Herbivore men

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Herbivore men or grass-eater men (草食(系)男子, Sōshoku(-kei) danshi) is a term used in

desires of flesh
."

The term was quickly sensationalized by the media, gaining a

feminine men
who cared too much about their appearance rather than marriage or finding a stable job, which were seen as traditionally masculine roles. The definition of herbivore men is still debated because of this, making it difficult to estimate how many men in Japan identify as herbivore men, particularly considering the social stigma associated with the term.

A similar term is carnivorous women (肉食系の女性, Nikushoku-kei no josei), denoting more sexually proactive and assertive women who are often considered maneaters with baby fever.[3][4][5]

Definition and prevalence

Although the term "herbivore man" does not have a universally accepted definition, there are a few defining characteristics for herbivore men that seem widely agreed upon. This is largely because the traits associated with herbivore men are defined by popular culture and media rather than through academic fields, as demonstrated in the contrast between the perspective on masculinity that Maki Fukusawa intended to convey in coining the term compared to its current connotation.

Since the boundaries for what defines herbivore men are unclear, popularly cited surveys such as the one conducted by LifeNet concluded that in a sample group of 1000 unmarried men and women in their 20s and 30s, 378 men reported that they considered themselves "herbivorous."[6] However, the survey asked participants to choose between whether they considered themselves carnivorous or herbivorous, with 45.9% of respondents clarifying that while they would not explicitly define themselves as herbivorous, they preferred it in comparison to carnivorous. Additionally, LifeNet's definition for "herbivorous" was based on two defining aspects: a general passivity about love and a preference to keep to themselves even if they have something to say.

Social stigma

Indifference to marriage and committed relationships has been an observable trend in many socially and economically advanced societies.

freeters as ambitionless, irresponsible and un-masculine match many of the characteristics associated with herbivore men, with both groups often acting as scapegoats for Japan's economic decline.[8]

post-war peace. Since the end of World War II, Japan has not directly participated in any war or conflict, either within its own borders or outside of them. Prior to this time of peace, many Japanese felt that becoming a soldier was the only approach to becoming manly. This social norm has slowly disappeared during the following period of post-war peace. Due to this, Japanese men are less aggressive and this could bleed over into their romantic lives.[15]

Potential effects

Japan recorded a sub-replacement fertility rate of only 1.42 total fertility in 2014, down from a high of 1.84 in the mid 1980s.[16] Many blame this drastic fall on the rise of herbivore men in Japan. The decline in birth rate has been attributed to the herbivore men's reluctance to marry.[14]

Japan's population has been under a decline since 2011.[17] In 2014, Japan's population was estimated at 127 million; this figure is expected to shrink to 107 million (16%) by 2040 and to 97 million (24%) by 2050 should the current demographic trend continue.[18]

In media

With the perceived rise of herbivore men in Japanese society, herbivore men have also become more prominent in Japanese culture and media. From 2008 to 2009, the term herbivore men became a widely used and trendy term in Japan. It even was voted into the top ten of Buzzwords of the Year in December 2009 by U-CAN.[15] Sōshoku-kei danshi (Herbivore Men) was a movie released in 2010 in which one of the main characters displays herbivore tendencies. Throughout the movie, he struggles to understand sexual situations, such as a woman inviting him to sleep with her.[15] In the same year, singer-songwriter Gackt held a male-only rock concert in an attempt to bolster "men's spirit ... and sexuality" against the herbivore men masculinity in Japan's society.[19]

The Single Lady (お一人様, Ohitorisama) was a TV drama broadcast in 2009, focusing on the relationship between an herbivore man and his coworker who end up sharing an apartment. Shinichi, the herbivore man, is portrayed as the exact opposite of a traditional "masculine" man, lacking ambition at work, relationship experience and intention of pursuing a relationship that is associated with masculinity. The drama was relatively popular and had an audience rating of 9.45%.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ Morioka, Masahiro (2013). A Phenomenological Study of "Herbivore Men". pp. 1–20.
  2. ^ Morioka, Masahiro (2008). 草食系男子の恋愛学, Sōshokukei danshi no ren'aigaku.
  3. ^ 二宮ゆみ (30 November 2021). "積極的すぎて怖い？ 「肉食系女子」の特徴10選". 「マイナビウーマン」 (in Japanese). Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  4. ^ "Carnivore Women and Herbivore Men in Mythology : Opinion : Chuo Online : YOMIURI ONLINE". yab.yomiuri.co.jp. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  5. ^ "肉食系女子の特徴17選｜肉食系女子が男性から注目される理由とは？ | 恋学[Koi-Gaku]". 恋を学んで強くなる｜恋学[Koi-Gaku] (in Japanese). 26 February 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  6. ^ "結婚したい相手、男性は『草食女子』、女性は『肉食男子』「私、結婚できないかもしれない」9 割、憧れるのは「一途婚」" (PDF). Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  7. ^ Kislev, Elyakim (2019). Happy Singlehood: The Rising Acceptance and Celebration of Solo Living. University of California Press.
  8. ^
    doi:10.1093/ssjj/jys022
    .
  9. ^ "Japan: Youth unemployment".
  10. ^ "They need another hero". The Economist. 29 October 2009. Archived from the original on 4 February 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  11. ^ "Young Japanese 'decline to fall in love'". BBC News. 11 January 2012. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  12. ^ "The last person out of the closet? The bisexual male". CNN. 28 June 2010. Archived from the original on 20 June 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  13. ^ Harney, Alexandra (15 June 2009). "Japan panics about the rise of "herbivores"—young men who shun sex, don't spend money, and like taking walks. - Slate Magazine". Slate.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  14. ^ a b Tomikawa, Yuri (13 January 2011). "No Sex, Please, We're Young Japanese Men". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  15. ^ a b c Morioka, Masahiro (2013). "A Phenomenological Study of 'Herbivore Men'" (PDF). The Review of Life Studies. 4. Life Studies Press: 1–20. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 October 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  16. ^ "Fertility rate, total (births per woman) | Data". data.worldbank.org. Archived from the original on 7 September 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  17. ^ Armstrong, Shiro (16 May 2016). "Japan's Greatest Challenge (And It's Not China): Massive Population Decline". The National Interest. Archived from the original on 21 March 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  18. ^ Johnston, Eric (16 May 2015). "Is Japan becoming extinct?". The Japan Times Online. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  19. ISBN 9781138110441
    .
  20. ^ "Audience Rating TV > 視聴率 > 2009年10～12月". artv.info. Retrieved 4 December 2020.

Further reading

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