Takarazuka Revue - Influence - Takarazuka and Homosexuality in Japanese Society

Takarazuka and Homosexuality in Japanese Society

See also: Homosexuality in Japan

For a society that has been at least contextually accepting of homosexuality for most of its history, Japan is surprisingly biased against lesbian activity, apparent in Takarazuka's early history. After the scandal of women writing love letters to the otokoyaku and the revelation of an actual lesbian relationship between a otokoyaku and a musumeyaku, Takarazuka greatly limited itself in order to do away with the lesbian image. Women wore militaristic uniforms, heightening the attraction even more among some. In August 1940, the actresses were even forbidden to answer fan mail and socialize with their admirers.

In the years since then, the regulations have relaxed but not by much. There was another scandal when, for the first time, one of the otokoyaku cut her hair short (previously all of the actresses had their hair long and the otokoyaku simply hid their hair under hats).

Read more about this topic:  Takarazuka Revue, Influence

Famous quotes containing the words japanese and/or society:

    “No human being can tell what the Russians are going to do next, and I think the Japanese actions will depend much on what Russia decides to do both in Europe and the Far East—especially in Europe.”
    —Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)

    “All that remains to the mother in modern consumer society is the role of scapegoat; psychoanalysis uses huge amounts of money and time to persuade analysands to foist their problems on to the absent mother, who has no opportunity to utter a word in her own defence. Hostility to the mother in our societies is an index of mental health.”
    —Germaine Greer (b. 1939)