The Complex History of Pretty Boys in Anime (Bishōnen)

Anime boys may be beautiful but their origins are not. I dive into the complex history of Bishōnen, the real people that the term was used to describe and one particular actor who unintentionally inspired the “look” of Bishōnen all anime fans are familiar with today.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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CHAPTERS:
0:00 What is a Bishōnen?
3:00 The Real LIfe History of Bishōnen
11:00 Björn Andrésen, Shoujo Manga & Keiko Takemiya
16:28 The Bishōnen Problem
RESOURCES
Anime Mentioned:
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Articles:
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KZbin Videos Referenced:
The Artisan Geek - Vintage Anime & Manga #1 | The Year 24 Group and the Female Revolution of Shoujo Manga: • Vintage Anime & Manga ...
Get In The Robot - Why BL and Yaoi? Let's Talk About BL & Yaoi Anime & Manga - Why, Anime? • Let's Talk About BL & ...
QOVES Studio - Why Anime Men Look So Feminine | The Story Of Bjorn Anderson "Most Beautiful Boy In The World": • Why Anime Men Look So ...
Linfamy - Life of a Wakashu, Japan’s Third Gender (Male-Male Romance in Edo Japan):( • Life of a Wakashu, Jap... )
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PURPOSE
My name is Phoenix and I dive into the world of visual storytelling in anime and sometimes manga on a weekly basis.
LEGAL INFO
I do not own any of the animated content in this video.
The Anime Tea is owned and operated by On Cash Flow LLC, a limited liability company headquartered in the state of Tennessee, USA. This content is for informational purposes only. Some links provided may be part of an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means of compensation for referring traffic and business to other companies.

[@Chiibia]

Its so fascinating to me how so many manga characters look like Bjorn Andersen. I was reading Mars by Fuyumi Soryo and the male lead, Rei, looks EXACTLY like Bjorn Andersen. This was a good twenty years after in the 90s. The idea that the looks of one person could influence a WHOLE GENRE'S male leads is insane to me.

[@TheAnimeTea]

I was fascinated by how long the aesthetic inspired by Andersen's looks lasted and how many aspects of Bishōnen still reference his look (minus the curly hair in modern anime). There was so much anime and manga to reference for this video that I got overwhelmed looking for examples, I definitely need to add Mars to my manga list!

[@jadejimenezschrodingerskitten]

I love Mars, and you're right!

[@magnadramon0068]

Not really. This video is giving Bjorn way too much credit for inspiring the bishonen. Japanese manga already had tons of manga with characters similar to the ones in "Kaze to Ki no Uta" going back to the 1950's. Bjorn just fit into a already established beauty ideal.

[@MrQuantumInc]

In the USA there are tons of men who insist women want hyper-masculine men; meanwhile the relatively androgynous Bishonen seem to be gaining in popularity. I have to wonder if the sudden popularity of K-pop is at least partly driven by a rejection of hyper-masculinity. While there is some home grown androgynous heart throbs it is often Japanese and Korean pop stars sporting Bishonen based looks; which is turn is apparently also traced to a situation where people, particularly women, suddenly became obsessed with the looks of a foreigner. It is almost as if the idea of an extremely attractive but androgynous man can only start with a foreigner.

[@peachesandcream8753]

Young women prefer beautiful boys, I was one, many of my friends were exactly the same, and most K-pop fans are younger women. As I've got older, I still listen to K-pop mind you, I find the beautiful boys very off-putting and I find masculine men more attractive.

[@Serocco]

@@peachesandcream8753 But how old are you now?

[@linrook6459]

No one is rejecting masculinity 😂🤣 You’re talking about entertainment and America doesn’t have boy band groups anymore. Korea is also very much known for selling skin care and makeup products targeted towards boys/men and encourage skin health care (self care). The average American boy won’t even put on lotion for their skin unless it is irritating them.

[@Y2Kikii]

I'm def one of those women lmao. I've always been attracted to "pretty boys" or men with fairly youthful or feminine ish faces but lean muscle. But not too too juvenile looking faces at the same time? Think more Ben Barnes less kpop boy band. Though, I've never been that attracted to hyper masculine men and neither have most of my friends!

