Womanlike, manlike -- beware what you ask for
The Japan Times: Sept. 16, 2004 Elsewhere in the world, social distinctions between men and women erode on a daily basis, but in Japan, they still endure. Women are expected to be "onna-rashii (womanly)," men must go by "otoko-rashii (manly)" codes of conduct...
...One headline in the ever-popular An-An magazine threatens: "Kebukai Onna wa Nani o Yattemo Umaku Ikanai (A Hairy Woman Will Not Succeed in Anything)." Scary, huh? ...
...Of course, male quirks are more tolerated than female ones and less likely to be categorized as wagamama (selfish), or fushigi (freaky). Besides, the onna-rashisa code requires that Japanese women be quiet, unassuming and kikijozu (good at listening to others, especially pontificating men), with an inherent dislike of anything conspicuous. So I'm always surprised when men complain that "Nihonjin no onna wa minna onaji de omoshirokunai (Japanese women are all the same and just not interesting)." Uh, hello? Whose fault is that?
