The Wild, Wonderful World of Japanese Hair
There's a notion in the West that Japanese people, the vast majority of which have naturally dark hair, are somehow trying to copy Westners by coloring their hair. This is a gross oversimplification. The country, always adept at mixing outside influences with its own, was, over a thousand years ago, incorporating Chinese hairstyles. Throughout history, Japan has closed in on itself, but it has never been afraid of looking outward and cherrypicking whatever it fancied. It's plucked ideas from China, from Korea, or from the U.S. Those influences are then mixed with homegrown styles to create something new and different.
Westernized hairstyles did not start during the American Occupation after World War II, but began increasing in the late 19th century, when Japan opened itself up to the outside world and when the country's royalty began sporting Westernized locks. By the 1920s, chic Japanese women were reading fashion magazines depicting the latest styles from the Paris runways. This wasn't new. Centuries before, fashionable Japanese were taking style cues from abroad, with the Chinese-influenced styles of the 5th to 8th centuries. Throughout history , Japanese hairstyles have been a mix of outside influences and domestic traditions, giving birth to something that's ultimately Japanese. Even today, Japan is incredibly Westernized, but it isn't the West, by any means and retains what makes it Japan.
