What Not to Wear

Women in kimonos, men wearing glittery pink t-shirts, teenagers wearing their uniforms on sundays, extreme mini-skirts, hooker boots, mullets, fluffy hair accessories, long johns under skirts... Other than the traditional wear, fashion here is an eye soar! Although Japan is known to be ahead in the fashion world, they should have stuck with kimonos and wooden sandals. Almost every girl dresses like Britney Spears "Hit me Baby one More Time" circa, wear mini skirts at -10 tempatures and insists on permed mullets. Anyway, to be fashionable in Japan you need to be colour blind and trapped in the 80s.

I wouldnt call myself a fashion guru in any stretch of the word, but I have had to tone down my fashion not only for being a foreigner, but also for being a teacher. Not only can I not follow the fashion here, but I needed to put aside a few garments that I have learned not to wear in this country. There is an unwritten rule that low cut shirts and tank tops should not be worn. Even though I have never seen SO MANY mini-skirts, showing cleavage here is a definite no-no. I don't mind covering up, but I have had to put aside a few shirts that I couldnt even dare myself to wear anymore. I get enough attention already as it is, I wouldnt want to shock my neighbours with a (God forbid) tank top! I am happy I loaded up on t-shirts and hoodies at Roots, because that is all I have been wearing in the last 6 months.

I feel like a nun every morning when I get ready to go to work. Not that I used to dress like a total slut at home, but I miss the times I would feel really sexy sporting a new pink tank top with a new pair of earings. Here, I wear pearls with a grey turtle neck... nice. I want to feel like a girl again!

So why am I ranting about Japanese fashion and my sudden fashion turnover... well, one of my students told one of my teacher friends that Agora must be making a lot of business from men because of my low cut shirts. My what? Appearantly, the men that come to my English classes on Thursday mornings at the community center come to look at my cleavage. My what? Yes... appearantly, I have breasts. I have never seen them myself, but it would seem that my breasts have been helping my school making good business. Unless they have a lazer vision that let them see through my shirts, I cannot think of a single shirt I have worn at work that could show my perverted students any sort of cleavage.

Remember these wise words, "Lucky that my breasts are small and humble So you don't confuse them with mountains." I stand by Shakira with this, but now it seems that I could be a little bit more shapely then I thought. But is that really something you would like to hear after teaching these people for 6 months. I really didn't need to know this...

No but, honestly... my friend Michelle made it seem like a compliment, but to the contrary I feel totally degraded. To think that my student would actually say that to my friend and believe that my men students come to see the shirts I wear, doesnt exactly make me feel appreciated for being a good teacher. And trust me, I truly believe that my lessons are fun and interesting. I thought they came for my mind-opening lessons and not for the milimeter of skin that I show right below my neck. Are these men so desperate that an ounce of young skin is the only reason to come to my English lessons? I find it rude and demeaning and they can be sure that next week the snow suit will be coming out. Sorry Agora.