昭和94年 Showa 94 by Edo Oliver for DEW Magazine Pre-January Issue 2020
We exist in a continuing past. The change of eras is used to mark progress in time and society, with the end of Heisei (90s, 00s, 10s) and the start of Reiwa (20’s-forward) signaling a breaking point from the past. However, these closings and openings of old and new eras provide little more than the illusion of linear progress towards a future. Truthfully we exist in the modern past, where technology and infrastructure advanced but social experiences remain eternally on loop, stuck. Progress is rarely linear, and in Japan’s case it may be stagnant; Japan was named 76th out of 77 countries in gender equality by a recent study. The workspace is a particular point of contention, with issues such as maternal leave, marriage, career progression and pay equality in male-dominated companies at the forefront. Given the current situation in Japan, the female is very much still the male’s to define, limit, use and most of all sexualize. This is still, Showa year 94. 昭和94年。
CREDITS
Photography and Styling Edo Oliver
Hair and Make-up Chifumi
Model Megumu