Yuri Ebihara

Changing trends leaving Ebi-chan behind

For many years, Yuri Ebihara, 29, known as “Ebi-chan,” has been the most popular model in Japan. Though she is still in demand for TV commercials and billboard ads, Ebi-chan’s style is no longer keeping up with the changing fashion trends among young women, according to weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun (Dec 18).

“In July, fashion magazine Vivi became the best-selling magazine, outselling CanCam. CanCam has been losing its momentum in the fashion magazine industry. Its coverage is now conservative and it features too many articles with commercial tie-ups,” a fashion industry insider tells Shukan Bunshun.

Exclusively featuring Ebihara, CanCam has been the top fashion magazine for the past few year. In 2006, 620,000 copies of the magazine were sold, but this year, the figure will most likely be under 400,000. ViVi is now more widely read by young girls, increasing its sales to 340,000 copies in 2008.

Fashion insiders point out that fashion trends are changing and long-time models lose their appeal over time. Kazuyuki Yamamuro, editor of WWD Japan, says, “Recently, young girls do not want that cute style that CanCam represents. Rather, their interest is shifting to the casual style of celebrities you see in Los Angeles, for example. The ‘Ebi-chan boom’ was a social phenomenon that has stuck to CanCam past its use-by date.”

Perhaps, Ebihara and her handlers are aware of this, says Shukan Bunshun. She recently “graduated” from CanCam and now appears in AneCam magazine which targets older women readers.

Meanwhile, ViVi currently features models such as Marie, Rina Fujii and Jun Hasegawa who are more racially mixed. They all appeared in the wildly popular Tokyo Girls Collection. A stylist says, “Those models sometimes appear in TV programs, too. While they are good models, their biggest appeal is in their friendly personalities which makes young girls feel familiar with them.”

So what will be the next style, Shukan Bunshun wonders? Fashion insiders think the ideal for young girls will be the “bitchy” type, not the cutesy woman that guys expect.

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Latest 15 of 27 Total Comments Show All

usaexpat at 12:45 AM JST - 19th December

"young girls will be the "bitchy" type, not the cutesy woman that guys expect" Wow that's a great ideal, everyone loves bitchy girls. At least they are good for "bitch" slapping.
hoserfella at 09:16 AM JST - 19th December

Nessie-Good one! "What`s wrong with being sexy?"
Nessie at 02:13 PM JST - 19th December

Thanks, Hoserfella. Nothin' wrong at all. ;)
seesaw at 11:59 PM JST - 19th December

She recently “graduated” from CanCam and now appears in AneCam magazine which targets older women readers.

what? at 29..she is already an oba-san?...boo hoo hoo..
kaminarihito at 12:30 AM JST - 20th December

"Changing trends" = getting old
Weasel at 09:36 AM JST - 20th December

Fashion insiders think the ideal for young girls will be the “bitchy” type, not the cutesy woman that guys expect.

Great. Bad enough that there's those stupid "Bratz" dolls targeting the teenyboppers, now the industry wants to reinforce the "bitchy" attitudes in their magazines too, 'cause they think that's a desirable trait. Someone needs to airdrop ten tones of manure on top of these fashion insiders.
onewrldoneppl at 06:32 PM JST - 20th December

ebi-hara's handlers don't let her do variety programs while, yu yamada and moe oshikiri do a bit more TV. but to blame ebihara for CanCam's saggin' sales is beyond ignorance. the fact of the matter is magazines like "NUTS" and "JELLY" are takin' huge chunks out of teen and 'around 20' fan base. women in their 30s and 40s are more interested in "around 40" magazines/models. they identify more with Harumi Edo or Miyuki Amami.
Triumvere at 08:22 PM JST - 20th December

If ya'll are finished with Ebi-chan, I'll take her. No charge.
Sarge at 08:29 PM JST - 20th December

Yuri Ebihara is one of those women who will still be stunning into her fifties and perhaps beyond...
Wottock_Hunt at 09:59 PM JST - 20th December

I'd never leave Ebi-chan's behind. Front's not bad, either.
WilliB at 10:16 PM JST - 20th December

Ebi-chan is good enough for me, no matter what the young girls think.
Apsara at 10:43 PM JST - 20th December

No way, I am in my early 30s and can't imagine ever "identifying" with Edo Harumi or seeing her as a role model. Try Fujiwara Norika or Koyuki.
katiemian at 12:30 AM JST - 21st December

She's not good in drama either.How dare she's promoting a bitchy styling targeting young &adult woman.Are you sure she's not using aesthetic beauties just to make her beauty perfect?
telecasterplayer at 12:08 PM JST - 21st December

Changing trends leaving Ebi-chan behind

Well.. if Japan is done with her, I suppose I can think of a few things she can do.
LFRAgain at 07:35 AM JST - 22nd December

Bad enough that there's those stupid "Bratz" dolls targeting the teenyboppers...

Take heart, weasel. Mattel sued the crap out of the makers of Bratz for copyright infringement and won. "Bratz" are finally going the way of the dinosaur.

It's sad, but I find that more often than not, when Japanese society gets a hankering for emulating something from the West, they always manage to latch on the least-attractive representatives, like "gangsta rap" or peppering their language with words like "shit" on popular variety shows, or, in this case, being "bitchy" because that's what's in vogue with the spoiled brats that domonate the current entertainment scene in the West.

Quite franky, "bitchy" isn't a cool or desireable trait by even a stretch and whatever else Ebihara may be, she wasn't snorting coke and flashing paparazzi with naked crotch shots during her reign as teenie-bopper fashion queen, so kudos to her for staying away from that crap.