Discussion Menheras and Yamikawaii

[ikiruNObungaku]

I've been so busy with life that it's been a while since I have last posted. I hope to post and chat more soon.

Recently, I have learned some things about Japanese menhera and the fashion subculture yamikawaii. This is all very interesting to me and I have many questions, so I would like to know more about it. If anyone knows about this, please tell me a little more about it.

 

[wannabeangel]

i love menhera and yamikawaii jfashion/subculture since i was in middle school. from what i remember yamikawaii (meaning sickly cute iirc) is basically the word for mainly the fashion that came out of menhera, and menhera is the overall name for the subculture, meaning "mental health-er". since mental health awareness is not the best in japan, the community was made for those who related to it. it was given some stigma in japan, kinda like how jirais (similar subculture tbh, meaning landmine girls, they're called landmines because they look cute on the outside but are actually very emotionally explosive and unstable, seems more related to ppl with disorders like BPD from what i can see) in more recent time have basically the same stigma

menhera overall was made to be a community by those in a country with terrible mental health stigma, as a way of coping and expressing their struggles through fashion and art in a yamikawaii way

 

[ikiruNObungaku]

i love menhera and yamikawaii jfashion/subculture since i was in middle school. from what i remember yamikawaii (meaning sickly cute iirc) is basically the word for mainly the fashion that came out of menhera, and menhera is the overall name for the subculture, meaning "mental health-er". since mental health awareness is not the best in japan, the community was made for those who related to it. it was given some stigma in japan, kinda like how jirais (similar subculture tbh, meaning landmine girls, they're called landmines because they look cute on the outside but are actually very emotionally explosive and unstable, seems more related to ppl with disorders like BPD from what i can see) in more recent time have basically the same stigma

menhera overall was made to be a community by those in a country with terrible mental health stigma, as a way of coping and expressing their struggles through fashion and art in a yamikawaii way

Wow! Thank you so much for telling me all this information. This is all very interesting, I think I will look more into it. I think it is a nice thing to be able to express struggles through fashion so creatively this way.

 

[raincandy_v]

Been Menhera since 2013/14. The culture around it has changed a lot since then with "Yami Kawaii" kind of taking the forefront as the "sick cute" face for it.

Originally メンヘラ/Menhera was a label/slang for women meaning "ill-girl/mental healther" and was derogatory. (The name menhera was also the short form name of the discussion board it started on and stuck)

Frontiers | Mentally Ill and Cute as Hell: Menhera Girls and Portrayals of Self-Injury in Japanese Popular Culture

Over the last few decades, self-injury has gained wide visibility in Japanese popular culture from manga (graphic novel), anime (animation), to digital games...

www.frontiersin.org

this article by Seko Yukari and Kikuchi Minako goes over what they call the "three types" of menhera. There is some that are close to a "yandere" type but being one doesn't mean you are the other.

Jirai-Kei is a sub-culture/split of menhera. The "landmine" is more about the "emotional volatility" while keeping a more frilled fashion. (Think like ceramic dolls how they had dresses with lace and frills at the hems.)

Jirai has kinda hit a weird split in today where it branches itself. Those who are Jirai, and those who dress it. Becoming almost more of a fashion statement or to "look cute".

Jirai even has a focus on its makeup, especially around the eyes and it's rather minimalistic, in comparison to something that would be similar in a western counterpart. (the "sick cute" appearance still is a common idea for appearance with makeup in Jirai)

But while they branch from each other originally, they are far from the same at least anymore (my opinion) but just because you are one, doesn't mean you are not the other/cannot be the other. Although menhera do tend to be a bit more looked down upon by other communities.