The Language of Feminine Beauty in Russian and Japanese Societies

226 Pages·2020·2.838 MB·

by  Natalia Konstantinovskaia

PALGRAVE STUDIES IN LANGUAGE,
GENDER AND SEXUALITY
The Language of
Feminine Beauty in Russian
and Japanese Societies
Natalia Konstantinovskaia
Palgrave Studies in Language, Gender
and Sexuality
Series Editors
Helen Sauntson
York St John University
York, UK
Allyson Jule
School of Education
Trinity Western University
Langley, BC, Canada
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of language in understanding issues, identities and relationships in rela-
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More information about this series at
http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/15402
Natalia Konstantinovskaia
The Language
of Feminine Beauty
in Russian and
Japanese Societies
Natalia Konstantinovskaia
Busuu, London, UK
Palgrave Studies in Language, Gender and Sexuality
ISBN 978-3-030-41432-0 ISBN 978-3-030-41433-7 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41433-7
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2020
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Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I express gratitude to Dr. Shoichi Iwasaki, who always
gave me the support and advice on how to improve and grow as a scholar,
guiding me in a way that helped me to develop my ideas. Without his
mentorship, this work would not have been possible.
In addition, I also thank Dr. Momoko Nakamura, whose feminist
work on Japanese language inspired this book profoundly. Furthermore,
I am thankful for Professor Satoshi Kinsui’s advising at various points of
my career as a researcher. Professor Kinsui kindly welcomed me as an
international scholar to Osaka University, supporting me in my doctoral
fieldwork. I am grateful to the reviewers and editors of these series, whose
insightful comments and suggestions helped me to improve this book.
I also express special thanks to the 44 Japanese and Russian women
who shared their thoughts and experiences with me. They helped me to
appreciate on a concrete and personal level the nuanced perceptions of
gender and language in Japanese and Russian societies.
Finally, I feel blessed to have had the support of my husband Locke
Welborn, as well as my family in Khabarovsk, Russia, throughout this
journey. They were always willing to discuss my research ideas and read
my drafts, making me feel loved and appreciated.
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Contents
1 Gender and Language Research and Perceptions in
Japanese and Russian Societies 1
1.1 M otivations, Structure, Scope, and Objectives 1
1.2 F eminist Theories of Gender and Language 7
1.3 S tance and Indexicality in ‘Women’s Language’ 11
1.4 I deology, Identity, and Intersectionality 13
1.5 F emininity, Beauty, and a ‘Woman’s Place’ in Russia 16
1.6 R ussian ‘Women’s Language’ 20
1.7 F emininity, Beauty, and ‘Woman’s Place’ in Japan 21
1.8 Japanese ‘Women’s Language’ 25
1.9 G ender in Russian and Japanese Advertising 29
1.10 M ethodology and Data Collection 32
1.11 Summary 44
References 44
2 W omen’s Voices in Russian and Japanese ‘Beauty Ads’ 53
2.1 Overview 53
2.2 W ho Says What in Russian and Japanese ‘Beauty Ads’? 55
2.3 I nterrogative Structures in Russian Commercials 58
2.4 I mperative Structures in Russian Commercials 63
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viii Contents
2.5 Th e Heterosexual Male Gaze, Self-Commodification,
and Feminine Beauty in Russian Commercials 67
2.6 I nterrogative Structures in Japanese Commercials 74
2.7 U se of Hortative Structures in Japanese Commercials 80
2.8 M imetic Expressions, Personifications, and Metaphors
in Japanese Commercials 81
2.9 M en as Creators of Women’s Beauty in Japanese
Commercials 83
2.10 S ummary 88
References 90
3 R ussian and Japanese Women’s Perceptions of Feminine
Beauty 93
3.1 Overview and Sample Characteristics 94
3.2 R ussian Women’s Discourses on Feminine Beauty 95
3.2.1 Heterosexual Male Gaze and the Duality of
Female Personas 95
3.2.2 Egalitarianism and (Im)Balanced Autonomy 111
3.2.3 Ideal Russian ‘Women’s Language’ 113
3.2.4 Interim Summary 121
3.3 J apanese Women’s Discourses on Feminine Beauty 122
3.3.1 Th e Value of kawaii, and Constant Awareness
of Others 124
3.3.2 The Feminine Virtue of Kindness 138
3.3.3 An (Im)Balanced Autonomy and the
Heterosexual Male Gaze 147
3.3.4 Ideal Japanese ‘Women’s Language’ 153
3.4 S ummary 158
References 160
4 Russian and Japanese Women’s Real Language Practices 163
4.1 O verview of the Russian ‘Male Language’ 163
4.2 L anguage Use in Assimilation and Transformation 164
4.3 W omen’s Appropriation of ‘Male Language’ in Russian 167
4.4 O verview of the Japanese ‘Male Language’ 174
Contents ix
4.5 W omen’s Appropriation of ‘Male Language’ in
Japanese 178
4.5.1 ‘ Male Language’ in Japanese Spoken Interactions 178
4.5.2 ‘ Male Language’ in Japanese Blog Corpora 181
4.6 Summary 189
References 190
5 Conclusion 193
5.1 Televised Advertisements in Russian and Japanese
Societies 195
5.2 Japanese and Russian Women’s Discourses on Ideal
Femininity 199
5.3 Japanese and Russian Women’s Actual Linguistic
Practices 204
5.4 Gender as a Social Construct in Japanese and Russian
Societies 207
5.5 Gaps and Absences 209
5.6 Contributions 211
References 213
Index 217
List of Figures
Fig. 2.1 Proportion of words uttered by female and male speakers in
Russian televised commercials 55
Fig. 2.2 Proportion of words uttered by female and male speakers in
Japanese televised commercials 56
Fig. 3.1 Portrayal of a helpless woman. Left to right: Angelina, Natasha 99
Fig. 3.2 Portrayal of a superior man. Left to right: Angelina, Natasha 100
Fig. 3.3 Female maneuvering. Left to right: Alla, Dina 103
Fig. 3.4 Feminine way of storytelling: left to right: Rosa, Alexandra 108
Fig. 3.5 Male reaction to Rosa’s milking a cow. Left to right: Rosa,
Alexandra 109
Fig. 3.6 Impulsive nature of women. Left to right: Elina, Mila 115
Fig. 3.7 Natural carrier of femininity. Left to right: Olga, Aria 117
Fig. 3.8 Men’s and women’s places. Left to right: Olga, Aria 118
Fig. 3.9 A beautiful young woman in an act of swearing. Left to
right: Maria, Ekaterina 120
Fig. 3.10 True kawaii comes from heart. Left to right: Ayaka and Sari 127
Fig. 3.11 Expression of kawaii. Left to right: Eri, Shoko 136
Fig. 3.12 A new employee’s obsequious cuteness. Left to right: Saya,
Mana 137
Fig. 3.13 Honoring a man. Left to right: Mina, Mari 142
Fig. 3.14 Feeling discomfort at the sight of a man carrying a baby. Left
to right: Yume, Sako 144
Fig. 3.15 Adjusting female autonomy. Left to right: Eri, Shoko 149
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