Challenging Women: Female Olympians in 21st Century Japan

• In Event: Moving Forward?: A Critical Examination of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements in Japan

Abstract

This presentation will explore the myriad ways that the Olympic Games have historically shone a bright light on strong and successful Japanese women from the 1920s to the present, and the way that these women have in turn impacted Japanese society. Female Olympians, in the spotlight of the media, have challenged conventional understandings of gender roles, class, and feminine aesthetics in modern Japan, and continue to do so to the present day. Looking at Japan’s long history of involvement with the Olympic Games suggests that, more than a mere sports festival, this event has helped to shape Japan vis-à-vis the international community economically, politically, and culturally. From expanding the opportunities for young women in education in the early 20th century to re-defining the role of mothers in contemporary Japan, the Olympic Games have been an ongoing and influential factor in the re-imagining of women’s place in modern Japanese society. As Japan currently faces economic and demographic crises that challenge “traditional” roles for women, this presentation will speculate on the significance of the Olympic Games in the present moment and moving forward towards the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Author

• Robin Kietlinski, City University of New York