Taisho Era Jogakusei (1912 – 1926) (30 lugl 1912 anni – 25 dic 1925 anni)

Descrizione:

Description:
Taisho jogakusei were young women, now commonly seen in sailor-style uniforms (seifuku), who formed peer groups, embraced new leisure activities, and became icons of modern femininity and progress. Their image was widely circulated in magazines and postcards, symbolizing both the promise and anxieties of a rapidly modernizing society.

Cultural / Historical Context:
The Taisho era continued the expansion of girls’ education, but also saw the rise of mass media, urban culture, and more visible public roles for young women. The sailor uniform, introduced at Fukuoka Jo Gakuin in 1920, became a national symbol of the modern schoolgirl. Schoolgirls became highly visible in city life and popular culture, reflecting and shaping new ideals of youth and femininity.

Events/Names:
April 1921: Heian Jogakuin in Kyoto adopts the sailor uniform.

1920s: Schoolgirls featured in magazines like Shōjo no Tomo and on postcards as icons of modernity.

Connection to Youth Rebellion/Punk Sentiments:
Taisho jogakusei took the rebellious spirit of their Meiji predecessors further by asserting autonomy not only in education but also in fashion, leisure, and social life. Their peer groups, use of new slang, and public presence represented a soft but persistent rebellion against expectations of docility and domesticity. They used collective identity, media visibility, and style to push boundaries, sometimes provoking public anxiety about the “modern girl.” Like later youth subcultures, their rebellion was as much about lifestyle and visibility as about ideology, and it inspired both admiration and moral panic.

Why This Subculture Matters:
Taisho jogakusei were pioneers of female youth culture, demonstrating how young women could be agents of change and symbols of societal transformation. Their visibility and distinctiveness shaped the evolution of gender norms, youth identity, and popular culture in Japan, influencing everything from fashion to literature to media portrayals of women.
Equivalent Western Example:
Comparable to British suffragettes or American “Gibson Girls,” but with a greater emphasis on collective youth culture, peer groups, and the use of mass media to create and disseminate new images of femininity and youth.

Evolution and Difference: Meiji to Taisho Jogakusei, From Trailblazers to Trendsetters: How Jogakusei Changed
Public Presence:
Meiji jogakusei were pioneers, often isolated and scrutinized as they entered new educational spaces. Taisho jogakusei, by contrast, became a mass phenomenon—ubiquitous in urban life, media, and popular culture.

Fashion and Identity:
While Meiji schoolgirls wore Western-style dress as a symbol of progress, Taisho jogakusei made the sailor uniform a national icon and a marker of collective identity, turning school fashion into a youth trend.

Peer Culture and Leisure:
Meiji jogakusei focused on academic achievement and respectability. Taisho jogakusei formed strong peer groups, embraced leisure activities (cafés, cinema, magazines), and developed their own slang, foreshadowing later youth subcultures.

Rebellion and Social Impact:
Meiji jogakusei’s rebellion was primarily about access to education and public life, challenging family and societal expectations. Taisho jogakusei expanded this rebellion to lifestyle, language, and consumer culture, influencing not just women’s roles but the very concept of youth in modern Japan.

Media and Mass Culture:
The rise of mass media in the Taisho era amplified the jogakusei’s influence, turning them into icons and trendsetters for the entire nation—something not possible in the Meiji period.

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