Many scholars have written about sex tourism, claiming that many nations turn a blind eye to it, if not actively play up the idea that there are sexy locals ready to please foreigners. In poor countries that have little to export, their populations, and their presumed sexual availability, may be their most valuable “resource,” particularly if the woman are stereotyped as particularly submissive, sexy, etc.
Tara sent in a link to a post at Yes But No But Yes about a different way of using popular conceptions of a country to appeal to foreigners: Japan’s Ambassadors of Cute:
From an article in Metro:
In a bid to raise its international profile, the city has appointed three young women as cultural envoys because they represent Japan’s long-running craze for all things cute.
About the schoolgirl Ambassador:
“Every female from small girls to grandmothers loves pretty clothes,” said nurse and part-time model Misako Aoki, now ambassador for the doll-like “Gothic Lolita” style.
I just thought it was an interesting example of a different way a country might try to market its people (women?) to tourists–not as sexual adventures, necessarily (although there is the Lolita aspect, but I don’t think it’s meant in quite that way), but as adorable representatives of the culture. I’m not saying it’s totally unproblematic, just different.
UPDATE: Commenter mercurianferret asked why I didn’t post any of the comments from Yes But No But Yes. I hadn’t even looked at them. Here’s an example:
Seriously though…. Does anyone here think they’re cute? Doable even?…Hey Japan, news flash: We have a word for people over here who dress like cartoon characters… Losers. We send people with puppet dogs to ridicule them.
There’s a back-and-forth in the comments, and clearly a lot of sarcasm, but I wouldn’t say the reactions would make me very optimistic about the effect of the Ambassadors of Cute.
