital decision-making positions of the government. Similarly, the scarcity of women in the legal field, too, is also a glaring indication of the underlying patriarchal cultural values of Japan that enables rape culture to exist. According to a report by the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, female lawyers made up only 18.8 percent of the bar association in 2019. The number has increased from just 1 percent when the legal practice had begun in 1949 marked by the Attorney Act. Nevertheless, the appallingly small number of female lawyers in Japan becomes evident when it is compared to other countries such as the U.S. that are also dealing with gender inequality in the legal field with its female lawyers amounting to 38 percent in 2019 – twofold that of Japan’s number of female lawyers. Moreover, 787, or 22.6 percent of all 3,484 court judges accounted for women across the country in 2019 while 27 percent accounted for court judges in the U.S. in the same year. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court that comprises a total of 15 judges in Japan, women accounted for only 2, and one is expected to retire before the end of this year. Indeed, the poor representation of women in the legal field of Japan reflects the male-centered norms of Japanese society
as was expressed by Mustsuko Asakura, co-head of Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Form of Discrimination Against Women (DECAW) Action. Asakura argued that there is an urgent need for women to hold judicial authorities specifically for Japanese courts to make decisions that are accommodating to girls’ and women’s rights. It must also be noted here that the situation of women’s scarcity within the legal institution is akin to the situation within the government institution for a reason. That is, as a senior official with the Supreme Court has contended, the Japanese courts themselves do not have the expansive discretion to choose their justices, and the ultimate power to appoint them is largely vested upon the Cabinet – the executive branch of the Japanese government. In other words, the Supreme Court itself has limited discretion over the matter of increasing female judges and lawyers. All of this points to the fact that Japan’s most important decisions about its population, are largely determined by male cohorts seated in the position of the government and legal institutions. Owing to such a reality where women are not represented in the lawmaking and legal decision apparatus, it is no surprise that the problem of rape culture that deprives many girls and women’s basic human rights are dismissed despite male policymakers, lawyers, and judges are on the watch. Indeed, this is exactly why women themselves also need to be at the helm of government and legal institutions because they are capable of bringing different perspectives to the table of decision-making that would lead to a more accommodating society for all. Rape from the Perspective of Patriarchal Culture of Japan The male-dominated governmental and legal institutions are arguably the product of the deep-seated patriarchal culture of Japan that can be ascribed to upholding the rape culture of Japan. When looking through the prism of Japan’s patriarchal culture, the problem of rape in the country could be explained. Take the rape law itself, for example. The rape law of Japan, Article 177 of the Penal Code, was first promulgated in 1907 during the Meiji Era with its primary purpose being the protection of pedigree and family honor. As a matter of fact, although some improvements were made when it was amended in 2017, the basis of the rape law of Japan posits Japan’s traditional patriarchal value that women alone are responsible for protecting their chastity. This rather inconspicuous foundation of today’s rape law delineates the reason why the law requires rape cases to present physical resistance or intimidation or aggression in order for the act to be recognized as culpable. In other words, expecting victims to react in a particular way when they are sexually assaulted is essentially ascribing the blame to those who cannot while exonerating their rapists. In fact, a human trafficking prevention non-profit organization called Lighthouse contends that Japan is lax on the treatment of sex offenders, citing an incident where the government has made the decision to pardon convicted pedophiles. Consequently, it could be argued that the rape law of Japan is a by-product of patriarchal Japanese culture that reinforces the socially prevalent notion of “no means yes” when engaging in sexual acts. Indeed, Tomoko Murata, a Japanese lawyer who handles sexual assault cases, contends that the necessity to ask for women’s agreement before initiating sexual intercourse, etc. is not yet a common concept in Japan. Moreover, the general stance taken by the law enforcement when handling rape cases also gives an inkling of the existence of underlying patriarchal cultural value that enables rape culture to persists. Indeed, the gratuitous handling of rape cases by Japanese law enforcement has been recounted by many rape victims, including those who became the reason for the MeToo movement to jumpstart in Japan. One of them was Ito Shiori, a journalist who was raped in 2015 by a former Washington bureau chief for the TBS network, Noriyuki Yamaguchi. According to Ito, the police declined to hear her case and threatened her that she will lose her job unless she remains silent about the incident. For Ito’s case, in particular, the evidence of rape was legally recognizable and the culprit’s