Yggdrasil asked:


Sorry to use anime as my examples…but anime helps me learn the language.

Anyway, here goes. In Azumanga Daioh, one of the girls, Sakaki-san is not your “standard” stereotype of a Japanese girl…for two reasons…height (174cm and still growing at 16) and bust size (Osaka calls her “an American” while staring at her development. Sakaki-san is very ashamed of her height and bustiness. She feels she is not cute and that she “stands out.” She is also painfully shy. Is “standing out” taboo in Japanese culture? She feels that she is a freak (as she is likely to grow to about 6′ by the time she enters college). Chiyo-chan becomes pretty much her surrogate younger sister…but even Chiyo (10 years old and 4′4″ in the first year of HS) has trouble convincing her that she is cute and beautiful. I have known several very tall Japanese women who were absolutely stunning in physical appearance. Why does Sakaki-san feel so out of it?
I’ve met lots of teenagers…I was a professor, counselor, and psychologist. That doesn’t mean I know cross-cultural taboos and stigmas now, does it?
Thanks Colin, but it still doesn’t address prejudice against “tall” people. I mean, is she Ripley’s Believe It or Not tall? No. I know why she feels bad; I don’t know why she is being made to feel bad. Does that clarify it…or am I still being obtuse?
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: This is the character I am discussing…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakaki_(Azumanga_Daioh)

It is interesting to see the relative perceptions of women’s height and sexiness/girlness (I can’t think of a better way to put it.)

I mean, most models are tall…Elle McPherson is 6′ and Maria Sharapova is 6′2″. Both, in their time have been considered massively **** and desirable. So, why would Sakaki feel bad about being 5′9″ if there wasn’t a cultural stigma?