Mental Illness and Fashion?

Warning- This blog discusses topics of mental illness, which may be disturbing for some readers. Please read with caution.

Figure 1 The fashion trend Yami Kawaii

Japan is a country that needs no introduction. It’s technological prowess, traditions and culture are some of the factors that explains why the land of the rising sun has had one of the biggest economical, technological and cultural impact across the globe since the advent of the 21^st century. However, despite all the glory Japan has earned in the last 20 years, there still remains a problem which its government or people could never really prevent or fight back against, that is, the high levels of depression and suicide rates. The country suffers from a relatively high suicide rate compared to other countries and ranks 14^th in the list of countries with the highest suicide rates.

In fact, it wasn’t until the late 1990s that depression was recognised as a legitimate condition by people in Japan. Every day, almost 60 people commit suicide in Japan, averaging at over 22000 a year. The worse is, the fact that every suicide in Japan is believed to cause almost 25 more suicide attempts, a number which I myself, found unbelievable when I first read about it. In Japan, talking about things like depression are considered taboo, and are treated as a sign of weakness. However, despite the aforementioned conditions, many people have begun to take their stand against depression and mental illnesses in general.

Perhaps the most unique way of representing mental illness and taking a stand against it comes from Harajuku district in the Shibuya ward, best known for its colorful street art and fashion trends. Harajuku is internationally known as the centre of Japanese youth-culture and from it, comes the bizarre fashion trend of Yami Kawaii, their aforementioned way of fighting against mental illness.

What is Yami Kawaii?

Yami (病) stands for illness, disease, weakness or fault and kawaii (可愛い) stands for cute, lovable etc. In terms of its components, it looks no different from the more traditional Yume Kawaii (Dream Cute) style. For the kawaii aspect, it makes use of the usual cute and pastel coloured clothing. However, to make a normal kawaii outfit Yami Kawaii, accessories such as syringe necklaces, guns, pills, eye patches and surgical masks are used as focus on the taboo parts of mental illness. This subculture is sort of anti-kawaii, with tons of followers, an unofficial mascot and even some stores in Harajuku itself dedicated to it.

Figure 2 One can easily notice the difference between Yume Kawaii (left) and Yami Kawaii (right).

It should be noted that since discussions on mental illnesses in Japan are relatively non-existent, it could be a lack of social recognition that has led to the formation of this bizarre trend with so many people following it. One may also draw many similarities between Yami Kawaii and the emo trend from the early 2000s, with both being utilized by teenagers as a means to cope with depression and other mental illness.

  

Figure 3 Cute but sick.

The unofficial Mascot Menhera-Chan:

Surprisingly enough, there is even an unofficial mascot of Yami Kawaii, known as Menhera-Chan. The character was created by an artist named Ezaki Bisuko. He’s the guy who first popularized Yami Kawaii outside of Harajuku and Japan. The term Menhera is actually used for a person who is in need of mental health care and Bisuko actually used to draw this character as an escape from reality. Eventually the character rose in popularity and became Yami Kawaii’s unofficial mascot.

    

Figure 4 Menhera-Chan

Menhera-Chan is a young teenage girl who is usually shown wearing a pink sailor suit and sporting pink twin tails. She also has a soft-toy bunny named Usatan, who has ears resembling medicine pills. She has two friends, named Sabukaru-Chan and Yumekawa-Chan. The three together are called the Wrist-cut warriors.

Most of Menhera-Chan’s illustrations are very graphic, as shown above, and is often depicted carrying a small knife or a cutter of sorts, as she is said to suffer from self-harm. Nevertheless, there is a growing fanbase of Menhera-Chan and it shows why she is one of the most prominent characters in Yami Kawaii

Current Situation:

While Yami Kawaii may represent things, which are otherwise considered taboo in Japan, it is all done for fun only. It should be interpreted as a lighthearted way of shedding light to problems that have taken roots to the deepest parts of Japan. However, something which I found myself disagreeing with was the fact that many people, through Yami Kawaii, place mental illness as their sole identity. This, is where fashion transforms into an identity.

While most of the followers of this trend do suffer from different mental illnesses, some, with majority in the international regions, follow this trend due to its aesthetically pleasing style. People also claim that wearing the fashion provides them with a sense of empowerment, providing them with the ability to speak when silenced by the society.

Much of the criticism directed towards Yami Kawaii involves the fact that it may have, intentionally or not, contributed to the romanticizing of mental illness, a complication that suddenly rose to prominence in the recent years. It makes it seem like mental illnesses are something to be emulated which is, simply put, unacceptable. Even still, many of the followers still support the fact that it is just a way to shed light on an important issue and nothing more.

One things is for certain, Yami Kawaii is certainly one of the most unique, yet bizarre ways of fighting mental illnesses and taking a stand against the outdated societal norms.

- Akshit Dangi and Arshiya Khandelwal