[@peachesandcream8753]

@@Serocco I am 29

[@animelly]

Bishounen, especially for anime series that are for the female audience such as shoujo and reverse harems anime, many people tend to stay away from it, mostly because they were under the assumption that its yaoi. But if its a bishoujo, no one says anything. Double standard much? True story: someone commented on a Fruits Basket post on Facebook and they thought it was yaoi

[@xhadow8815]

This has always bothered me. I feel like yaoi is very known as a genre. But others as reverse harems, otome vns, & gatcha games for the female gaze are not. So everyone assumes a peice of anime media with a group of guys in it, that has a female following is a yaoi. When it's obviously not. There are other fan service media besides yaoi for females. But people refuse to acknowledge it. (No hate against yaoi)

[@TheAnimeTea]

What are your thoughts on Bishōnen? How have they influenced the anime and manga you consume? I'm deep into researching the Bishonen in Shonen and Hiroko Utsumi (Free!, Sk8, Banana Fish) videos but I will try to get them out by the end of the year. There may be shorter less researched videos in between then so stay tuned! PS: Y’all, the amount of love the channel has been receiving is incredible! I’m so grateful for everyone who has watched any of my videos and commented their thoughts. I truly wish I could reply to everyone but I am overwhelmed, which is amazing! Truly grateful for you all I literally am at a loss. Thank you!

[@ronaldoalberto3510]

I wouldn't say bishonen has influenced the type of anime and manga I consume, but I was beginning to wonder why some anime men had that specific vibe to them? Like they're supposed to be attractive to the female audience? Levi Ackerman, Miles Edgeworth, that black haired kid from Jujutsu Kaisen, the emo looking guy from Tokyo Ghoul (idk if he classifies as bishonen but I've seen a decent amount of people thirst over him), the unfortunate mistake known as Sasuke from Naruto, etc. Now that I'm making this list, I realized how much bishonen guys with black hair exist is shonen anime and I'm here for it! Ofc as long as it's legal and not bl (no offence to bl fans obviously, I'm just not a fan of how bl depicts gay men). Sorry this was just a splurge of random nonsense idk if it will help ur research :(

[@xhadow8815]

1) Loved your video. 2) I actually watched the QOVES Studio video a few months ago(randomly showed up in my feed). & I think a interesting thing I saw in the comments was a lot of people saying while anime boys tend to have more softer looks & can be androgynous looking they are still written to be masculine or have a masculine-like personality. & I think thats also what is missing from this conversation. People talk about the looks of the characters but I also think characterization & the characters place in the story plays a big role, in how people find a character attractive or not. I also think another thing that is interesting to point out & discuss is how modern Shouen manga/anime seem to be playing into Bishonen as well I feel like there are a lot more characters designed (weather on purpose or not) for the female gaze. Or characters that end up gaining a big female following (kind of like Levi from AOT, or Gojo from JJK). I was talking about this with a friend one day cause I started watching Blue Lock & I didn't expect so many of the characters to look like they came from a Otome vn. 3) To an extent yes bishonen does influence the manga & anime I consume but it also dosn't. I have picked up certain anime & manga b/c it had guys I found attractive in it. But I'm not going to not read a manga cause it has no attractive guys in it, if people say the story is good or a lot of people like it I will read/watch it to see what the hype is about. I await your video on Hiroko Utsumi as I love Free! & Sk8! :D

[@maiktendo6512]

Repent for your sins and have faith in Jesus and you shall have eternal life in paradise ✨️ 🙏 😊😊

[@elizabethnutley8841]

My first exposure to bishounen - at least that I can remember - was Zetsuai 1989. It had one each of what could be called the major visual types: one of the guys had long, light colored hair, and the other had shorter, dark hair. Over-the-top m/m melodrama!

[@saneira]

This is a criminally underrated channel. I found you through my recommended so hopefully these videos blow up in views. This is my favorite one of your videos. Keep up the great work!

[@CarterPlusCulture]

I guess Anime boys just hit different for some studios

[@TheAnimeTea]

I kind of miss how much creativity went into the Bishōnen character designs of the 70s-2000s. I notice more pretty anime boys after the 2010s kind of look too similar to one another except for their hair color and sometimes style. But that's a personal gripe for another video...

