'Herbivorous' men changing Japan's consumer society

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NuckinFutz at 06:50 PM JST - 9th July

Girlie Men!

This just means more women for the REAL MEN out there to enjoy!
ritalynn at 01:18 AM JST - 10th July

I have no problem with men taking care of themselves, but if they gonna act like little kids, then i'll have to pass.

And no, I have no problem with makeup.
Philmoscowitz at 01:34 AM JST - 10th July

this is absolutely retarded. another social identity invented by somebody in advertising or marketing that has only a tenuous connection to reality. file this in the same trash bin as Generation X and Metrosexual.
MeanRingo at 04:33 AM JST - 10th July

Not fair, Gen X was a term used by a critically acclaimed writer. Not a marketing ploy used to sell bottled water.
Gaijinocchio at 06:38 AM JST - 10th July

Just a second. What is a crab person, and what version of English is that?

A crab person is a character from South Park. If I'm not mistaken, they disguised themselves as those people from the program "Gay eye for the straight guy" or something and offered to make every man Metro (herbivorous), i.e. stylish but overly feminine and weak, so that crab people could easily take over the world. They had a theme song that consisted of slowly saying "crab people" over and over.

They taste like crab, talk like people, craaab people!

Anyways, herbivorous men can do whatever they want, more women for the rest of us, am I right?
Disillusioned at 07:50 AM JST - 10th July

Japan’s most newly powerful consumer is likely to be in his 20s to 30s, favors cosmetics and sundries over deluxe cars and enjoys eating sweets with his parents at home rather than treating girlfriends to fancy restaurants. These men are called ‘‘soshokukei danshi,’’ or ‘‘herbivorous men.’’

Just another step closer to a Japanese unisex society. Some of the twenty something guys I see around the place have more cosmetics, spend more time doing their hair, shave more parts of their bodies and sit with their legs crossed higher than their female companions. Herbivorous men?? How about men suffering from an identity crisis?
abromofo at 12:59 PM JST - 10th July

I briefly looked at magazine covers yesterday in a bookshop. The young mens magazines were covered with pictures of groups of effeminate man-child pansies with big hair and pathetic puppy-dog facial expressions. The Japanese women I've asked do NOT seem to be attracted to these guys in the least.

Excellent... (evil grin)
goodDonkey at 01:06 PM JST - 10th July

yokomoc said:

Crab people! Crab people! Crab people!

Hilarious! Or should I say Fabulous. The two best parts for me were the two groups of boys arguing over who was gayer and Mr. Garrison getting all pissed off in the bar after hitting on several guys, "What the hell is going on here?"

http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/154094

http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/104250

http://www.southparkstudios.com/guide/708

I am very comfortable with my masculinity. I do not need to insult metrosexuals or others to "boost" my own masculinity. IMHO people should be whoever they are; enjoy life. Who do I care if a man is masculine or effeminate or anything in between? Why in the world should that have any effect on me? So I hope the 'Herbivorous' men enjoy life. That's all.
abromofo at 01:09 PM JST - 10th July

Having said that... I'd prefer to be surrounded by these herbivorous types on the train . Their breath might not be as disgusting as the average Japanese guy's. I know it's mentioned on these boards almost every day. The root cause is extremely poor dental hygiene. That smell is largely diseased gums and decaying teeth. Along with all the other foul things they shove down their throats.
jackfish at 02:29 PM JST - 10th July

I don't see the problem. Sounds like a healthy trend for men in a country which is heavily tilted in the opposite direction. Maybe they'll balance out somewhere in the middle.
30061015 at 12:52 AM JST - 11th July

Herbivorous men overly sensitive to criticism and tend to await instructions. Ok, here are the instructions: .......oh, nothing. Don't want to offend the poor cake eating mama boys. Carry on.
mousepotato464 at 07:34 PM JST - 12th July

Men are changing. I noticed that fewer young men drink and smoke. I think they are also much quieter than the older men. On the other hand, I think that it is the young women that have changed more. They drink, smoke and are noisier than their elders.
I am not sure if this change is good or bad but things are changing.
rofea at 01:19 PM JST - 13th July

I much prefer this type of identity to the jock or macho types or even the groping old school salary man types. It's about time masculine identity became more interesting!
realist at 02:04 PM JST - 13th July

Herbivorous men . . . .doesnt that sound a bit gay?
bdiego at 09:02 AM JST - 15th July

Please Japan, look up herbivore in the dictionary.