Quote:
Originally Posted by RobinMask
Is it a genuine shyness or modesty though? I know it's wrong to make assumptions because of how one dresses, but I'd imagine if someone had the confidence to wear something so revealing or attention-getting that they'd have the confidence to take a compliment too. I'm not saying that Japanese in their culture aren't naturally humble and modest like you said, but for those particular few who cosplay or dress so wildly is it still the same case?
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You're right in that it is much more modesty than shyness, and it's also true that there are many outgoing and visibly/admittedly confident Japanese people. Though the vast majority of Japanese people who I've met and been friends with over the years have taken the cultural modesty to a level of psychological conditioning from birth, trained shyness if you will.
It is safe to say someone is shy if in any condition they act in that manner, regardless of how they may subconsciously feel about themselves.
As for girls in the awesome cosplay that look like goddesses, yeah seriously, go to akihabara or any other place where you can see a lot of cosplay chicks, talk to them, they are so shy it's so confusing and paradoxical lol.
Maybe there's a higher percentage of cosplay/outrageous-fashion Japanese people who aren't conditioned to be shy as a reflex, but it's still not that many.
If you wanna see non-shy Japanese, go to a dance club after they started drinking, that's about it.
(please don't take this as a form of complaint on my behalf, I love this culture and it's modesty was a breath of fresh air for me after living in a culture of self-centered superiority-complex'ed opinionated idiots)