Beauty Over Brains: Skin-Deep University Competitions in Japan

Pageants reflect a culture that often judges women on their appearance and places them in rigid, gender-defined roles.

Yuki Iozumi was worried about how her shoulders would look in a wedding dress.

"I feel like looking too muscular," said the little-framed Ms Iozumi, 20, recounting how her friends told her that practicing karate had changed her body. "I think it's not that feminine."

Traditional femininity was her goal. Although Ms. Iozumi, a second-year community studies student, was not getting married, she was entering a beauty pageant at Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo – part of a wildly popular and unapologetic college phenomenon. contests known as "Miss Con".

The contests, called Miss Contest in full, are held at many campuses across Japan, including recognized universities such as Tokyo University and Keio University which are considered training grounds for elite political and business leaders.

While competitive beauty persist in the West, what is different in Japan is that they are sponsored by groups of students in institutions that proclaim august principles of intellectual achievement and preparation for professional life. Pageants also perpetuate a culture that often places women in rigid gender roles.

Finalist imageAn Aoyama gesturing to the audience. Women who embody the standard of idealized female beauty are more likely to find jobs in modeling or television. aria-label="media" role="group">ImageFans holding handmade signs in support of a finalist. Credit...Shiho Fukada for The New York Times

In Japan, Miss Con finalists attract thousands of social media followers and sponsorship offers from 'company. Some go to modeling gigs. During the contest's campaign period, academics are rarely mentioned. Civil service is not a prerequisite to participate in most competitions.

Competitions are considered pipelines for TV presenters and "talents" - women who appear on variety, comedy and even current affairs talk shows, where they are valued more for their looks than for their skills or knowledge.

Although there are pageants for both women and men, it is the women who get the most attention.

"The 'Miss Cons' are one of our biggest sources of clients," said Tasuku Ito, head of a talent agency at Furutachi Project in Tokyo. . "It's a place where a lot of cute and pretty women are already assembled. We don't even have to pick them up."

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