I think this article is quite overblown. I don't think this is causing as many problems as the article implies. It's basically just quoting a few opinions from social media - where "sunehara" is used as more of a funny, tongue-in-cheek buzzword than to imply actual harassment. There are probably a hundred different usages of "hara" - sometimes for very serious meanings like "sekuhara" (sexual harassment), and sometimes for more lighthearted things like "nuhara" (noodle harassment, or slurping noodles loudly). "Sunehara" is very much toward the lighthearted end of the spectrum.
The survey they quote was conducted by a men's beauty salon that sells hair removal services - not exactly unbiased and there is also no mention of sampling size or methodology:
A survey conducted in June by Gorilla Clinic, a men's beauty salon, found that 53.5% of respondents – most of whom were women – opposed wearing shorts at work.
Women may find hairy legs unattractive, but so what. You're in the office to work. And wearing a suit in 40c temps is just silly.
But women have long been shaving their legs, and I think a lot of men would also say it's unattractive if women wore shorts with hairy legs. So before men get too outraged, it's worth acknowledging the double standard here.
And recently a lot of young men in Japan are shaving their legs. Even as young as elementary school, boys are removing hair on their legs to emulate their idols in pro soccer, etc. That seems to be the current fashion trend even before the government started encouraging people to wear shorts to work.
I think a lot of men would also say it's unattractive if women wore shorts with hairy legs.
Not actively attractive is one thing, but "unattractive" feels extreme. A sane person, man or woman, caring about the hairiness of someone else and if they're wearing shorts or not is absurd. Are rolled-up sleeves and t-shirts off limits if my arms are hairy too now? :b
Comments
I think this article is quite overblown. I don't think this is causing as many problems as the article implies. It's basically just quoting a few opinions from social media - where "sunehara" is used as more of a funny, tongue-in-cheek buzzword than to imply actual harassment. There are probably a hundred different usages of "hara" - sometimes for very serious meanings like "sekuhara" (sexual harassment), and sometimes for more lighthearted things like "nuhara" (noodle harassment, or slurping noodles loudly). "Sunehara" is very much toward the lighthearted end of the spectrum.
The survey they quote was conducted by a men's beauty salon that sells hair removal services - not exactly unbiased and there is also no mention of sampling size or methodology:
Women may find hairy legs unattractive, but so what. You're in the office to work. And wearing a suit in 40c temps is just silly.
But women have long been shaving their legs, and I think a lot of men would also say it's unattractive if women wore shorts with hairy legs. So before men get too outraged, it's worth acknowledging the double standard here.
And recently a lot of young men in Japan are shaving their legs. Even as young as elementary school, boys are removing hair on their legs to emulate their idols in pro soccer, etc. That seems to be the current fashion trend even before the government started encouraging people to wear shorts to work.
Not actively attractive is one thing, but "unattractive" feels extreme. A sane person, man or woman, caring about the hairiness of someone else and if they're wearing shorts or not is absurd. Are rolled-up sleeves and t-shirts off limits if my arms are hairy too now? :b