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Ecstatic Skin: The Evolution of Subcultures in a Global World

Deeply tanning their skin and braiding their hair into cornrows, Japan's Ganguro Girls mix contemporary Japanese make-up and attire with that of American hip-hop into a striking new form of personal expression. By incorporating previous subcultures and utilizing camera phones and online promotion, the Ganguro Girls emerged in the 1990s as a new subculture paradigm.
In the past, subcultures grew slowly over time and in relative seclusion. Now, such subcultures like Bruners and the dandies of the African Bakongo increasingly engage with the media to broaden their profile and recruit new members. While others shun digital expression for the raw, visceral experiences only found from in person interactions.

Bringing together sociologists with real members of these communities, Ecstatic Skin explores the impact of digital and social media on the evolution of these subcultures, an environment of cultural production which shapes personal identity as intensely as any physical space.

Ecstatic Skin is co-presented by the Japan Society.