Memoirs of a Geisha: Beauty or Extreme Competition?
Memoirs of a Geisha is a film that tells the story of a Japanese girl who was sold to a geisha house when she was a young girl and became separated from her sister. The story teaches us about not only Japanese culture, but the harsh truths of what it takes to become a geisha. Though she faced many hardships she ended up becoming the most famous geisha of her time and proved many of her peers wrong. Memoirs of a Geisha’s success in the US is partially due to the emphasis on beauty equals economic and individual achievement. While this plays a role into why this movie was successful, I believe that the underlying reason is due to the extreme competition between the geishas in order to achieve ultimate beauty. This resonates with the US because of the importance society puts on fitting and maintaining their intense beauty standard in order to not be looked down upon.
A geisha also known as geiko or geigi, are a class of female Japanese performing artists and entertainers trained in traditional Japanese performing arts styles. She has to fit certain criteria both physically and mentally in order to even be considered let alone successful. In the movie we see that Sayuri actually doesnt fit the standard because she has blue eyes which is frowned upon by the Geisha house leader. With intense training she soon finds herself to be climbing the ranks and this upsets other geisha members.
While Sayuri is still a newer “trainee” to becoming a geisha, Hatsumomo is the top Geisha out of everyone. She is the antagonist of the story because her motives are solely set on staying on top in order to maintain her reputation and be the most beautiful. She will and does whatever it takes even if that means sabotaging Sayuri. In one scene she decides to write on another geisha house kimono which is sacred. She blames Sayuri for it and is not questioned. This brings down respect for her even though she had done nothing wrong. This extreme competition is highly praised in America due to the fact that it is a very individualistic society. The tension between the two characters in order to achieve the highest beauty is also a popular ideology in the US because although their views of what beauty is are different, the concept that beauty equals power is sought after.
The first scene where we see the intensity of how to upkeep beauty standards. Mameha, Sayuri’s mentor, explains to the viewer the process of becoming a geisha and what it takes. She explains, “Beauty and agony for us live side by side. Your feet will suffer, your fingers will bleed, even sitting and sleeping will be painful” (1.00) This ideology by Japanese culture can be sought after by Americans because they keep the same intensity but in a different form. For Americans, in order to fit society’s beauty standards they feel the need to do it in an unhealthy way. According to ScienceDaily, 75% of American girls have reported having a version of an eating disorder. This statistic goes hand in hand with Japanese culture. According to Japanese Weekender, “For adults between the ages of 45 and 74, there is even a government policy called Metabo Law, which stipulates what your waist measurements should be.” These harsh similar values are what made Memoirs of a Geisha so popular. With common similarities it drew American viewers in.
Another scene that implicates how intense the competition is between geishas is when Sayuri gets to perform the Snow Dance. The Snow Dance is one of the most respected cultural dances and is meant to portray beauty not only by physical characteristics, but also how well she performs. She ends up performing flawlessly and this makes Hatsumomo mad. In order to regain the power she wants, she tells rich men that she may have already had her “flower” or virginity taken. In Japanese culture, a geisha must keep her virginity until it is bought by the highest buyer. If word gets out that it was taken before this, her entire reputation could be ruined. This intention to have Hatsumomo stay in a position of power by being the most beautiful is recognizable to American viewers because of the underlying competition they face. This can be through social media posts and other types of photoshopping apps in order to maintain their image. If people had found out they used photoshop though, their reputation would be at stake. Japanese and American culture have similar yet very different ways of showing and upkeep beauty.
In the movie Memoirs of a Geisha, Sayuri has to face extreme competition with other geishas but mostly Hatsumomo in order to achieve the highest standard of beauty. Although Japanese and American cultures view beauty in different ways, the competition to be on top and the way one’s reputation could be at stake is an intriguing factor for most americans. Overall this movie’s success was in fact due to how relatable it was for American viewers to see other cultures competition within the topic of beauty.