[@cacamoto5395]

I study Japanese history and it always bothers me when people call wakashu a “third gender” when really it was just a societal role. Yes Japan had a different understanding of gender as all cultures do...this cannot be considered a 3rd gender, simple for its predatory nature. That’s like saying “street performers” (you know what I’m talking about) where a 3rd gender because society viewed them as being separate from others. It was an othering role that separated those boys from the rest of society. And for all that it cannot be considered a 3rd gender.

[@kirbybie]

ty for explaining !

[@gdhdjhrhdj4009]

I have to disagree on this one... isn't any gender itself a social role? we also could say that in medieval and ancient Japan women had that "predatory nature"... so what, now it's not a gender? if we talk about gender as a social performance we can say that wakashyuu is a 3rd gender. if wakashyuu is not a gender then what is it? "profession"?

[@cacamoto5395]

@@gdhdjhrhdj4009 simply put...no. I study anthropology with a speciality in Japanese history. I don’t have time to deconstruct what the idea of gender was, in society, but it’s not what you said. There is no disagreeing with this fact, because it’s just a fact. And yes it was a profession. People forced them to preform. If a boy was born in a brothel or poor family they’d use him as a janitor, or wakashuu. This wasn’t an identity, they where effectively sex slaves. They have no choice in the matter, unless they paid if they’re debt or puberty became to prevalent to the point clients wouldn’t want them anymore. These wakashu would then be thrown out and left to die. Only very very few paid of they’re debts (they got debt by simply living and being born) and those few would integrate to society as just men. Gender is an identity, and identity is something personal, they had NO CHOICE, to be wakashuu, it was forced upon them. And for that reason, it is not considered to be a 3rd gender. It was a disgusting and predatory practice, that resulted in countless dying simply because they where born in a place, that wanted they’re underaged bodies. And it would be genuinely insulting if they knew people today thought that’s what they wanted, that it was they’re identity. Imagine having “sex slave” be your identity, and what you where known for, it was dehumanizing.

[@gdhdjhrhdj4009]

@@cacamoto5395 i get your point and agree that their social status played a big role in this. i didn't say anything emplying that it was wakasyuu's choice to become sex slaves. maybe you misunderstood my point when i said "identity": i did not mean that they decided to become wakasyuu, i meant that their gender display consists of a mix of feminine/masculine features and because there wasn't anything similar to that at all this is an identity. edo period japanese men saw them as a completely different kind, so to say. my major is Japanese studies and I did a research on crossgender culture in Japan, i read articles on the topic and usually wakasyuu were referred to as "third gender". that is why i am wondering why do you think it is not it. even articles in japanese language mention that wakasyuu is a phenomena that can't be identified by binary system man/woman. they also say that in Edo period gender was a mix of social status and age, therefore, wakasyuu can be called "third gender". are even japanese people wrong? in some articles it was mentioned that some men tried to present themselves as wakasyuu by making similar hairstyles or putting on similar clothes, though they were not young or of a lower social status. they did it because wakasyuu were considered beautiful and got attention. come to think of it, there is also a similar term for what your previous comment is about and that is kagema. both kagema and wakasyuu were involved in sexual relationship with men and both were somewhat involved in the kabuki scene. especially kagema, they were kabuki trainees and sex with men was a part of training to perform as onnagata. onnagata is a whole different story though they also have a very complicated story with gender. it is all connected and one cannot exist without the other, that is why i think that it is important to not think of the way we percieve it now (it is absolutely clear that underage sex slavery is not ok) , but to think of what it was back then in Edo. and back then it was a part of life, a reality. it was somewhat of an identity, people lived like that.

[@cacamoto5395]

@@gdhdjhrhdj4009 it is not applicable

[@happypancake234]

I swear your channel was quite literally made for me. I can't wait to binge all of your videos! ❤️

[@mimi5769]

Now I'm obsessed with your channel wow, you make so many fantastic videos 😭

[@emotwerp]

I can’t wait to see ur channel grow, I love ur content :3

[@oneflower6166]

This was so interesting!! I love pretty boys in anime/manga and I think a lot of the attraction is towards a different type of masculinity, one that doesn't really exist here in the US. And its really cool to see there's a historical throughline for this type of masculinity in Japan. But I did want to note from what you said around 5:05, Buddhist warrior monks (sohei) were around for hundreds of years in Japan (around 1100 to 1500). I think we all think of monks as generally peaceful, but warrior monks existed in a lot of cultures! Your point still applies though because you were talking about monks, not warrior monks.

