Abstract

My exhibit will look into the changes of female figures that are implicitly expressed in shōjo manga especially from the 1970s to the 2000s, with a focus on the changes in women's roles, the social advances of women, and the ideal female figures. Manga keeps changing. In the 1970s, shōjo manga that features dramatic love was popular. Moreover, at the same time, the female characters that appear in shōjo manga in the 1970s tend to have a job, which implicitly suggests the figures of female workers. In the 1980s, since people became more familiar with real love romance, a love story in a more familiar setting such as schools was featured in manga. In addition, in this time period, the figures of “working women” were gradually depicted as a normal thing. Furthermore, in the 1990s, with the increase in social advances of women, shōjo manga features a strong female character. When it comes to the 2000s, shōjo manga focuses on more different topics, such as friendships and familial love. With a close look at these changes in manga, many different female figures, the changes of female roles, and also the social background regarding women can be drawn, which my exhibit will deeply explore with examples.