They're called 'herbivore men' in Japan; another breed of them are called 'flower boys' (???) in Korea; no idea if China has their own version or not, but it's a story that's partially been discussed on CNN - finally. From that article:
Author and pop culture columnist Maki Fukasawa coined the term in 2006 in a
series of articles on marketing to a younger generation of Japanese men. She
used it to describe some men who she said were changing the country's ideas
about just what is -- and isn't -- masculine."In Japan, sex is translated as 'relationship in flesh,'" she said, "so I named those boys 'herbivorous boys' since they are not interested in flesh."
Typically, "herbivore men" are in their 20s and 30s, and believe that friendship without sex can exist between men and women, Fukasawa said.
Midori Saida, a 24-year-old woman sporting oversized aviators and her dyed brown hair in long ringlets, said "herbivore men" were "flaky and weak."
"We like manly men," she said. "We are not interested in those boys -- at all."
Takahito Kaji, 21, said he has been told he is "totally herbivorous." "Herbivorous boys are fragile, do not have a stocky body -- skinny."
Fukasawa said Japanese men from the baby boomer generation were typically aggressive and proactive when it came to romance and sex. But as a result of growing up during Japan's troubled economy in the 1990s, their children's generation was not as assertive and goal-oriented. Their outlook came, in part, from seeing their fathers' model of masculinity falter even as Japanese women gained more lifestyle options.
I'll tip my hat to The Grand Narrative for having covered body image, feminism, sexuality, and many more interesting issues for much longer than myself. His 'flower boys' tagged posts alone should be required reading for those with time and curiosity on their hands. The term 'flower boys' comes partly from Japanese manga dating back to 1999, but has grown in part from a popular Korean TV show. As James explains in a Korea Times article:
One vivid example is the elaborate hairstyles, pastel colors in the clothes of many young males and children, their attention to skincare, their "couple-clothes,'' and so on. This can be in sharp contrast to the staid appearance of their fathers.Later on in the article, he continues:
Moreover, when focusing on men, it can be easy to lose sight of the fact that it is actually women's changing tastes in them that drive changes in their fashions and grooming habits, and accordingly it ultimately proves to be married Korean women in the late-1990s that are responsible for flower men's origins.
Why married women? Because it was that group that bore the brunt of layoffs
during the "IMF Crisis." [AKA the Asian financial crisis in 1997] The logic is that their husbands would provide for them thereafter.
But coming after decades of the subservience of feminist goals to wider ones of democratization, and only so recently being given the opportunity to achieve those ? not least of which was the right not to be fired upon marriage ? then they were greatly angered at the sudden loss of the long awaited opportunity....
One indirect possibility, however, was the outright rejection of those ideals of men as strong, provider types, and it is no coincidence that a sudden glut of movies appeared featuring romances between older women and younger men, and that this was when the first, identifiable, flower men began appearing in advertising too.
And then there was the World Cup of 2002. Korean women themselves were
surprised at how as a mass they appropriated such a previously masculine event
as their own. In just a few short weeks they forever changed standards of dress,
discourses of sexuality, and cemented these new ideals of Korean men.
Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on your perspective), the 'flower boys' trend shows no signs of going away. I certainly am not complaining about guys taking better care of themselves or considering clothing choices that either A: match, or B: didn't fall off the back of the Goodwill / Salvation Army truck.
It's when things are taken to an almost über-sensitive level that makes anyone not with the program like someone behind the times, or worse, a brute. It's when the only way to buy a fashionable shirt involves buying a size one or two sizes larger than normal because the tiiiigght look is the 'in' thing. One almost can't find dress shirts or nicer-looking clothing without conforming to the styles and sizes of today.
I don't really care to be 'fashionable'. I simply want to wear clothes that look good, fit comfortably, won't tear / rip / break whenever I do something that my body can do without a second thought, and don't cost my entire salary. More than a couple Korean shirts I own give you that 'ripping at the buttons' look should I twist the wrong way or carry something, like a manbag (oh, the irony) or a backpack.
It's one thing to choose to be fashionable; it's completely another to have fashion forced upon you. I've known a few women who, for one reason or another, have taken to wearing men's jeans or shirts because they're more comfortable (they're roomier, they don't show off one's features, take your pick). If our shirts start looking more like your shirts, where do we turn?
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Read the Transcript: http://to.pbs.org/ijodoI
South Korean officials have agreed to high-level military talks with North Korea, despite the brinksmanship following deadly attacks on a South Korean warship and an island. Margaret Warner reports from Seoul on how South Koreans cope with the constant threats from the North and gets views on what's ahead for the peninsula.
Taken from the BBC Documentary A State of Mind.
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