[@morochxcolochx]

I am so happy I found your channel. Much love from Honduras

[@tyarahernandez9291]

Came from your shoujo vids and I’m about to binge the rest I’m loving your content! 🫶🏾✨

[@Applefablestudio]

Here's my take on it: I feel the pretty boy phenomenon has strong ties to a different cultural idea of beauty and non-conforming gender ideas. I use to think the artists were borrowing from real life celebrity looks, not surprise it was from European men. I'm surprise this video did not show 'Yuki Sohma' from Fruits Basket, he fits the 'big-eye Bishonen' aesthetic 100%! In the West, the male image was hyper masculinity so I liked the pretty guys in stories. They represent the accepted feminine looks and sometimes sensitivity in a man (or he could twist that expectation in readers, by being the opposite). It's more of the creator's artistic perference than it link to the serious issues of effecting real life people, I think that takes it abit too far. I'm certain that modern Shojo artists barely know who Björn Andrésen is, but they remember their fave stories from Keiko or Moto Hagio with pretty men and they incorporate this male type in the stories. I have seen it effective on my sister, on girls who will support a series if they have 2 or more pretty men in it, more so than the girl characters.

[@lukasjacob3721]

I hope and pray this channel will continue to grow subscribers! I like your style and your voice is so soothing. It makes me so relax!

[@moonkitty5274]

I've been reading Rose of Versailles (just read chapter 44) and atm I've been loving it so much, and was really surprised by the queer portrayal of some characters. I know none of the female characters ever date or anything (which I feel like is more realistic since they're in 18th century France) but it's still the best bi representation I've seen in a manga series-- when people have crushes on both genders in other manga I've read, it's just more used for comedy and a confusing moment that usually ends up having no impact, but in rov it feels confirmed that multiple female characters have romantic interest in each other as well as the male characters, and it made me feel happy to read :) ofc there's not really any male bi rep but for a manga initially released in the 70s, I'll take what I can get and appreciate the effort still made

[@veronerika]

Your content is awesome!!

[@TheGamingHarbinger]

Job well done on this video! You covered a lot of ground in this and I found it very educational. 🤓

[@Weeabaon]

Animated muscles always freaked me out on bishounen, and I avoided certain hyped anime because of it. I know that I would enjoy those series, but it feels like the typical flagrant fan service but pointed at pandering to the generally female gaze. I am also reminded of my love of otome games. Well over a decade ago by now, I showed a video game classmate printed images of the cast of Hakuouki in western-inspired semi-traditional Japanese attire. They all had long hair and dynamic poses, and I thought of them as dripping masculinity. She said that she does not like it when men look like girls. I was taken aback. Ignoring the high likelihood that she was not into anime or K-pop, I was struck with the realization that my perspective on what "passes" as masculine can greatly differ from some people. And interesting that curly or wavier hair became less prevalent, and that pointy, usually shorter hair really is on all the bishies nowadays.

[@Serocco]

But fanservice for the female gaze, made by women for women, is still in otome games so why would Free be an issue for you?

[@ekozoidmajiker6186]

I use to have the same taste as you do, but that was during my teenage years, now I prefer my "ideal man" to be a BIT buff but NO beards/goatie/mustache.

[@WanWan-ss5of]

I watched this video and it made me think about how Asian beauty standards can be pretty intense. I’ve even heard that a possible reason so many people are single in Japan is because beauty standards are so high. I think the ideal of “manly men” is a very American thing. More feminine men can be seen in French culture or Chinese as well. I’d argue that the rise of Macho men for the USA was an 80’s thing and then famous musicians like Kurt Cobain and emo fashion brought more feminine men to the USA. It’s all relative.

[@mekhalaiyengar5726]

Really a very insightful video! It is interesting how Bishōnen is considered the 3 rd gender and especially today there are a lot of anime’s with pretty boys.

