Monday, September 02, 2013

An unpopular opinion regarding the Gamer Totoy discussion of sexual favours granted by cosplayers

I don't think I should link to it anymore, and I tried to stay away from this issue, but as I've gone in and out of the cosplay scene I have also grown sick and tired of the crazy double standard -- let's face it, most humans of the XY chromosome in cosplay fandom WILL post photos of scantily clad girls who haven't even met these fappers. And then there really is no way I can keep my opinion to myself, considering that I have a (younger) sister who is both internet-famous and FHM famous, even more than the cosplayer said to be peddling sexual favours has become (though definitely not to Alodia, Tuxedo Team, Kipi -- my age is showing, Dani, or Yaya levels).

Allow me to share my opinion, unpopular though it may be: for me, if the cosplayer is selling sexual favours because she has legitimate issues with money, if she needs to support herself through more than just the next costume (or 3, or 5), then I won't get in her case. Doubly so if she doesn't say or do anything to contradict herself and her actions, because in that case I still would have more respect for her than, say, Jerry Polence, who said she would be a nun but didn't follow through with that AND had terribly unholy behaviour in so many ways to boot. (Irony of ironies, said sister is a friend of Polence. It's a surprise to some people that I'm civil around this particular fellow ex-cosplayer.)

Plus to all the men here who are reading this, and even the women too, I'm going to quote what my BFF in the Philippine cosplay scene has said: if you condemn the girl for what she does, but then post pictures on your own Facebook of scantily naked female cosplayers / Korean actresses we all know would never give you the time of day anyway, then that makes you a hypocrite. (We know who most of you are. We see your Facebook feeds, Tumblr accounts, Twitter handles, your blogs, your social media networks and even your private posts. Even you Gamer Totoy. :D) You have no right to objectify females yourself and then complain / mock a girl who at least uses her OWN body for it, and not someone else's. So honestly, to all the male posters here, stop being dickwads with your holier-than-thou attitudes since you're all going to kiss and tell whether or not she or any girl bangs you, anyway. (I suspect this double standard actually persists because many of you were rejected by her, or others like her, and if not that you simply weren't able to afford her services.)

Finally, if it is proven that indeed she IS doing it just to get herself a shiny coming-of-age party, well, she is indeed sadly horribly misled by her priorities in life. Not to say that her need isn't valid, but in the greater scheme of things, having a fun, grand debutante party can still be done for a cheaper budget through better planning. I mean, come on, just take a look at Jeane Napoles' Blogger account and debut post-party video -- she had SO MUCH MONEY to burn (all taken from decent hardworking taxpayers like myself, by the way) and still came up with a party that's nowhere as cool given the materials, equipment and personnel she had at her disposal. She tried to have a party like Tony Stark from IRON MAN 2 but the video alone shows it's not quite as happening as her spin doctors and video editors try to make it look. .

Oh, in case you're looking for me, this is crossposted on my:
Fina-fricking-ly, yes, I acknowledge I am turning into the queen of unpopular opinion, but that also means flames will be doused with water after being used to cook delicious spam and eggs.

That's all, thanks. ^.~v

Sunday, August 04, 2013

The 11 top-ranking models of Popteen: Nana Suzuki / The self-esteem of a bonafide gal



As some of you already know, I'm a subscriber of the gyaru lifestyle, which endorses coloured (usually lightened) and very well-styled hair, sexy-cute make-up especially focused on the eyes, skin-baring clothing styles, insanely high heels, equally insane nail art, and an over-all image of being nouveau riche to the point of being garish about it. I find that it compliments my desire to enjoy being a grown-up, and it reinforces my positive nature because its focus is on having fun. :P

However, one of the terrible things about it is, as most Japanese fashion styles are, it's got a clique-ish vibe among purveyors and enthusiasts, and these cliques are vicious. You need to look a certain image, to play a certain role, and of course Japan being Japan, even in fashion "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down." It's essentially being stuck forever in high school -- definitely not the most fun of moments.. In fact, this video from leading Japanese gyaru magazine Popteen illustrates exactly what goes on.

The video starts with some "what's in my bag" stuff, and then it displays make-up from gyaru models like Hekiru Shiina; this part is actually a continuation of a previous video, part of a full show. Then Miku Akiyama, Mari Murata, Miki Kawanishi, Rui Kotobuki and Nana Suzuki are introduced, with their outfits of the day scrutinised. The five then play some form of timed getting-to-know-you/trivia/Q&A game using the iPhone.

