Forum:
Sukeban and Political Relevance
With the arrival of World War II, Japanese women first began to
challenge the traditional gender roles, as a slow trickle of women
made their way into the male-dominated industrial workforce. Still,
despite this progress, the reality of equality remained grim for a
lengthy period — Japanese culture remained disapproving of working
women, wages for women were far less than their male counterparts, and
women continued to lack basic rights, including the right to vote.
Ironically, while they were oppressed in their daily lives, Japan’s
wartime propaganda machine used women as glowing symbols of national
pride, hope, and beauty. Propaganda made it clear: the ideal Japanese woman was still a stark supporter of the state and of her husband.
The sukeban weren't just a group of girls with an interest in looking a
bit edgy, they served as a worthy rival to their cis-male equivalents. In
every fashion movement, aesthetic is inherently linked with function.
The layering of the school uniform provided perfect opportunity to
conceal weapons; knives, razors, and chains. Sukeban groups participated
in their fair share of petty crime in their local community. The
largest sukeban group had over 20,000 girls (larger than some Yakuza
groups at the time), so these customised uniforms meant business.
Despite the petty crime, the sukeban believed that women should be brought to the forefront of society and respected. The sexual revolution of the 1960s, whilst yes, was a revolution of women now being more in control of their sexuality, it also increased the idea of a woman's existence solely being for cis-male pleasure. The altered and increased length of the sukeban's skirts could be seen as a protest to the sexual revolution (and the sexualisation of the Japanese schoolgirl uniform), they didn’t want to be seen as something to be desired by men.
Sukeban reportedly first appeared in Japan during the 1960s, presenting themselves as the female equivalent to the banchō gangs, which were composed mostly of cis-men. During the 1970s, as banchō gangs began to die out, sukeban girl gangs began to rise in number.
Or, perhaps, it was it the rise of Girl Gangs that shut the boy gangs down?
Report Topic
