[/floatr]Yomiuri: Older women go gaga over young 'princes'The past year has seen middle-aged and elderly women flocking to ballparks, golf courses and theaters to see the handsome, fresh-faced young stars they call "princes"...According to Noriko Mizuta, president of Josai International University who specializes in women's studies, these teenagers fulfill a yearning for what middle-aged and senior women have lost in their lives, or failed to attain in the first place...Mizuta says the attraction to these teenagers in part may stem from dissatisfaction with their own lives and uncertainty about their status in society. "I think many women are deeply disillusioned with their husbands, who are supposed to be their partners for life," Mizuta said. "When they were busy raising children, they couldn't afford to have fun for themselves. But now, they feel like they want to enjoy their lives." Regardless of what they are seeking -- whether it be an ideal son or the perfect partner -- the fascination with celebrities seems to be a way for many women to relieve their stress and rejuvenate them...Yet many non-Japanese observers are bewildered by Japanese women's infatuation with teenage and South Korean heartthrobs...However, the tradition of Japanese women going out without their husbands is nothing new. In fact, it is centuries old. As far back as the 16th century, Portuguese missionary Luis Frois, who stayed in Japan for more than 30 years, noted this trend in his account "Europa e Esta Provincia de Japao." Writing in 1585, Frois wrote: "In Europe, a wife does not leave the home without permission from her husband, while Japanese women enjoy freedom to go anywhere without telling their husbands," according to a Japanese translation of the account. The celebrity-chasing phenomenon is also often a group activity, and the sight of big groups of middle-aged Japanese women traveling to events can seem odd to Westerners...more..
