The Language of Feminine Beauty in Russian and Japanese Societies

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiii

   PDF

2. Gender and Language Research and Perceptions in Japanese and Russian Societies

   • Natalia Konstantinovskaia

   Pages 1-51

3. Women’s Voices in Russian and Japanese ‘Beauty Ads’

   • Natalia Konstantinovskaia

   Pages 53-91

4. Russian and Japanese Women’s Perceptions of Feminine Beauty

   • Natalia Konstantinovskaia

   Pages 93-161

5. Russian and Japanese Women’s Real Language Practices

   • Natalia Konstantinovskaia

   Pages 163-191

6. Conclusion

   • Natalia Konstantinovskaia

   Pages 193-215

7. Back Matter

   Pages 217-219

   PDF

This book conducts a cross-linguistic and cross-cultural study of 'women’s language' as it pertains to feminine beauty. It examines the ideological constructs of beauty and femininity in the cultures of Japan and Russia, as embodied through televised beauty ads, and relates them to the real-world language practices of Japanese and Russian women. The author traces the reciprocal connection between women’s real and imagined language in the construction of ideals of beauty and femininity, revealing the complex ways women respond to ideological expectations regarding language use: assimilating, transforming, and subverting ideologized language and the assumptions implicit in it. She also demonstrates ways in which women alter the texture of language by appropriating 'masculine' language for their own purposes, shifting the meaning and correlates of linguistic items and structures. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of sociolinguistics, language and gender, cultural andmedia studies, and Russian and Japanese culture. 

• advertising
• commercial media
• Russian culture
• Japanese culture
• gendered language
• gender ideology
• femininity
• gender roles
• feminist critical discourse analysis
• stereotypes
• postfeminist ideals
• kawaii
• male gaze
• swearing
• language and gender
• discourse analysis

“A stimulating and timely contribution to the gender and language field! In this engaging work, Natalia Konstantinovskaia tackles the complex interrelations between beauty ideologies and women’s agency in Russia and Japan.” --Momoko Nakamura, Kanto Gakuin University, Japan  

• Busuu, London, UK

  Natalia Konstantinovskaia

Natalia Konstantinovskaia is Senior Japanese Language Expert at Busuu in London, UK. She earned her PhD in Japanese Linguistics from the University of California, US.

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