The lifestyle of Asians, and the Japanese in particular, is an eternal topic for discussion and condemnation. They are criticized for literally everything: for strange traditions, crazy work schedules, everyday life, and even for their appearance, informs Ukr.Media.
The latest hit on the list of complaints from couch critics is the legs of Japanese girls. They say, how is it that their faces are like doll faces, their figures are chiseled, and their legs are crooked?
Of course, it's a thankless task to cling to the shape of your feet, because it's all individual. But there's no smoke without fire, and the stereotype about Japanese feet didn't arise out of nowhere.
What is O-kyaku?
In the Land of the Rising Sun, there is even a special word for this phenomenon – “O-kyaku” (O脚). It's simple: “kyaku” means legs, and the letter “O” hints at their shape.
This is the so-called varus curvature, when the knees do not touch each other when the heels are closed. Sometimes there is also an X-shaped shape (when the knees are together and the heels are apart), but it is O-kyaku that is the feature that is attributed to most Japanese women.
All people are born with slightly “O-shaped” legs, but this usually goes away by the age of 6.
But in Japan, this trait often persists throughout life. Why?
Version #1: Wine kimono and kawaii fashion
There is a theory that the root of evil lies in the traditional wardrobe. Kimonos are beautiful but treacherous garments. The narrow cut forced women to scurry around in small steps, tucking their socks in to keep the hems of their clothes from flying.
This habit has given rise to a specific gait, uchimata (toes in), which was historically considered the height of femininity and cuteness (the same as “kawaii”). Even today, many Japanese women, having perfectly straight legs, position them so that they appear crooked—simply because it is considered cute!
Men didn't have this problem: they were allowed to show their legs, and their kimonos were looser.
Interestingly, the legs of our Korean neighbors are much flatter. Why? One version is that their traditional clothing (hanbok) was loose and did not make them “squat.”
Version #2: Flooring as a lifestyle
Clothes can hardly distort the bones of an adult. This is where the tradition of sitting on the floor comes into play.
The Japanese have lived on tatami mats for centuries. They ate, wrote, rested — everything on the floor. They were taught to do this from their diapers, and they sat in the seiza position for hours. This is a real test for the formation of a child's skeleton.
The situation with other poses was even worse. Men were luckier — they were allowed to sit “Turkishly” (agura). But women were forbidden such a “luxury” — it was indecent! Girls had to find a way out:
- sit with your legs tucked under you;
- or use the so-called “sister pose” (legs to the side);
- or “kite pose” (the same as what we call W-pose, when the legs are spread out to the sides).
Doctors say that it is this habit of sitting in a W-position since childhood that literally twists the hip joints and knees, forming the same curvature.
Version #3: Genetics and diet
Not everything can be attributed to habits. First, genetics. In representatives of the Mongoloid race, the structure of the knee joint and tibia is anatomically slightly different from the European one, which makes them more prone to O-shaped curvature.
Secondly, historically, the Japanese diet was low in calcium and protein (milk and meat were rare). This could lead to weak bones in childhood, and constant sitting on the floor simply “finished” the matter, fixing the curvature.
What's the result?
The “crooked” legs of Japanese women are a potent mix of genetics, historical vitamin deficiencies, and rigid traditions of sitting on the floor, which have deformed joints since early childhood. It is also a conscious choice of posture (uchimata), because for them it is simply beautiful.
So while we're wondering, Japanese women themselves aren't too concerned, and the beauty industry in Japan is successfully selling special insoles and exercise equipment to correct O-kyaku. To each his own!
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Japanese feet: refined aesthetics or physical distortion?
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🌸 That's very cute! 🦵 That's ugly! 🤔 It's a matter of their culture
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