Poor Nana gets a dare: she has to prove she's attractive even without full gyaru make-up -- an idea which is unthinkable for a young, up-and-coming model like her. Because again, like I said, gyaru is about using make-up to radiate a sexy-cute image, basically the game is making her remove all those layers she can hide in. Now when you get to see her sans make-up (or most of it, anyway) on 8:50 at the video, she actually looks cuter than Tsubasa Masuwaka, who has been seen with the most minimal of make-up recently, and whose eyebags are just HUGE (she looks like my college classmate Be, funnily enough, but still, those eyebags are GINORMOUS to the point of being scary). Nana has the benefit of youth (Tsubasa is just a year younger than I am, and I'm pushing 30 very soon), so even if gyaru is all about looking young and fresh while still having a touch of sexy charisma, she still looks very pleasant in her "plain" face. As the puppet that looks like a monkey at the bottom-right side of the screen says, she radiates "moe". When used in this context, it means that while Nana's not breathtakingly beautiful or even conventionally lovely, she's definitely cute enough to turn a good number of heads. But still, you don't need a translator to know that she's feeling apprehensive about having to reveal how she looks like under those false lashes and all that foundation, what with all that nervous giggling.

While I find it strange that these Japanese fashionistas are not vain enough to resort to facial surgery (apparently surgery is still more acceptable in Korea, where presenting your "best face" or ulzzang style is an absolute must), they are still vain enough to contour their faces and use various make-up tricks to achieve the desirable cute-sexy look. They also consider other equally invasive techniques, such as the use of circle contact and false eyelashes to fake the facial structure of dolls. This is a sobering reminder for me that the only way I can step my glamour game up is to spend time meticulously putting on make-up and styling my hair. Honestly, that's a lot of work and a lot of time! If basic make-up for the office takes me 30 minutes to an hour, gyaru make-up takes at least 2 hours especially because of the difficulty in applying false eyelashes. And with the humidity of this country rendering most hairstyles useless, you need a lot of spray product to keep every curl, wave or strand in place for a few hours.

I feel so bad that a rising star among models like Nana Suzuki feels terrible about herself and her looks. That doesn't bode well for followers of gyaru style, or for followers of her and models like her at large, because if a model like her hates how she looks then who else would like her for herself? Unfortunately, it seems like a fact of life that won't change anytime soon.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Seducing people and dressing hot can be mutually exclusive. Religion can be humanist.

So my great fantabulous friend Nissie posted a fabulous, well-written argument about how women have always and continue to receive much less benefits than the men.

It shames me to say that my religion (which I have picked out because it has helped me cope immensely with the events of my life) is conservative to the point that it has dictated how women should act, dress, speak, walk, eat, think and even sleep -- short version: in such a way that men are not tempted.

Well, excuse me, but while I am Catholic and I enjoy kicking ass (especially krav maga), if anyone bothers to tell me at all how to be a "respectable" woman, then I will definitely hit you at the balls or at the gut, whichever part of you hurts the most faster and better. And if I can't do that immediately for any reason, then make no mistake, I am definitely biding my time thinking about it before I finally find the chance to do it. 

I am a woman who wishes she can still let loose dancing at the clubs, who enjoys dressing up in a sexy-cute way, who likes ribald jokes and who feels most at home swearing like a sailor. That does not mean I wish to be raped, enjoy being felt up by people whose hands are best kept to themselves, or like being the subject of adjectives alluding to my (non-existent) breasts, (fairly shapely) bum or (absurdly long) legs. 

The Jesus I know loved (and still loves) His mother immensely, stood up for and spoke to women of all sorts of leanings, and had many female friendships (a part of me will always root for Him to have been at the very least in a romantic understanding with Saint Mary Magdalene). He sacrificed His life for all humanity, never once taking into consideration how we act, dress, speak, walk, eat, think, sleep and believe, because He could have chosen to save only a few but instead made sure to save as many as He possibly could with that one act. Sure He knows every single detail about every single creature in this earth, but He is revered exactly because He will always prioritize the positive actions I would have contributed towards making life better for the people (and living things) who are around me. So even if He were to walk among us right now and blush at my current body-con dress and stacked stiletto platform heels, I'd like to think He will just smile, nod, and let me carry on.