arrest was planned. Yet, because of his ties with powerful political figures such as former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, the charge was dropped by the police chief handling Ito’s case. Such a stance taken by law enforcement against rape victims exhibits insensitivity, to say the least, and it could be said that it is a part of the social norm of Japan. Other survivors such as Mika Kobayashi and Jane Fisher confirm the insensitive and abusive treatment they have received from law enforcement when they went to the police for rape incidents. The tactic of a police investigation for rape cases that require reenactment of rape the incident is perhaps most infamous and unique to Japan. That is, Japanese law enforcement often demands the victim to reenact the incident of rape with a male policeman at the exact location of the crime while other male police officers observe. Such unwarranted condition provokes further psychological trauma to victims and thus, it is colloquially
known as “second rape”. Keep in mind that the practice is not only unnecessary but it is one of the reasons why many victims are hesitant of reporting their incidents to the police in the first place. Such abusive treatment of rape victims by the police is also seen in the social sphere where, not the culprits, but the victims of rape are blamed. For instance, Ito who publicly opened up about her incidents received significant public backlash, threats, and lewd comments over her demeanor and what she wore. This trend of victim-blaming is extremely problematic because it not only discourages other victims from reporting their incidents to the police to seek help but it also signals to society that committing rape is a permissible action. Indeed, such a social attitude tinged with patriarchy arguably stems from Japan’s cultural value where victims who open up about their rape incidents are deemed as disruptive to social harmony and collectivity. From these examples, it could be said that the patriarchal aspect of Japanese culture is the prime enabler of rape culture, institutionalized within the governmental and legal spheres in Japan. Conclusion In this paper, I argued that the answer to the paradoxical question of the existence of rape culture lies in the male-dominated government and legal institutions and the patriarchal cultural value system of Japan that enables their existence. While Japan is one of the most advanced nations in the world, the country lags far behind that of other advanced nations in terms of gender equality, and this is clearly manifested in the country’s lamentable reality of rape victims who are predominantly female. Due to the stringent and male-oriented rape law, most rape victims are legally hamstrung to seek justice through the Japanese legal system even if the sexual intercourse, etc. was initiated without consent. Owing to such an unreasonable law, police officers and prosecutors of rape cases also render debilitated in incriminating the culprits through their occupations, and thus, many rape incidents remain unreported, uninvestigated, or unprosecuted. I have also exemplified how many rape cases that viciously violate the basic human rights of girls and women in Japan are left without justice being served through the legal system of Japan. Indeed, based on the examples I presented, many victims’ voices are stifled because of the law to which police and prosecutors must follow. Such reality exists precisely because men who lack the understanding of girls and women’s concerns dominate the important decision-making seats in the governmental and legal institutions of the country. Lastly, I argued that all of the above could be traced back to Japan’s malign patriarchal culture to which girls and women who are raped are often the ones to be mistreated and blamed for the incidents rather than their rapists because of the underlying idea that women must remain submissive to men. Naturally, such an environment breeds a population who would not understand the gravity of rape, enabling the socially and legally absolved crime to insidiously plague girls’ and women’s well-being. These issues illustrated in this paper raise an alarm that the status quo of Japan’s governmental, legal, and social status can no longer be tolerated. Thus, it could be said that there needs to be a largescale internal mobilization at the grassroots level where NGOs, NPOs, and individual activists act in unison so that institutional changes could be realized for the eradication of the rape culture.
Know Your Rights
When You Think You Have Been Raped in Japan When you believe you have been raped, you may feel overwhelmed, scared, and confused. Knowing what your rights are and what options you could take could be extremely helpful in your recovery process.
Step 1: Report to the Police Department at #110 (available 24/7) Reporting your incident to the police will become crucial in securing your safety and getting the necessary help you need. It will become important for you if you choose to prosecute the assailant later on. Hospitals will not always report about the rape to the police automatically. Hence, it could be helpful for you to go directly to the police first and have them accompany you to the hospital.
What To Avoid: Do not shower, eat or drink, brush your teeth, go to the bathroom, or change clothes before you go to the hospital. The doctors, nurse, and police officers need to find out your physical condition to see if you are hurt. They also need to gather evidence from your clothing and your body in the medical exam.
