Fashion is an interesting thing that made by mankind. It is a type of clothing that humans follow to make themselves noticeable and trendy. There is fashion that sometimes makes you wanna wear it and there is fashion that makes you wonder and turn your head wondering why there are wearing it. In this blog, I will try to give light to a dark subculture of fashion from the land of Nippon.
If you look at Japanese youngsters on the streets especially in its cities. You can see that Japanese people especially the younger have some quirky and unique fashion sense that is so flashy, it will separate them from the crowd. Japan and fashion are such an interesting mix. If you combine these two things you will get an interesting twist and subs cultures surrounding it.
What is Yami kawaii
It comes from the word Yami and kawaii. In Japanese, the word Yami means “sick” or “ill” and the word kawaii means “cute”. Both of them combined and you have the word Yami Kawaii. The meaning of the word combined will be a sentence about being cute while being ill or sick mentally.
Self-harm as fashion?
Even though you can’t see this type of fashion in every Japanese people. Because talking about mental health in Japan is taboo and considered a sin. Some Japanese fashion enthusiasts have some kind of unique way of delivering a message. It is through fashion and wearing clothes. There are only a few of these people that wearing this type of clothing in Japan however when you see one of them it will turn your head and look towards them because what there are wearing is somewhat unique and flashy.
A very complex topic
Japan is an interesting place, I like the culture of the country because it is pure. To be honest, I am not very qualified to talk about this complex topic. I am only a foreigner looking from the outside at Japanese culture as a whole. But when I heard that Japan as a country has the highest numbers when it comes to self-harm and suicides, It made me concerned. It is even considered taboo or illegal to talk about this type of stuff in the open. What I am doing now probably will trigger some Japanese people. But I am making light of the topic because I am concerned about the people living in Japan. When I saw this topic happening in japan, I am quite concerned about the people living there.
What to do if you don’t have these problems?
Giving light to the problem might solve it. As long as we recognize that things on this happening we can avoid it. One thing that is good about this fashion is that it is reminding us that people are doing these things to themselves. It reminds us that we should care for the people in our surroundings. We don’t know if that guy sitting next to you has this kind of problem. All we have to do is to notice these things happening to them and talk to them. Talking about these things will heal their souls. We should take care of these types of people and just listen to them.
What to do about it
It is a complex issue and a gaijin should not be talking about it but, these are my concerns. A psychologist and philosopher called Carl Jung said that “to be the beings of light, we need to recognize the darkness”. Recognizing the dark aspect of humanity will give us insights into the being of lights. Once we recognize what is happening to our surroundings, we can avoid the things darkness will do to us. If we recognize that suicide exists, we can avoid it and be free from it. If we recognize and are conscious about these things, we can go to someone that will help us. If we recognize these things happening to us, we should talk to people with greater wisdom than us. We should talk to people that are more qualified. I will recommend a psychiatrist if you have this type of illness. Or if you don’t have psychiatrists, consult your grandmothers and grandfathers. What matters is you should talk to people about having these sad experiences in your life.
I like Japan and the people living there. When I heard that this fashion exists there, I am quite concerned. It is a dark topic I ever wrote. I am very concerned about these people facing hardships in their lives. That is why giving light to a dark topic.
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