The Gendered Integration of Western Fashion in Japan
Historically, clothing in Japan has not been particularly gendered. Before the late 1800s, both men and women wore loose robes and trousers. Mainly, clothes were an indication of class differences, not gender. Servants to the Imperial family wore hakama (trousers) -regardless of whether they were assistants or bureaucrats- to show that they were higher-ranking than peasants.
In 1868, the emperor was reinstated. The previous general, who had ruled during the feudal period, was overthrown. The emperor called himself Meiji, so this period of time was named the Meiji Restoration. Before the Meiji was restored, Japan had been forced into signing treaties with France and England that limited its international influence. Meiji wanted to rebuild Japan, to modernize it and make it a force that the west would respect. He decided that the Japanese military would have new, western-style uniforms. With these uniforms came new ideas about masculinity and gender.
Gradually, from the 1870s to the 1920s, western clothing gained popularity in Japan. Meiji himself began to wear similar clothing to British and French royalty at the time. After the military changed their uniforms, wealthy men- particularly politicians –began to replicate western fashion. This was a mainly political move and was only worn in public. These were the most powerful people in Japan, the one percent of the population that could vote, so everyone wanted to be them. Over time more and more men began to replicate these bureaucrats, seeing their clothing as a sign of status and power.
In the 1920s, women began to fight for the right to vote. In 1920 the emperor had decreed that all men over the age of twenty-five could vote, but women did not yet have that same right. Some women observed that people who could vote –men- all wore western dress. Women’s activists began to wear western gowns, and gradually more and more women began to do the same. By the late 1920s, western dress was viewed as fashionable, and was no longer political. Fashion in Japan was now far more gendered than it had ever been before. Even today, while men in Japan wear suits to their coming-of-age ceremonies, women are encouraged to wear Kimonos. This is a trend that can be seen around the world and throughout history- especially post-colonization. While men often begin to wear the clothes of their colonizers, women continue to wear Indigenous dress. The history of modernization in Japan suggests that this is because men dress in western styles to gain respect and political power. Historically, women have had little to no political sway, and as such would not have the reason that men had to wear western dress. Of course, in Japan, women eventually did have that need, and did begin to dress in western styles.
In the past century, the adoption of western styles in Japan has evolved. Japanese fashion is no longer simply a replication of the west. Instead, it has changed to become its own distinct style, like western styles, but with its own twist.
Resources:
https://www.iias.asia/sites/default/files/nwl_article/2019-05/IIAS_NL46_0809.pdf
https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1094&context=history