[@cacamoto5395]

Back then it wasn’t considered a 3rd gender, yes they where othered. But this idea of them being a 3rd gender is entirely modern AND western

[@RyldsGirl]

The first bishionen anime I watched was Fushigi Yuugi and seriously changed my view of anime and manga. They were all so beautiful 😍

[@lewa3910]

To answer that 1st question, Because I deserve Some representation 💖🙏✌ Excellent video!

[@emilyonizuka4698]

thank you for your videos. I'm japanese canadian and have been exploring my gender lately, but it's interesting because gender can vary among cultures. I like pretty boys or boyish girls, so this was a great video to explore one of these.

[@Suited_Nat]

Legit read that as Bi-shounen like bisexual- which Ikw it’s not but- still had the thought lol

[@thestrangeone6671]

Can you do a channel on something other than anime? I LOVE how you explain your topics. You are a great and interesting teacher.

[@thefisherking2268]

Love this video! While I have my criticisms over Keiko’s work now for obvious reasons, they had a big hand in shaping both my interests as a vintage shoujo fan and my identity as a gay trans man. While I don’t think Kaze to Ki no Uta is as good as I once thought it was, and I’d definitely never recommend it to anyone, it still holds a really special place in my heart

[@magnadramon0068]

While a lot of you say here is very interesting. You are giving Bjorn and Keiko Takameiya way too much credit for inventing the bishonen. Macoto Takahashi was creating shoujo manga with androgynous bishonen characters decades before Keiko Takameiya released "Kaze to Ki no Uta" and Bjorn visited Japan. The blond haired delicate jawed bishonen that we see in anime and manga was already a popular shoujo character archtype going back as far as the 1950's. Macoto Takahashi is one of the earliest and most influential shoujo manga artists. And is responsible for many of the visual tropes we see in shoujo manga including bishonen. Many other shoujo mangaka were already creating characters with designs similar to the ones in "Kaze to Ki no Uta" years before it was released such as Hideko Mizuno's Fire!. Which was also a very popular and influential work. Bjorn didn't inspire the bishonen archetype he just fit into a preexisting beauty ideal. Sources: "Takahashi Macoto: The Origin of Shōjo Manga Style"

[@anti-sjwandsjwannoysme6603]

I dont know what you want to prove here. Macoto made Shojo popular. Keiko and Bjorn made Bishonen popular. They definitely deserve the credit

[@magnadramon0068]

@@anti-sjwandsjwannoysme6603 Bishonen were already popular in shoujo that's my point. Keiko Takameiya was influenced by other shoujo manga. The most obvious being "The Rose of Versailles". She didn't invent the bishonen all by herself it was already popular and widely used. This is not only my opinion but a fact documented by Japanese manga scholars such as Fujimoto Yukari. In her essay "Female hermaphrodites and male androgynes". She lists multiple examples of manga about bishonen that existed before "A song in the wind and trees". What Keiko Takameiya innovated wasn't the bishonen trope but it's use in bl. Before then bishonen mostly appeared in straight romances.

[@anti-sjwandsjwannoysme6603]

@@magnadramon0068 i need links

[@magnadramon0068]

@@anti-sjwandsjwannoysme6603 KZbin does not allow the posting of links. If you type in "Female hermaphrodites and male androgynes" into google it will give you links to her essay.

[@lizzeh]

Nice get in the robot shout out. I still miss them 💔

[@kittykittybangbang9367]

What happened to them?

[@lizzeh]

@@kittykittybangbang9367 They went to a new channel for.... idk why... and it died soon after they launched it. Beyond the bot. There's some stuff there that's very Get in the Robot-core but they're not posting regularly anymore either :(

[@samojede6776]

So what I like to know are the guys in Yugioh (Kaiba, Yami Yugi/Atemu, Jyonouchi, Marik, Bakura, Dartz) Bishounen or not? Many of them do also have Sixpacks but all are very slender. I know many girls go crazy for them, but are they really Bishounen?

