The Babiniku Phenomenon in Japan: when Men Metamorphose into Bishōjo Characters | Desired Identities скачать в хорошем качестве

The Babiniku Phenomenon in Japan: when Men Metamorphose into Bishōjo Characters | Desired Identities

Desired Identities New Technology-based Metamorphosis in Japan Digital International Conference organized as a Live Streaming Event, on the YouTube channel of musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, by the ERC-Funded Research Project “Emotional Machines: The Technological Transformation of Intimacy in Japan” (EMTECH) in cooperation with the Department of Research and Higher Education of the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac SUNDAY: 12:00–17:20 CEST | June 28, 2020 14:45–15:15 | HOLOGRAPHIC, VTubers, graduates from Tōkyō University & Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences (IAMAS), Japan The Babiniku Phenomenon in Japan: when Men Metamorphose into Bishōjo Characters In Japan, avatars are defined as “another side of a person or the other identity of the person”. People who wear avatars are freed from stereotypes caused by their real body identity. This phenomenon emerged from the anonymous online culture. Often people choose and wear an avatar body according to their preferences: we can find many bishōjo (cute/beautiful young girl that is very similar to manga or anime characters) avatars, animal avatars, machine avatars or so on. When a male wears a female avatar, it is called babiniku. People who use babiniku appear to long for freedom from the societal pressures put upon their real identities. Such can be achieved by wearing and becoming a character that has the opposite role compared to themselves. In Japanese culture, a male is expected to be patient and strong, but when inhabiting a babiniku avatar they feel freed from societal expectations. Being regarded as kawaii gives people pleasure, some permission and motivation to live, while some of them suffer from a dependence on others’ compliments. During our research we have also discovered that some women enjoy avatars as they allow them to talk differently than in real life. By wearing an avatar they avoid being discriminated against based on their appearance, which seems to be the case for women in Japanese culture. We propose several important keywords to understanding avatar phenomena: gender, a desire for recognition from others, and self- esteem.