Discussion based on the recent article:
US: Jeans ads spark debate on race and beauty standards
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According to opinions among Japanese on social media, there has been a clear shift in the fashion industry or entertainment industry, from focusing a lot on diversity to going back to more traditional beauty standards after president Trump was re-elected. What I’ve learned on social media is that during Biden’s four years, many industries were really pushing diversity as a corporate goal.
The fashion industry leaned heavily into political correctness. Many plus-size and transgender models were featured in major campaigns. It wasn’t unusual to see full-figured women or transgender women, who wouldn’t have fit the stereotype image of beauty just a lifetime ago.
But when Trump came back, he argued that promoting diversity too much made white people seem like the bad guys, and that actually deepened social divisions.
In response, a lot of companies suddenly changed their attitude. I feel like this Sydney Sweeney campaign ads might be a clear example of that shift.
From my perspective, Americans seem to be more sensitive about mentioning other people’s appearances than Japanese people are. But I believe there are actually some people who feel uneasy about that trend, promoting diversity everywhere.
There must have been a kind of atmosphere where people couldn’t speak openly about that.
In a way, there might have been peer pressure to always praise any model as “beautiful” even if some didn’t really fit the traditional standards for models. It felt like you weren’t allowed to say that out loud.
Personally, I find that kind of trend unnatural. Of course, embracing diversity is important, but if we truly embrace diversity, we should also accept white models with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a slim figure.
Regardless of race, skin color, or body type, a beautiful woman is beautiful. Those things don’t really matter, because the definition of beauty actually differs from person to person, in the first place.
Do you think ads in your country also promote certain beauty standards?
In Japan, fashion ads have always praised having a thin body. Thin models are usually shown as role models, and because of that, many teenagers also want to be thin. People often say Japanese teenagers are too thin, and I agree. Another common trend is long, straight hair—most high school girls have it, and sometimes it feels like everyone looks the same. It seems like there’s an obsessive belief that teenagers should be thin and have long hair.
Cosmetics ads also push a specific standard. Skin-whitening is a big theme in Japanese cosmetic companies.
But I know this could be seen as discriminatory in the U.S., since it suggests that lighter skin is the most beautiful, even though there are so many different races. I think some American women would be upset if they saw these Japanese cosmetic ads. Personally, it feels strange to me that cosmetic companies keep promoting skin-whitening products, as if white skin is the best, even though Japanese society has been pushing “diversity” everywhere. It’s far from diversity to embrace Skin-whitening.
Why do fashion brands often use controversial or provocative ads?
I guess the main reason is that attention is everything in advertising. Even if people react in a negative way, the brand still gets noticed. Of course, not every company does it for that reason. But in my opinion, it’s more common in the U.S. than in Japan, Japanese companies usually avoid it because they’re more afraid of negative reactions.
