Slim Vs Voluptuous: A Reflection on JAV Beauty Standards

The JAV industry however, like many facets of media, often mirrors societal beauty standards. So it is no surprise that for decades, the JAV stars with voluptuous figures have dominated the popularity charts. This comes from the old cultural stereotype that equated femininity, desirability and fertility with big breasts and wide hips. However, this does not paint a real picture of what the audience prefers which includes a rich diversity of different expressions of femininity. While JAV, in my opinion, does a better job at this (primarily due to the sheer amount that is produced and released), I think we could do better at recognizing the unique appeal of different body types.

There is a reason why plastic surgery has become a normalized aspect of porn, and with that it also expanded to our everyday normal life. Before plastic surgery became a thing, porn was dominated by curvaceous body types. This in turn created a difficult beauty standard by men for women not gifted in those aspects. Eventually as the technology of plastic surgery was improved and popularized, various plastic enhancements have become more common in the mainstream world but extremely common and perhaps even more exaggerated in the porn world.

In my own personal porn consumption, I do recognize beauty where I see it, and there are some amazingly done plastic enhancements that make me marvel at the beauty that our technological achievements can create. At the same time though, I also recognize that it allows for an uncomfortable trend that raises some questions about the nature of the beast. Self image issues and body dysmorphia often leads to plastic surgery addiction. Plastic surgery is expensive. So that means that only the rich people can afford to enhance themselves, leading us to this moral quandary of inequality: is beauty only attainable for the rich? The answer is, unfortunately, a lame yes. Even taking plastic surgery out of the equation, there is so much investment in time and $$$$ to afford the personal cost in taking care and improving one’s own beauty.

Reducing performers to their physical attributes undermines their artistry. Charisma, acting prowess, and emotional connection are pivotal to compelling performances. Flat-chested actresses often excel in roles requiring nuance and creativity, as their work isn’t overshadowed by simple parameters like fetishized body parts. Flat chested actresses (like Ichika Matsumoto, Minami Aizawa, Aino Kishi to name a few) show how breaking the mold can resonate deeply with audiences seeking authenticity.

This cultural shift aligns with global movements toward body positivity, inspiring similar progress in adult entertainment. I actually think the ideations around these start with porn. Porn, as the media representation of the primal need for sex, could be seen as a tastemaker and cultural influencer for a lot of people who have more exposure to porn than the actual act of sex. This includes people outside the legal age range that porn is allowed to be consumed in. In fact, we are already feeling the effects of the increased representation of different body types due to porn becoming easily accessible because of the internet. For Millenials and the later generations who grew up with the internet, porn was probably a major part of their sexual awakening. For the generations before, slim and flat sex icons simply did not exist in the early videos of porn and the dirty magazines of Hustler, Playboy... But then by the mid 2000’s, flat chested sex icons suddenly started appearing.. My first memory of this in Riley Reid, Maria Ozawa. I

This is why, for all it’s imperfections, JAV is undoubtably progressive in this as they have embraced variety much quicker than its western counterparts. Although one has to point out that this is not because of any progressive agenda whatsoever, they were simply following the winds of demand as profit is still the main incentive. Japan’s insular society meant that they were a lot less affected by the westernized body ideal of the curvaceous bombshell, but they were able to be more honest in their choices with their own personal consumption of adult content. And it’s not just the men who are creating these body image standards, for it is the women who ultimately make their choice if they want to conform or not, but in the JAV industry at least, we end up finding a lot of them conforming for the sake of the almighty Yen .

As for me, I don’t really have a grand agenda. I just have a wide humanist perspective on things (ie. How to say you’re a liberal arts major without saying you’re a liberal arts major) which is why I am able to conjure such thoughts about internet videos where japanese people fuck. I am merely scratching the surface with these. I mostly use this blog as a diary of my thoughts regarding my enjoyment of JAV. I recognize that the world is complex with multiple grey areas, so I allow myself to enjoy what I enjoy, think what I think regardless of their ambiguity. Ultimately, I am just one voice in many but I just have this odd little platform on the internet where people read my thoughts. I really like JAV, and so long as JAV gives me my diverse dose of beautiful women (slim princesses, included), I’ll keep watching.