Young women’s summer fashions show too much, poll reveals

The government’s “Cool Biz” campaign, aimed at fostering energy conservation by encouraging people to dispense with neckties and superfluous garments during the steamy summer months, may or may not be related to current fashions among young women. But keeping cool aside, girls’ wearing of skimpy duds in public places—or on the job—is viewed with disdain by many adults.

Each week at a section on its website called “aspara club,” the Asahi Shimbun polls some 8,000 registered “be monitors.” The results then appear each Saturday in the print edition’s supplement, in a department called “be between.”

The question for the July 26 edition was, “Do you feel women’s summer garb is too extreme?” Of the 4,361 valid responses, 80% replied in the affirmative. Of these, nearly equal numbers objected to flashing of too much skin (2,189 responses) and allowing undergarments or navel to be exposed (2,011 responses).

Asked which garments were unsuitable to be worn at the workplace, 3,320 respondents named camisoles—which originally functioned as an undergarment.

“Seeing women nonchalantly wearing something that looks like underwear is really unpleasant,” a 67-year-old Tokyoite tells Asahi.

The second most unpopular item to wear to work, with 2,257 responses, was low-rise pants. Numerous comments were also made about footwear, specifically sandals and cheap synthetic leisure shoes like Crocs were singled out for criticism.

“At a restaurant, one girl seated on a tatami had exposed a full view of her butt. I had to ask a waiter to tell her off,” one Aichi Prefecture resident tells Asahi, while a 30-year-old Tokyo man complains, “The revealing clothing makes it harder for me to concentrate on my job.”

Interestingly, while a few monitors lamented what has become of Japanese female modesty and reserve, none of the comments considered how “immodest” appearance might be tied to the sex crimes, such as the side-effects of tactile titillation on male rail passengers, caused by close proximity to skimpily clad young women. The survey essentially came across as a simple critique of current fashions and wearers’ tastes—or the lack thereof.

The Asahi survey also noted that 40% of respondents felt male summer garb was also too extreme—although for the opposite reason.

“Just looking at men in suits and neckties makes me feel hot,” a 28-year-old Kanagawa woman complains. “Because of them, we have to lower the thermostat, and women feel colder.”

Latest 15 of 52 Total Comments Show All

ExPrinceska at 07:03 PM JST - 31st July

Thank you, KissMint, for the advice. The bras with nice flower applications should be watched directly, not when they have clothes over. MMen do not like to watch plain bras I think. They prefer flowers and figures applications, I think.

Cleo, have you worn a bra with detachable straps? The moment you take out the straps, your bra starts moving down and down (yes, the gravitation!!) causing great discomfort and finally you are as if you have no bra at all.

Freespeech, thanks, but before using the word "decolletage" I looked into the Oxford dictionary of English language and took it from there without thinking it is an awkward usage. I will use "decollete" in future.
cleo at 07:46 PM JST - 31st July

ExPrinceska - They do say that if your bra doesn't slip down when you take the straps off, you don't need a bra in the first place. :-)

That's where the pretty (chain, jewelled, beaded etc) straps come in; they take the place of the regular straps so that things don't move down south, and it's OK for them to be seen.

Have either of you ever used the stick-on bras? Anyone know if they're any good/do the job? What do they do to sensitive skin? I'd like to try one, but sticking plasters bring me out in a rash - I'd hate to have a bandaid rash there!
ExPrinceska at 07:55 PM JST - 31st July

Thank you Cleo for nice advice, very helpful :)
pathat at 10:25 PM JST - 31st July

I am eternally grateful that so many Japanese women reveal much of their true selves in the summertime. The peaks and valleys make the long train rides much more bearable.
Sarge at 10:30 PM JST - 31st July

Actually, I have a complaint about this summer's fashion - I have seen far too few bare midriffs this summer!
What is up with that?
pathat at 11:02 PM JST - 31st July

Sarge: They should call it "Bare Biz" for women.

Keep it up, Japanese women, with the summer exposure. Perhaps a good part of global warming would be to get the women to start the downward migration earlier each year in the spring, and have the U-turn unrushed each fall. Thanks, Japanese women!
blvtzpk at 07:41 AM JST - 1st August

Japanese women basically and generally dress like Trollops and Hussies when the temperatures heat up.

"Trollops and Hussies" just opened a branch in Sendai the other day. They're doing a good business from what I hear. And see.

If I ever have the joy of having a daughter, she will never leave the house looking like 75% of Japanese women when summertime comes around....

Those hardcore Islamic states have the right idea with the burqa, don't they? No hussies or trollops there!!!
KissMint at 08:39 AM JST - 1st August

Cleo, never tried a stick on bra... If it's not too expensive, it might be worth a go at least once. But in the heat... I don't know. I sweat so much that it would probably come unstuck.

You can also get clear straps. Check if your bra has removable straps, and then put the clear ones in their place. I've seen them at the 100 yen shop, never tried them myself. Might find better quality ones somewhere else.

Freespeach -- thanks for that thorough explanation. I think I'll stick with "cleavage" (with or without the stick-on bra!). I try not to incorporate too many foreign words into my regular day-to-day English, for risk of sounding like a pretentious snot!

blvtzpk... "Trollops and Hussies" just opened a branch in Sendai. LOL!!!
ExPrinceska at 09:25 AM JST - 1st August

clear straps irritate the skin...or my skin is tooo sensitive.
cleo at 09:36 AM JST - 1st August

Clear straps are OK under a see-through garment, though as ExPrinceska notes, they can irritate, especially if it's hot and sweaty.

If shoulders are bare, having straps that are meant to be seen looks nicer, I think.
BillOreilly at 09:41 AM JST - 1st August

Hey ladies, cool it with the talk about your underware. Guys here are gonna get hot under the collar, if it ain`t hot enough outside anyway.

Anyway i think women, especially those teens still living at home, should dress in a sensible manner, which doesn`t look outlandish.

Hey, moms and dads i`m talking to you now, you must make you daughters dress decently, and grow up knowing the meaning of decent dress sense.

That`s all from me for now. Telling it to you straight.
delitachan at 08:47 PM JST - 1st August

I've hardly seen this type of extreme dress up in all the times I"ve been to japan. The women are dressed conservatively but still manage to look great. Here in this place we've got middle aged women wearing juniors' clothing, thier bellys protruding out. I think I've only seen one Jgirl wearing a skirt so tiny her butt cheeks were wobbling as she walked. It was really gross. People actually wear crocs to work in Japan? Good god, I thought there were really strict about dress code. Some of these men in business suits can't help the way they're dressed. They're usually out and about on lunch break or on their way to a meeting. Of course they're boiling in the suit, but it can't be helped.
AlfGarnett at 05:19 PM JST - 2nd August

At my age (88), i would need a good pair of specs to appeciate a young womans clothing. Blimey, they can never show too much can they.

I missed out on the permissive society, bad luck fom me, oh well.
telecasterplayer at 11:56 AM JST - 8th August

“Do you feel women’s summer garb is too extreme?”

Maybe some interpreted that as "too extreme" as in "coevers too much in this mushi-atsui tenki"
Himajin at 11:07 PM JST - 10th August

Is this just Kanto? Everyone in Kobe seems to be wearing mumus with 'spats'(leggings) underneath.