The Annual Review of Sociology
Online ISSN : 1884-0086
Print ISSN : 0919-4363
ISSN-L : 0919-4363
Articles
Girls and the Making by Hand of “Charm-goods”:
An Analysis of “My Birthday,” a Fortune Telling Magazine for Girls
Mizuho Hashisako
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2014 Volume 2014 Issue 27 Pages 146-157

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Abstract

By concentrating on the process of making something by hand, this paper considers what kind of value handmade “charm-goods” had for girls in Japan's 1980s boom of “fortune-telling & charm.” It has been said that “charm-goods” in the 1980s “magic-religious popular culture” gave girls their own sense of identity with a world-view that was worthy of them, but with “charm-goods” the fact that they were made by hand has been regarded as being important. This second element seems to have demanded from girls a more active commitment to “fortune-telling and charm.” Through analyzing the articles of “My Birthday,” which is well known as a representative “fortune-telling & charm” magazine for girls, I clarify that “charm-goods” and their being made by hand helped girls to get involved in and improve their real-life communication skills.

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© 2014 The Kantoh Sociological Society
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