My mother made me laugh.

[misa.j]

I was talking to my mother on the phone a few days ago, and she said something funny and very Japanese.

My mother has always been a kind of mother who liked to tell me how to dress or how not to dress, and I went against what she told me to most of the time. She wanted me to look feminine, but I grew up as a tomboy and wore clothes that she didn't like.

I sent her some pictures of me hiking which she liked, but she started to tell me how I should wear a make up on. She sounded shocked when I told her that I didn't even wear one when I went to work and was a Japanese way of thinking that you had to wear a make up at work.

She goes "Americans are bautiful already, so they don't have to wear a make up."

I thought it was pretty funny, and maybe I do need a make-over... Hahaha...

[Uncle Frank]

you stay just the way you are, a natural beauty inside and out!!

Frank

[misa.j]

Thanks Frank! I just needed to hear that!

But seriously, there should be more people like you.

[Limonette]

That's a very funny story Misa. I wonder if it's harder growing up a tomboy in Japan? I like your polar bear avatar.

[Ewok85]

I got in trouble with my girlfriend when she said "sorry, i'm not wearing any makeup today" and I replied "oh, i didn't notice" >_<
(I honestly meant "oh, you look beautiful anyway, please don't smother me to death in my sleep")

[Limonette]

uh oh LOL...

[lexico]

Originally Posted by Ewok85

I got in trouble with my girlfriend when she said "sorry, i'm not wearing any makeup today" and I replied

1) "oh, i didn't notice" >_<

I honestly meant

2a) ("oh, you look beautiful anyway")

2b) ("please don't smother me to death in my sleep")

I think you said the right thing as long as you weren't lying. But do you know why she scolded you, ewok ?
A complement like that is too much to handle; and she needs to get super-super mad, lash out her whip, and let it crackle over your head just to be able to remain composed. What ?
But I can easily see her handling it very well if you told her line 2a)-2b) because it softens your infatuation with a dash of humour. Now that's managable without having to quench your sagave passion for her !

[misa.j]

Originally Posted by Limonette

That's a very funny story Misa. I wonder if it's harder growing up a tomboy in Japan? I like your polar bear avatar.

Thanks. I'm glad you liked both my story and my avater.
It all depends, but you definitely get different reactions from people if you are a tomboy in Japan. I got picked on by boys many times just because I didn't hesitate to say what I wanted to, or I could run faster than they could.

Originally Posted by lexico

A complement like that is too much to handle

Very true.

[Doc]

Originally Posted by misa.j

She goes "Americans are bautiful already, so they don't have to wear a make up."

Tell that to Hollywood! It's true though what Uncle Frank said, the best beauty is on the inside and that's what counts.

Doc

[Limonette]

Yeah, why do they try so hard to change themselves in every artificial way in Hollywood if they're so beautiful already - perhaps just insecure.

Japanese people seem more beautiful to me because they look thinner and healthier over all. Your mother should come to America then she what she thinks. Although there are beautiful people from everywhere and I agree that true beauty is on the inside.

HOpefully it just made you tougher being a tomboy in Japan Misa - like the 'boy named Sue' sort of in an opposite kind of way. LOL I think it's interesting that I had two Japanese-American women teachers in school who were very non-stereotypical, very strong and opinionated. So that's the first impresssion that Japanese women had on me, later on I learned of the demure feminine stereotype.