Who else can't stand cuteness?

[Keiichi]

You know what really, really drives me nuts?

The exaggerated EEEEEEHHH???!!!!

I HATE that. Over simple stuff, too.
Like, "Does it snow in Chicago?"
"Why, yes it does."
"Eeeeeeeehh!!!???"

I get that too. Even from the most remotely obvious things. Maybe they're trying to be interested or surprised or something.

 

[Mandylion]

Sometimes, they are not acting - that makes it even worse

 

[Golgo_13]

Oh Mandy . . .
You came and you game without taking . . .
But I sent you away, oh Mandy . . .

I can't stand the kind of "cute" that you're referring to. That's BS.

But I love the kind of cute like in kittens and puppies, or babies just learning to walk or talk.

You related to Barry Manilow?

 

[Maciamo]

Well, lets open this up to the guys too.
Is there anything you find drives you to distraction about male-ness in Japan?
I haven't really given this one much thought since they don't show up on my biological urge radar. Anyone have any opening salvos?

Yes, indirectly. What I don't like in Japan is the extreme in gender roles and in the society's expectation of how a man or a woman should be. If a woman has to be kawaii, childish, etc., a man must be tough, hard-working (if-you- can't-work-20h/day-you-are-not-a-man kind of mentality), generous (i.e. provides all the money to his family and even support his in-laws in necessary) and cannot like anything sweet, even alcohol.

Especially for this last thing, I am particularily annoyed that almost everytime I say I like "umeshu" 梅酒 or cocktails like "cassis-orange" or "dita-grapefruit" or ant sweet alcohol (Grand-Marnier, Ricard, Marini, etc), Japanese say I am behaving like a woman. "Real men don't drink sweet alcohol. only dry or bitter ones", I am told. That's so narrow-minded I don't even know what to reply, if not that Western men also like sweet things. That also goes for cakes, chocolates, and other deserts. I like them, but some Japanese find it strange and unvirile .

That is the counter-balance to the kawaii effect. I suppose that Japanese men are so affraid of becoming effeminate in a world dominated by pink kitties and childish women that they need to impose these tough rules on themselves.

 

[den4]

methinks (not that meknows anything, mind you) that cuteness is not, in itself, a bad thing....it could be evil, like in CuteCthulhu, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's bad, either....but when you get forced cuteness, and the ones doing/trying to be cute are also complete idiots/brainless shells of persons (Aya Matsuura comes to mind, and I find it amusing when the Downtown duo make fun of her on HeyHeyHey), then that's a travesty on cuteness and borders on the time to bring out the baseball bats (plastic hollow ones) to beat the fake cuteness out of these persons....

but that's just my two yen's worth....animal cuteness and natural ones are ok by me.....

and I also despise the snotty high voiced "ho ho ho" fake Santa Claus laughter some snotty rich well-to-do women love to do....

 

[kirei_na_me]

That's interesting. The one thing I did notice about Japanese men were they were so much more effeminate than American men--or any other Western men I had ever been around. Well, maybe English men being an exception...

Anyway, I do find a lot of Japanese men very effeminate. In general, it's the way they cross their legs, the way they hold their cigarettes, their thin bodies, their smooth and almost hairless skin, their extreme cleanliness, etc. etc. Not saying all of those things are bad, mind you. My husband is more masculine than some other Japanese men I have been around, but he still holds his cigarette like a girl...heh. I know a lot of them that would make beautiful women and could easily pass as a woman if made up as one. There's not much difference physically... Anyway...

I would say the one gripe I have about Japanese men is...*drumroll*...their job! Yeah, the time and energy sacrificed for their precious jobs. Many, many problems stem from that. It is especially difficult in an intercultural relationship when the male is Japanese and the female is not. I grew up with the men in my family working during the daytime, pretty much 9-5. They went in to work at a set time and left work at a set time. They were there for dinner every evening at a predictable time and they were off on Saturdays and Sundays.

I was told in the beginning that it would get better, but it has yet to do so...

 

[Mandylion]

Golgo - agreed on what is cute, and no, no link to Barry Manilow but neat idea...

Maciamo - so the cuteness thing is coming back to haunt them (men)? What about the girly-men; the talent who, by all acounts, are not gay (some are) but are very, very popular - kind of like living bishonen or Takarazuka ideals?

 

[silver angel]

EXTEMELY SHY!!!! I can't make a move if they're shy. Well, that's not really annoying, but it's frustrating.

 

[DaMo]

Cuteness makes the world go round

I love all things cute: kittens, squirrels, toddlers etc.

I just melt when I see something cute

 

[neko_girl22]

That's interesting. The one thing I did notice about Japanese men were they were so much more effeminate than American men--or any other Western men I had ever been around.

I was thinking the same thing.
It's not uncommon for (even straight) Japanese men to have manicured nails and their fashion can be very effeminate too. My husband's fashion is something I'd like to change (hehe) but at least it's not effeminate.... my husband's definately a manly man, thank goodness.

I know a lot of them that would make beautiful women and could easily pass as a woman if made up as one. There's not much difference physically...

OUCH! Not all of them Knm......

although, there is a show (ii tomo) that has a game where girls bring their boyfriends on stage and they are dressed up as women - make-up and all. It's pretty amazing actually, although disturbing :joyful: Japanese TV shows do have a thing about men dressing up as women.....

 

[Mayura]

hmmm... I like cute things... their just simply cute... ^^ I mean... well, I would say cute if I didn't know what else to say... ^^=

 

[dreamer]

So you're the "Kawaiiiiii" kind eh?

