On the Queen of Hearts card featuring "Tomika" by Forsyth Harmon, models of mixed Asian, specifically half Japanese, give their input on being a model in Japan as a half Japanese. They realize that it contributes to the sexual image of hafu women and speak about how people view them. They talk about the transition of using foreign models to using hafu models to portray a sexy image. Kozue Sato says that hafu models satisfy the love for foreign things while also keeping it close to Japan. This is because the models, while Japanese, have non-Japanese physical features that make them unique compared to the average Japanese person's appearance.
However, even though many people in Japan may enjoy seeing hafu models on covers of magazines, it seems that many are also unhappy when the models' Japanese heritage is highlighted. When Ariana Miyamoto was crowned Miss Universe Japan in 2015, there was public outcry over a non-pure-Japanese woman representing the nation in beauty.
This scenario has happened not just this one time either, for example when Catriona Gray won Miss Universe Philippines 2018. People seem to enjoy seeing mixed models gracing the covers of magazines and portfolios, but when their nation is represented by a mixed person, there is suddenly a problem.
When Naomi Osaka became the first Asian tennis player to hold the top ranking in singles, many in Japan suddenly claimed her as Japanese and not so much American.
These events beg the question: why can a mixed Asian person represent a country in sports and be backed by that nation, but not represent a country in beauty pageants?
Ariana Miyamoto speaks on not being acknowledged as Japanese
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