Blogpost 2: Origin of Herbivore

I.     Birth of the Herbivores

Everyone has a story to tell.  If there is one thing as old as time it must be history.  History provides us with details of the past.  In a way it serves as a guide for us to understand things as to how and why they came to be.  History explains and makes sense of what happened before and prepares us to face the present with a clearer perspective. 

My first blogpost talked about Japan’s Herbivore Men.  In retrospect we now know who these herbivores are and how they differ from conventional males.  But now, allow me to take you back in time to know when and how it all begun.

As I have mentioned in my first blogpost the term herbivore men or “sôshokukei danshi” was first coined by columnist Maki Fukasawa in October 2006.  Etymologically, soushokukei danshi is Japanese phrase that literally means grass eatingmen.  

t is pointed out to a group of young men who seemed to be different than common typical of men in Japanese society.  Ms. Fukasawa first used the term herbivore men in her essays posted on Nikkei Business online.  Now in one article written by Mr. Gordon Clay entitled, "Herbivore Men", he said that Ms. Fukasawa used the phrase to describe young men who, although having a general interest in heterosexual love and sex, do not show positive attitudes toward them.  At that time, however, the term did not receive special attention.  

But literatures and studies would show that it wasn’t until circa 2008-2009 that the term herbivore men became popular in Japan, especially among scholars.  I encountered a research by Prof. Masahiro Morioka entitled,"A Phenomenological Study of Herbivore Men".  Prof. Morioka mentioned that, From 2008 to 2009, herbivore men  became a trendy, widely used term in Japanese. It flourished in all sorts of media, including TV the Internet, newspapers and magazines, and could even occasionally be heard in everyday conversation.  He further discussed that, By year 2010 it had become a standard noun among Japanese.  The appearance of this term has radically changed the way people look at young men. It can perhaps even be described as an epochal event in the history of the male gender in Japan.

    Now taking these facts into account, the emergence of herbivore men is truly revolutionary and phenomenal milestone for the Japanese.  I think that their emergence suddenly gave variety to the strict Japanese culture of gender branding men and women as carnivores and herbivores,    respectively.  These herbivore men redefined masculinity by giving it new flavor and spicing up  the concept in appropriation to the needs of the ever-evolving world.

 

II.   Talk of the Town

In this section, allow me to take my discussion to the time when herbivore men were first noticed, described, and studied in Japan. 

I have come across Ms. Aulia Dwi Nastiti’s paper entitled, "Redefiningthe Concept of Counter Culture: Study Case of Sôshokukei Danshi".  At the onset of the emergence of herbivore men Ms. Nastiti explained that, Popular discourses identify soushokukei danshi as young men approximately on their 20s or 30s, mostly heterosexual, but having lack of interest in heteronormative activities such as dating, sex, and marriage.  They are also much less competitive, in a sense that, unlike the older generation who climbs the hierarchical career in a big company, herbivore men prefer to live for their passion and have part-time job as source of income.  They have correspondently different life-style that commonly attributed to feminine trait. For instance, fashion-conscious, take care of their physical appearance, love shopping for sweet stuffs, enjoy cooking and handicrafts, and refrain from smoking or drinking.

These were the first observations made about herbivore men.  Through time, we can still see that these remarks became the point of discussion in Japan, which later became basis for the scrutiny they received from all sorts of social groups. 

Due to these circumstances Prof. Morioka even gave tips to Japanese women in case they want to be involved with herbivore men, during that time.  Still according to his research, "A Phenomenological Study of Herbivore Men," Prof. Morioka added that There are three requirements for becoming involved with herbivore men: Herbivore men lack assertiveness, so the woman must take the lead in romance Excessive scheming and romantic techniques are off limits, and should be replaced with more easily understood displays of affection; and  herbivore men like women of substance, so women must elevate their human qualities

These advices became major considerations for Japanese women in dealing with herbivore men.  But looking at these tips, I can’t help but notice that they are all directed to one thing: empowering women to take lead in relationships.  I think that Prof. Morioka gave these requirements to serve as general guidelines for women.  I also believe that it is only fitting for women to adjust to this new breed of men.  After all, if men evolve and change, can’t women do the same too?   

III. Perspective

For me history is more than mere stories of the past.  They ring with the truth. It tells us tales which may bear lessons intended for us to listen and understand.  History is a reminder that things came to be for a reason.  Just like in the case of herbivore men they also have a history to tell.  And a very interesting one for that matter.