 

[EscaFlowne]

depends on the situation, i wouldnt wanna date someone with an ﾃｼber high pitched voice that cracked wine glasses daily. sometimes i like kawaii factor, but there is such a thing as too cute.

indeed, thought the sounds that i have heard have been pretty good.

 

[Winter]

Yes, cuteness is very irritating. Its like sugary pop, where as innate beauty, in all its forms, is far more substantial; like a fine wine.

However, I've developed quite a loverly immunity to the plague that is cuteness.

 

[senseiman]

There is a difference between real cuteness and manufactured cuteness. To give an example, two days ago when it was pissing rain I was riding my bicycle home beside the moat to Himeji castle . On the north side, I came across a baby turtle in the middle of the road, a very dangerous place for him to be as from a distance he looked like a small rock (about the size of a 500 yen coin) and could easily been run over. Turtles always get disoriented in the rain and he was heading away from the moat rather than towards it. So I stopped and picked him up, and he quickly retreated into his shell. But after a few moments in my hand he seemed to sense he wasn't in danger so he ventured out again, and tried crawling around on the palm of my hand. Cutest damned thing I have ever seen in my life. After a minute or so I walked over to the moat and put him on one of the stones next to the water and stayed long enough to watch him jump in and swim off. I was able to return home happy that I had had a real "cute" experience.

Manufactured cute on the other hand I find to be nothing more than meaningless childish nonsense. By manufactured cute of course I mean the plethora of character goods and what not that Japan is drowning in. These things are fine for kids, but I think there is something fundamentally wrong with, say, a forty year old going nuts over the latest Kitty Chan accessories. I've also noticed that there is an inverse relationship between one's appreciation for 'real cute' and 'manufactured cute'. If someone who has spent most of their life surrounded with sterile mass produced pieces of pink plastic crap had come across the little baby turtle I think one of two things would have happened. Either 1) they would have recoiled in disgust and fear because the turtle was so dirty and a little slimy or 2) they would have picked it up, brought it home and put it into a tiny little glass cube where it would live a miserable existance that would be mercifully cut short by the neglect of its owner who would quickly loose interest in it.

The hold these sterile corporate mascots have on the masses does not, I think, come without a cost.

 

[neko_girl22]

There is a difference between real cuteness and manufactured cuteness. To give an example, two days ago when it was pissing rain I was riding my bicycle home beside the moat to Himeji castle. On the north side, I came across a baby turtle in the middle of the road, a very dangerous place for him to be as from a distance he looked like a small rock (about the size of a 500 yen coin) and could easily been run over. Turtles always get disoriented in the rain and he was heading away from the moat rather than towards it. So I stopped and picked him up, and he quickly retreated into his shell. But after a few moments in my hand he seemed to sense he wasn't in danger so he ventured out again, and tried crawling around on the palm of my hand. Cutest damned thing I have ever seen in my life. After a minute or so I walked over to the moat and put him on one of the stones next to the water and stayed long enough to watch him jump in and swim off.

That is such a nice story! What a sweetie for stopping a picking him up!

I've never seen turtles on the road but I often see cute tiny frogs hopping across the road.
This world is so full of beauty and natural cute-ness... we don't need hello kitty!

 

[DaMo]

I've also noticed that there is an inverse relationship between one's appreciation for 'real cute' and 'manufactured cute'.

Well, I must be an exception then. Because I adore natural cuteness too.

 

[Eternal Wind]

I would die without "cute"
I have a fetish for watever thing or whoever is cute!!!

 

[Mayura]

hmm... why do ppl want to go razy over a new kitty thing? ??? isn't that a bit...


dreamy - hmm... dunno...^^"

 

[senseiman]

That is such a nice story! What a sweetie for stopping a picking him up!

I've never seen turtles on the road but I often see cute tiny frogs hopping across the road.
This world is so full of beauty and natural cute-ness... we don't need hello kitty!

Thank you, I am indeed a sweetie!

I love those tiny frogs too, see them all the time when the rice fields are flooded in spring. Cute Cute Cute.


I think the fundamental problem with manufactured cute is that it is so contrived, whereas things like tiny frogs and baby turtles are just cute by nature. I think that when people try to screw around and make things cuter it just messes everything up. This is especially the case with small dogs. Small dogs are very cute by nature, but It seems that everyone who owns a small dog in Japan (definitely true in other countries too) ends up manicuring, pruning and dressing the thing up so much that they often end up looking quite grotesque. If only they would just save themselves the trouble and leave the dog alone (well, give it a bath every once and a while of course) it would look much much cuter.

 

[Golgo_13]

That's interesting. The one thing I did notice about Japanese men were they were so much more effeminate than American men--or any other Western men I had ever been around. Well, maybe English men being an exception...

Anyway, I do find a lot of Japanese men very effeminate. In general, it's the way they cross their legs, the way they hold their cigarettes, their thin bodies, their smooth and almost hairless skin, their extreme cleanliness, etc. etc.

You haven't met me yet.

Mad Pierrot can tell you I look like the manga character Golgo 13 himself. He's El Mr. Macho.

 

[kirei_na_me]

Now, Golgo, I would've never thought you effeminate! hehe Au contraire, monsieur.

 

[Golgo_13]

But I cry at sad movies. : (

 

[kirei_na_me]

Awwww, but I think that's good. I wish I had someone to watch sad movies and cry with me...

 

[Golgo_13]

I remember back in college my then-girlfriend and I were watching a very sad early 1950s Japanese movie about a man who dies of cancer titled "Ikiru". The film reminded me of my own dad who had past away of cancer . Just before the movie ended I turned to her and said "Stay and watch this til the end but I'll meet you outside," and went out and bawled. Fortunately my girlfriend used to lift weights with me so she had wide shoulders for me to cry on.