Names as Symbols of Dominance

Mai Yamaguichi, OCU

If you think about the power of a name, you must also think about the power of a society that gives names to things. Japan is an interesting place in which to examine the meaning behind a name. In Japan, the ways in which careers, for example, are named in the news are quite different between men and women, it seems, but quite unnoticeable. Female doctors are called “Joi” (女医), which means “female doctor” while male doctors are called “Ishi” (医師), which means simply, “doctors.” Another example is that female writers are called “Josei-sakka” (女性作家), which means “female writers” whereas male writers are called “Sakka” (作家), which means “writers.”

From this practice of naming, I think many people imagine that doctors are automatically males. Therefore, the word “female” is attached as an adjective for the woman who has this career. This kind of naming says something about Japanese society where “normal” thinking has men primarily at work and where it is rare that women also work. This kind of naming doesn’t represent reality. This article discusses how names for careers have an affect on people.

In Japan, the way to name a career is different depending on gender. This practice creates an obvious question: why do people ignore “male” as an adjective for careers that men have but use “female” as an adjective for women with careers? Many may people think that working people are men. Many people come up a "male" doctor when they hear the word "doctor". Therefore, people think that people who work are male because of that. However, many women work recently. For that reason, the thought, which says working women are strange, has to be reversed. If many people think that doctors have to be men, women doctors might be uncomfortable to work as doctors and it might be hard for them to success.

Isn’t it best to treat working men and working women equally? As mass media help reinforce this unfair idea of difference, unequal salaries that women and men receive can be legitimized. The number of working women is increasing; however, it is harder for them to earn the kind of money that men traditionally earn. Changing attitudes begins with the media, such as television, newspaper, and magazines. The mass media can begin a new practice and drop the gender-specific naming of careers so that differences can fade away. If this can happen, Japanese people can begin to change their thoughts that only men are doctors (or writers). Media have great power to improve Japanese people’s thoughts about the roles we take up. Media should be used more responsibly to create a sense of mutual respect across the sexes so that we can make a fairer world for all people.

In recent years in Japan, many women want to work just as men have done traditionally. The truth is that many men today also do house work and help raise children even more than their wives do. This why, I think, mass media should deal with men and women equally to recreate a society in which all people can live happily and with dignity. 

Noodles, Females and Objectification

Masayuki Chinen, OCU

Nisshin Food Products television commercials have attracted the attention of many people, especially men, in its use of sexuality as a method of stimulating a sense of hunger in viewers. One ad in particular expresses man’s sexual desire toward women. It also reflects the general desire of women to maintain a beautiful appearance and slender body.

Nisshin is a well-known food company, especially for its Cup Noodle brand. In 2010, Nisshin marketed a new line known as Cup Noodle Light. Viewers may notice immediately what is special about this product from its name. Obviously, this product is supposed to contain less calories than other similar products while it also contains dietary fiber.

Nisshin Food Products, 2012

When I heard the name of this product, I thought the company was mainly targeting female customers. However, the commercial presents also another perspective from what I had first imagined. The advertisement features a beautiful woman who appears essentially naked. She framed by the camera from the low waistline up, and her exposed skin is painted in the pattern of Cup Noodle Light. Her slender appearance and beauty illustrate the power of the visual and what could possibly be in store for customers who eat this product. So, the TV advertisement strives to elicit the general female desire to be slender and to be beautiful.

The message, though, is meant not only for women but for men with its portrayal of the woman. It is appealing to male customers because it presents the woman in an almost erotic pose half naked, exposed and welcoming, which motivate the male sexual drive. When male customers choose this brand of noodle, the images presented in the advertisement serve to appeal to the emotions connections that men feel toward women. These connections are also linked to the product, Cup Noodle Light.

While recent women’s equal rights movements challenging the unfair treatment and discrimination of women have had some success in Japanese society, we still need to go further in improving equality and respecting the dignity of women. Unfortunately, male chauvinism still appears to exist in societies across the globe where women are objectified in the interest of marketing products.

In Japan, the woman who is generally slender and who has wider eyes than the norm has come to be more visually appealing, more valuable, and more marketable to manufacturers. It seems every condition of feminine beauty is manufactured today by a man’s sense of value. Many women strive to be more slender by dieting and sometimes the result is excess dieting, which leads to very serious emotional and psychological problems. These unrealistic concepts about feminine beauty appear to be a leading cause of anorexia.

Nisshin Cup Noodle also emphasizes the calorie and dietary fiber, which is related directly the slender body image. If such extreme emphasis continues to be placed on sexual fantasy in advertising, we really need to step back from the media presented on TV and ask about the real value of this fantasy and its effects on women.