[@katarinaclaes96]

Very interesting video i think that Anime makes beautiful boys because so that us girls who are a huge fans of Anime can have fangirl crushes on them. I have a few Anime guys i have a crush on. And Anime makes beautiful girls so that the guys who are a huge fan of Anime can have a fanguy crush on the girls. I'll be sure to check out this Anime and give it a watch looks very interesting and old.😁👍💘

[@WorriorXD]

Yay boys!

[@qute1693]

Are bishounen also referred to as ikemen? I've heard that bishounen specifically means a guy with young, delicate features, while ikemen means a handsome, good-looking guy. Ikemen differs from bishounen, as it is not specifically referring to younger looking guys. Any guy, younger or older can be ikemen. It all depends on if they are handsome. I love your videos btw, very informative and I agree that as much as I enjoy anime's 'pretty boys' it is important to know where this all comes from. I've heard about Bjorn's story, and it is really sad how he was sexualized by the industry at such a young age. In another video, can you also talk about how many BL anime feature unhealthy relationships? That would be interesting as well

[@anitanielsen1061]

Inosuke WHOO!

[@Mishka.Lebedev]

Happy to see my boy Megumi from JJK making it here, cause yes, he is a pretty boy! 🥰

[@lifeofbekahh]

Sebastian from black butler anime Tomoe from kamisama kiss 😍

[@jadalba9760]

Who is in 2:45? Oh my gawd

[@MaGpeS]

Haruka Nanase from "Free!!"

[@Angel...............]

I get a feeling that people in general all over the world are just really tired of the strict gender norms and stuff so when something new comes around that people actually connect with more then the obsession blows up all at once. I mean I like these types of characters a lot because of gender-evy and stuff like that. Ofcourse not everyone like it for those reasons and its really too bad that real people have to be effected so negatively by it tho..

[@jnf6772]

20:24

[@everybodyknowsme1620]

Does anyone know the name of the anime at 2:20

[@averyblaze7223]

I think clannad

[@Bomber_Fish]

I'm a guy, i'm very sorry to say this but Kaiser Reinhard von Lohengramm (in the original anime) is much more beautiful than his wife. My man is just fabulous.

[@yannickjohn6930]

Women love androgyny and think muscles are overrated. Ladies, scream for Harry Styles and BTS!!

[@TheAnimeTea]

What I find interesting is that some really popular examples of Bishōnen are able to mix both muscles and androgyny in their designs (Free!). But I really love that the style of beautiful boys in anime often blurs lines between masculine and feminine traits. I included BTS at the end of the video but honestly I should have also included Harry Styles too 😅

[@TheMandalorianPadawan]

Not all women though. I know a lot of women who like more masculine-looking guys and more muscular guys, and there are definitely anime guys that fit those tastes. I personally like cuter guys and don't care for the buff dudes, but an athletic body is always a plus. Everyone has their own type, so saying that "women love androgyny" is a huge generalization. Also, your last statement confuses me - are you saying Harry Styles and BTS fit the androgynous and muscle-less type or not? I'm actually confused 😅

[@yannickjohn6930]

@@TheMandalorianPadawan What @The Anime Tea said: BTS and Harry are both examples of soft masculinity women are filling stadiums and looking for inspiration. Someone too masculine for them would be a turn-off. I wouldn't necessarily go for the BTS type but I would cope. Even in my confusion.

[@abitsourrrrsorry4885]

I think it's different between young girls to older women. I find BTS to be more popular among teens and teenagers since adult kpop stans are mostly fell out of love in their mid 20s. I think older women are more likely to love actors more than musicians though

[@notokay9459]

@@abitsourrrrsorry4885 that's interesting because statistics say that most of BTS fans are older women who are 3o and above, with 31% of their fans being male. The Teenager girls percent is actually the smallest one.

[@-SuperCraigIsGay-]

I see Kaze to Ki no Uta, I click.

