日本製の自動車や電気製品がアメリカでも人気なのはよく知られています。たまごっちやプリクラも、アメリカの若者に受けています。ところで、最近では、ちょっと変わった日本製品が若者の間でブームになっていて、雅子さんもビックリ。その日本製品とは…?
A Most Unusual Trend
By MASAKO YAMADA
Of course, everybody knows that Japanese cars and electronic products are popular in the States. They have been popular for years, and many of the manufacturers are household names. Some people know that frilly, novelty products like Sanrio goods, Tamagotchi or "print club" stickers have also been popular among young people.But who would have guessed that a facial cleansing product would spread like wildfire in drugstores across America? Innovative though the product is, I would not have imagined that Biore brand pore-cleaning strips would become as popular as they have. Japanese cosmetics brands such as Shiseido, Pola and Kanebo are not very well known by the average consumer here. One can see these names at high-end department stores or small boutiques catering to well-heeled Asians, but one would never see these brands at common drugstore chains like CVS, Osco or Walgreens. Most of the practical young women I know buy their beauty products at drugstores, not department stores. Japanese youth may perhaps consider Chanel to be the high-class designer brand of choice, but here Shiseido and other Japanese cosmetics brands are treated in much the same way. That is why it's so surprising that I now see these pore-cleaning strips everywhere, including chain drugstores and supermarkets. Biore may not be the most costly brand in Japan, but its products are still expensive by common American standards. Drugstore beauty products such as shampoo, lipsticks and nail polish usually cost a few dollars here. Even the better products cost about $10 (¥1,100). I was therefore shocked to see these strips fly off the shelves at a cost of about $5 (¥550) for only six strips. Imitators followed at the heels of Biore very quickly. I now see at least five or six brands of pore strips at my local drugstore. The drugstore even sells its own store brand of discount strips, which, interestingly enough, are still "Made in Japan." Some of them have fancy medication or sensitive skin treatments contained in the strips, but the basic design is the same for all of them: A sticker-like strip is plastered onto one's nose and then peeled off when the glue dries. Impurities are pulled out with the strip. These impurities remain on the strip and can be observed by eye. It's hard to choose the best strips, because they all seem the same, but the pioneering Biore does advertise that its strips clean better than the others. It seems to be somewhat of a trend among youth to show others their strips after their treatments. At least, that is what I sense from the many advertisements I've encountered. One particularly memorable radio segment involves a bunch of gossipy teenagers talking excitedly about these pore strips. Apparently, they love to gross each other out by showing each other their used strips. Group facials have been a popular activity for a long, long time — it's fun to see a bunch of friends with oatmeal masks on their faces — but pore cleansing seems to be the new group beauty ritual of choice. The radio commercial is heavy on teenage slang and it makes the product seem hip and exciting. However, I've seen magazines for older women praise the practical effectiveness of the strips as well. What I have yet to see is the emergence of pore strips for men. I have seen pore strips for men at a Japanese pharmacy, but I doubt they will take root in general. I think it would be considered much too feminine for the vast majority of men here. I do know a few homosexual men who use facial cleanser and moisturizer to keep their faces smooth, but most men I know use the same bar of soap to wash their entire body — sometimes including their hair. I've certainly never read fashion articles or advertisements encouraging men to remove excessive body hair using waxes or electrolysis. I know one man who plucks his eyebrows, but this has elicited chuckles among my friends. Cosmetics for women remain popular even in the era of professionalism and efficiency, but I suppose most men prefer not to exercise their own equal rights to engage in elaborate beauty rituals.
