Your Face Isn’t Good Enough: Filters and Kawaii Culture
Social media has become such a part of our lives that we can barely remember what the Internet was like before Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and the rest. However, research has linked social media with all kinds of problems, from bullying to depression. The photo sharing and the ubiquitous profile photo has a large influence…
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai – First Impressions
When I saw the title Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai and the advertisement of an anime girl dressed as a Playboy bunny, I groaned. It looked bad. Like exploitative-of-women-and-badly-stereotyped-dense-devoid-of-personality-guy bad. But because I write for JP, I decided to endure an episode or two. At the least it could offer more fodder…
Forced Sterilization in Japan: Transgender and Disabled Face Chemical Castration
Until 1996, the Japanese government forcibly sterilized people with vision problems, hearing problems, intellectual disabilities, mental illnesses, and hereditary diseases. Today, transgender people face forced sterilization if they want to be legally recognized as their chosen gender. The focus of the original 1948 eugenics law isn’t the same as the current law forcing transgender people…