I read the article, "Being a Girl Boss? Over it," published on Blossom the Media, and I thought about what it is to live as a woman.
What is considered an appropriate way to live as a woman——
“Have a job so that you can survive even if you end up alone.”
An earnest word from my mother who became a single mother from a housewife.
I’m going to try to stay as young as possible so I don't get dumped, and have a job just in case I get dumped.
That was the mindset I had until a few years ago, which could be perceived as "100% passive."
This is because I believed that it was necessary to be both an ideal mother and a working woman to live as a woman in this day and age.
I often feel that the evaluation criteria for romantic relationships still require things like femininity, cooking skills, and tolerance.
But at the same time, society is changing, and now it's becoming normal for women to work. And if you want children, you have to have the ability to work due to concerns about educational experiences, etc.
Not adapting to society sometimes makes me feel pain. So I often think about having to keep pace with society to some extent.
When it comes to gender, new ideas such as gender neutrality and gender equality are being introduced while traditional ideas still exist in families, schools, and society.
Do we need to go with both traditions and new ones? That's quite difficult, though.
When a revolution occurs, old ideas are discarded and new ideas are accepted.
But when it comes to people's values, this speed is very slow.
There are no right or wrong values. If so, it can be possible for old and new values to coexist.
However, in reality, they do not coexist. Is this not why people with old ways of thinking, people who live based on new ways of thinking, and people who believe in both values find it difficult to live?
Where should I stand in this drastically changing society?
The recently released movie, "Barbie," gives me a hint to answer that question.
"I'm Kenough"
It means that Ken, a character in the movie, is Ken, so being Ken is enough. In other words, "I just need to be myself."
I realized it is hard to find my value if I remain passive, thinking that I have to live this way because I am a woman, that I have to behave this way because I am Japanese, or that I should aim for something because the people around me expect it.
It is impossible to fit perfectly into someone else's ideal or societal standard. I would not be satisfied with myself forever if I had tried to conform to it.
Therefore, I take the initiative in my life to know who I am and find out what my values are.
It does not mean that Japan has to be individualistic. This country culturally values collectivism.
There is no need to abandon tradition and culture. However, by creating an environment where it is easy for individuals to live within a group, can everyone not show their abilities and add new value to existing society?
A society where it is easy to make choices—
A society where every choice is respected—
A society where it is comfortable to live no matter the choices we make—
It is the society we can create.
Written by Luna
Translated by Naomi Koizumi
Edited by Emiru Okada
Graphics by Claudia MacPhail