Step 2: Call the Hospitals Nearby and Go to the One That Could Help Rape Victims Call the hospital before going and check if they help rape victims. It is best to confirm that the hospital you are going has a rape kit. Some Japanese hospitals DO NOT have them. Call someone you can trust and ask him/her to take you to the hospital. If you do not have the money with you, they could help you cover the medical cost you need. The doctor will check for external injuries, possible sexually transmitted infection (STD), pregnancy, and will help collect evidence with swabs and DNA samples. Although it is not guaranteed that all hospitals have an available female doctor, it is within your rights to ask if you could be examined by a female doctor.
You may be required to purchase the rape kit (about 26,000 Yen) at the hospital. However, if the case goes to court, the cost could be reimbursed by the police. You may also receive an emergency contraception to prevent pregnancy. Although this may make you feel uncomfortable, know that the procedure will not be painful. Note that emergency contraception is available through prescription only in Japan and the costs differ from hospital to hospital. It also needs to be taken within 72 hours after the incident for it to be effective.
Other Options: Talk to A Counselor or A Therapist You may find it difficult to psychologically digest the incident. A counselor or a therapist who specializes in helping sexual assault survivors could guide you towards healing.
List of Lifeline & Clinic Options
- TELL Lifeline: 03-5774-0992 (available from 9am – 11pm everyday) - TELL Counseling: 03-4550-1146 (Tokyo); 098-9571287 (Okinawa) (available through Mon – Fri) - Protocall 0066-33-814124 (available 24/7)
- Sexual Assault Relief Center Tokyo (SARC): 03-5607-0799 - Yorisoi Hotline: 0120-279-226 - Tsubomi Rape Crisis Center (in Japanese): 03-5577-4042 - St. Luke’s International Hospital (Tokyo): 03-3550-7166 - Shirakaba Clinic (Tokyo, for male survivors): 03-5919-3127 - Sexual Assault Crisis Healing Intervention Center (Osaka): 072-330-0799 - Heartful Station (Aichi, in Japanese): 0570-064-810 - Rape Emergency Intervention Counseling Center (Okinawa): 098-890-6110 - Pathways to Safety International (American Stu dent Overseas): pathwaystosafety.org
Help Available at Temple University Japan (TUJ) - Deputy Title IX Coordinator: 03-5441-9800 (etx. 7100); ndespres@temple.edu; Office of Student Services (TUJ Room 603) - Counseling Services: tujcounseling@tuj.temple.edu (TUJ Room 603| B-D) - Office of Student Services: oss@tuj.temple.edu (TUJ Room 104)
Know More About Your Rights & Options - TELL: Sexual Abuse; https://telljp.com/lifeline/tellchat/homepage/resources/sexual-harassment/ - Sexual Assault Relief Center (SARC): sarc-tokyo. org/help - Housing in Emergency of Love and Peace (HELP) - Asian Women’s Shelter HELP: https://en.kyofukai. jp/about-us/facilities/help/
Art by Ayaka Yoshimura
Every article that was included shares a different perspective based on personal experiences or information that others have collected over their lifetime. This was intended to give everyone a wider and more indepth understanding on the issues of sexual consent and body positivity. These are two very complex issues that are becoming more prevalent within several different societies around the world. Therefore, it is important that we start to develop dialogue needed to address these issues together as a global community. This Zine is just the first step in this process of inspiring discussions between individuals from different cultural backgrounds. The next step is to have everyone research independently on the issues of sexual consent and body positivity. In addition, it is imperative that we do not keep these new pieces of information to ourselves, but instead share it with others so as to grow this global dialogue together. Thank you for taking the time to read our Zine, we hope this pushes everyone to take action in their daily lives to spread more awareness on sexual consent and body positivity.
Contributors
Editor: Airin Ri Sub Leader : Ayaka Dowdy Zine Designer : Biki Balami Translator: Sakura Hirose Airin Ri Public relations: Bethany Fracis Kennedy Design Assistant: Rachel Marpaung
Written works : -Airin Ri -Vicky Yan -Ayaka Dowdy -Erika Hasunuma -Erika komatsu -Nataliya Dey Yordanova -Sakura Hirose ArtWorks: -Bethany Fracis Kennedy -Narumi Imayuki -Kaya Rist -Mercel Luis Nubla Munoa
-Biki Balami -Ayaka Yoshimura -Nao Iida