[@odothedoll2738]

Because I am confused about my gender. Wait no that’s not what this is about

[@happynaturalist1793]

I think you were joking, but oh how I cringed around 5:19 when it seemed like you blamed chigo for adults losing their senses over them, and at 5:24 “beautiful boys have been destroying relationships for centuries now…” Let’s be clear that you’re not blaming children for the sexual activity of adults, right? Otherwise - I like this video and am enjoying learning a lot from your vids. I can tell you love deep dives into the research. Edit after watching your comments at 18:29 - Thanks for addressing the power dynamic and likely abuse of historical chigo

[@DLAXTOX]

It aisa boys

[@jacobneale5844]

‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

[@Val17282]

I think there should be a discussion about how bishonen characters and anime promotes eurocentric beauty standards and the harm it brings. There's been serveral instances in anime where characters from ethnicities of darker complexions were whitewashed to make them fit the generic mold of a light skinned, large eyed bishonen. The most recent example is Genshin Impact, where Mihoyo took SWANA cultures as inspiration for Sumeru, their latest region, yet all the characters from that region are white/light skinned and are adorned in stereotypical outfits like the belly dancer stereotype, which Swana people resent. Antoher example is the Fate Stay Night franchise, where it features historical and mythological figures from different ethnicities, yet it often whitewashes darker skinned people, such as Karna being designed as a pretty, thin, young white man, when he's in reality a burly indian man, and Quetzalcoatl, who's designed as a white blonde woman when they're in reality a mexican indigenous deity.

[@isabellaeleina]

Most people just find Eurocentric features more objectively attractive I guess. You can’t really force ppl to be attracted to other things.

[@_kaleido]

@@isabellaeleina but there’s a difference between finding certain features “more attractive” and deliberately whitewashing, erasing and stereotyping parts of POC cultures

[@isabellaeleina]

@@_kaleido They’re not even white washing. They’re making their own characters. Manga also draws in a specific style and most characters don’t look Japanese either. They look white af.

[@angelusvastator1297]

@@isabellaeleina The characters still look Japanese even with big eyes and colored hair if you're familiar with Asian facial structure and phenotypes.

[@monicacreator3168]

Mukokuseki really isnt universal, a huge percentage of the world have skin darker than white after all

[@everydayman88]

Only little girls like pretty boy types... notice the fans of K pop type stuff is mostly early teen and pre teen girls... women generally tend to prefer more masculine features.

[@user-wi5nq8ql7i]

Not true. "Koreaboo adults" (couldn't think of a better wording) just aren't interested in K-pop groups and they're not so loud on the internet. Women around ±45 years old usually choose actors, like Lee Joon Gi for example. And he is also in his forties.

[@josephinamungaray6118]

There's no such thing are a third gender etc. The guys were just crossdressing, it's not that deep.

[@MrQuantumInc]

"Third Gender" is a catch all term from when a culture labels some people as something other than male or female. Biologically they are male or female, but the difference is important in that culture for whatever reason. They are not men dressing as women nor women dressing as men, thus they are not crossdressing. They are bio-males dressing as [gender concept that doesn't exist in western culture]. It isn't deep it is just foreign. "Gender" refers to the socially constructed/cultural parts, "sex" refers to the biological aspects. Things like men being into competitive sports, or little girls playing with dolls as opposed to action figures are not caused by our chromosomes. Not every culture even has sports, let alone sports as a boy thing. Technically there are also people who are neither biologically male nor biologically female. "Intersex" people don't have all the features of males or females for whatever reason.

[@MaGpeS]

Plus, that "third gender" in Japan has a huuuuuge history behind that can't be ignored just because of the differences with our cultures. It's not only crossdressing. There are many academic pappers that try to explain it. I'm reading "The Flower of Dharma Nature: Sexual Consecration and Amalgamation in Medieval Japanese Buddhism" by Or Porath, and it's... interesting.

[@lettucecat3538]

naaah cap its tied together and u cant separate them

[@josephinamungaray6118]

@@MaGpeS Well, it doesn't mean anything to me. The young boys were just feminine. It's odd to call people a different gender just for not fitting into their gender stereotypes. It's a bit sexist imo. I don't see anything interesting that involves kids and old powerful farts.

[@bluebird7392]

There are third genders in many different cultures, thanks. That is not deep, its culture and the way human societies work regarding gender. We, today, have different genders then woman and man, and this always been like this in every historical era. Why is that so hard to grasp?

[@antinoye973]

Saw my man in the thumbnail and just had to watch. I’m so happy I found your channel!! 🥹

[@dmitry5233]

gay