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Male Order
Resonating with Today’s
Young, Male, JapaneseConsumer
Aaron Toussaint, Five by Fifty
Why Young Men?• What I heard and what I saw• A young male, living in Japan• Set the record straight- in English language media
there are a lot of very sensationalistic stories about Japanese men
The Herbivorous Man• “Herbivores”, “Grass
eaters”, etc
• Dearth of desire and aspiration– Career, Women, Consumption
• The Ruin of Japan!
The Kids are Alright• Japanese men are diverse
– There is no single “new Japanese man”– 1%
• Japanese men are neither hopeless nor helpless– They are just different– They are comfortable with themselves
• Japanese men present new opportunities– Beer– Cars– Cosmetics
Two Stereotypes of Japanese MenBubble (ShimaKousaku) Soushoku (Kusanagi Tsuyoshi)
What Men Share in Common• Generational Experience
– Japan and sedairon
• What young men share– The end of aspiration – Increasing insecurity– Constant affluence– Changing role of women
The End of AspirationPercentage of new graduates who agree that: “A Big Company is Most Important”
Source: Megumi Ushikubo. Herbivorous Men: The ‘Girly Men’ Who Will Change Japan. 2008.
The End of Aspiration
Source: National Tax Agency: “Citizens’ Income Status, 2008, Survey Results” Reprinted at http://nensyu-labo.com/heikin_suii.htm
Increasing Employment Insecurity15% in 1984… Today more than 1/3rd
2009
Regular WorkersIrregular Workers
Increasing Political Insecurity
• Disillusionment with politics is high. Scandals have plagued both LDP and DPJ governments
• The loss of pension records in 2007 critically harmed people’s trust in the government
• Seven Prime Ministers since 2006?
Constant Affluence
• Convenience Stores!• Never knew hardship• Grew up one generation
removed from the economic miracle
• Why work myself to death to finance a life I already have?
The Role of Women• As Female Lifestyles Change,
Demands on Men Change too• Partner, not a provider• The “3 Highs” ( 高 ) vs. the “3 Lows”
( 低 ) –Megumi Ushikubo(High Education, High Salary, High Height)(Low Key, Low Risk, Low Dependency)
Source: Megumi Ushikubo. Herbivorous Men: The ‘Girly Men’ Who Will Change Japan. 2008.
This has Led to…Male Diversification!
Group Ages Special Characteristics
SoshokuDanshi(草食男子 )
Late teens to late 20s, some 30s
Herbivores- less hypermasculine than earlier generations of males, Not as focused on sex or career advancement
SoshokuDanshi(装飾男子 )
Late teens, early 20s
“Decorated” men. Men concerned with personal fashion, often blurring gender boundaries
Creamy Danshi(クリーミー男子 )
Early 20s-onward
Comes from the sweets women eat when stressed- men who realize their women work hard and support them, but can also act masculine
Roll CabbageDanshi(ロールキャベツ男子 )
Late teens to late 20s
Look like herbivores, but are actually extremely “carnivorous”
Dokushin Oji**(独身王子 )
Typically late 30s or ealy 40s
Single with lots of disposable income, many consume like the bubble never ended
Is the “New Man” the “Old Man”?
• Cool to Consumption• Consuming within one’s means• Not consuming unnecessarily• Danshari (Clean room, clean heart)
Are “New” Consumption Ethos Traditional?
Where Men are Putting their Money• Beauty
– Aesthetic salon growth– Plethora of new male grooming products
• Fashion– Increased emphasis on fast fashion– Blurring of gender lines
• Interior– Comfortable, healing space– Always ready to receive guests
• Shifting of form, not of essence, blurring of genders
Japan on the Leading Edge• Applications outside of Japan
– Japanese demographic trends– The decline of the American male– “I have this theory that women are
going to rule the world in 20 years”
• Is this the new Japanese male or a precursor to the new male?
Burberry 2009/10 campaign image