Of course, everybody knows that Japanese cars and electronic products are popular in the States. They have been popular for years, and many of the manufacturers are household names. Some people know that frilly, novelty products like Sanrio goods, Tamagotchi or "print club" stickers have also been popular among young people. But who would have guessed that a facial cleansing product would spread like wildfire in drugstores across America? Innovative though the product is, I would not have imagined that Biore brand pore-cleaning strips would become as popular as they have. Japanese cosmetics brands such as Shiseido, Pola and Kanebo are not very well known by the average consumer here. One can see these names at high-end department stores or small boutiques catering to well-heeled Asians, but one would never see these brands at common drugstore chains like CVS, Osco or Walgreens. Most of the practical young women I know buy their beauty products at drugstores, not department stores. Japanese youth may perhaps consider Chanel to be the high-class designer brand of choice, but here Shiseido and other Japanese cosmetics brands are treated in much the same way. That is why it's so surprising that I now see these pore-cleaning strips everywhere, including chain drugstores and supermarkets. Biore may not be the most costly brand in Japan, but its products are still expensive by common American standards. Drugstore beauty products such as shampoo, lipsticks and nail polish usually cost a few dollars here. Even the better products cost about $10 (¥1,100). I was therefore shocked to see these strips fly off the shelves at a cost of about $5 (¥550) for only six strips. Imitators followed at the heels of Biore very quickly. I now see at least five or six brands of pore strips at my local drugstore. The drugstore even sells its own store brand of discount strips, which, interestingly enough, are still "Made in Japan." Some of them have fancy medication or sensitive skin treatments contained in the strips, but the basic design is the same for all of them: A sticker-like strip is plastered onto one's nose and then peeled off when the glue dries. Impurities are pulled out with the strip. These impurities remain on the strip and can be observed by eye. It's hard to choose the best strips, because they all seem the same, but the pioneering Biore does advertise that its strips clean better than the others. It seems to be somewhat of a trend among youth to show others their strips after their treatments. At least, that is what I sense from the many advertisements I've encountered. One particularly memorable radio segment involves a bunch of gossipy teenagers talking excitedly about these pore strips. Apparently, they love to gross each other out by showing each other their used strips. Group facials have been a popular activity for a long, long time — it's fun to see a bunch of friends with oatmeal masks on their faces — but pore cleansing seems to be the new group beauty ritual of choice. The radio commercial is heavy on teenage slang and it makes the product seem hip and exciting. However, I've seen magazines for older women praise the practical effectiveness of the strips as well. What I have yet to see is the emergence of pore strips for men. I have seen pore strips for men at a Japanese pharmacy, but I doubt they will take root in general. I think it would be considered much too feminine for the vast majority of men here. I do know a few homosexual men who use facial cleanser and moisturizer to keep their faces smooth, but most men I know use the same bar of soap to wash their entire body — sometimes including their hair. I've certainly never read fashion articles or advertisements encouraging men to remove excessive body hair using waxes or electrolysis. I know one man who plucks his eyebrows, but this has elicited chuckles among my friends. Cosmetics for women remain popular even in the era of professionalism and efficiency, but I suppose most men prefer not to exercise their own equal rights to engage in elaborate beauty rituals.
Shukan ST: Jan. 22, 1999
(C) All rights reserved
manufacturersメーカー
household namesよく知られた名前
frilly, novelty productsちょっとした目新しい商品
facial cleansing product顔のクレンジング製品
spread like wildfire野火のように速く広がる
Innovative革新的な
pore-cleaning strips毛穴をきれいにするシート
consumer消費者
high-end高級な
catering to 〜 〜 向きの
well-heeled裕福な
are treated扱われる
costlyぜいたくな
nail polishマニキュア液
fly off the shelves飛ぶように売れる
at a cost of 〜 〜 の値段で
Imitators類似品
at the heels of 〜 〜 のあとを追って
local地元の
have 〜 contained in 〜 〜 を 〜 に配合している
fancy medication特別な薬
sensitive skin敏感肌用の
is plastered onto 〜 〜 に貼られる
(is)peeled offはがされる
glueのり(パック)
Impurities汚れ
are pulled out with 〜 〜 にくっついて取り除かれる
can be observed by eye肉眼で見える
pioneering 〜 先駆者である 〜
advertise宣伝する
(have)encountered出合った
memorable忘れられない
segmentコマーシャル
a bunch of 〜 たくさんの 〜
gossipyおしゃべりな
gross each other outお互いをげんなりさせる
oatmeal masksオートミール主成分のパック
ritual of choice流行の儀式
is heavy on 〜 〜 がたくさん入っている
hipイキな
effectiveness効果
emergence登場
pharmacy薬局
take root in general一般に根付く
too feminine女々しい
vast majority大多数
moisturizer肌をしっとりさせる化粧品
bar of soap固形せっけん
articles記事
remove取り除く
excessive余分な
electrolysis電気分解
plucks 〜 余分なものを抜いて 〜 を整える
has elicited chuckles笑いをかっている
era時代
efficiency効率
engage in 〜 〜 に専念する
elaborate手の込んだ
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