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Nazi Cross-dressers Use Pond’s Cream

A Japanese ad for Pond’s Cream features members of the Takarazuka Revue, including Rurika Miya dressed in an SS uniform [via JapanSoc]:

Her hat even has a stylish death’s head mark:

Brian Ashcraft has noted that the image comes from the Takarazuka production of “The Prisoners of Lilac Walls,” in which Rurika Miya plays the roll of Gestapo colonel Günter Hyman.

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27 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - November 23, 2010 at 9:36 am

Categories: Odd / Strange Tags:

Michael

So it isn’t just Korea: http://www.asiaone.com/Just%2BWoman/News/Celebrities/Story/A1Story20080502-62935.html

Kono

yea but you don’t see Korean kids dressing up in Nazi uniforms for cosplay do you? http://agora.rpgclassics.com/showthread.php?18510-Japanese-Nazi-Cosplay

http://www.japanprobe.com James

yea but you don’t see Korean kids dressing up in Nazi uniforms for cosplay do you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg_BAKOjQ1w

http://blog.goo.ne.jp/littorio/e/8003b9f7bbfbec891f07f1e2fd45ae86

http://www.cnn.com/ASIANOW/time/magazine/2000/0605/southkorea.trouble.html

http://www.who-sucks.com/people/dining-with-hitler-in-asia-hitler-themed-bars-restaurants

David

And? What’s your point here?
http://www.billowykimono.com Senor Science

Quick!!!

Somebody call a lazy western journalist to take this out of context and use as “proof” that the Japanese admire Nazi Germany and are returning to their fascist heyday!

sublight

Quiet, or Kyung Lah will hear you!

lovely

unfortunate choice or the japanese just don`t get it. i still see some schools using the nazi salute for sports festivals.

http://www.billowykimono.com Senor Science

Raised arm with a closed fit =/= Nazi salute

Dev

Isn’t that the sign of the Black Power movement?

http://www.japanprobe.com James

i still see some schools using the nazi salute for sports festivals.

Sounds like you don’t get it. The “Nazi Salute” that Japan is “still” using isn’t thought of as a Nazi salute. It was not created by Nazi Germany, and I’m guessing it’s been in use in Japan since the pre-Nazi era.

It was actually quite popular at schools in the United States in the first half of the 20th century:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellamy_salute

lovely

ok – i`ll back down on the salute – BUT it still gives me the heebee jeebees when i see it. i am either too young or too old.

koaro

What a cool uniform．
sorry, we Japanese not have any bad image of Nazi,German army．
Different countries have different value.
It’s not important.
thx

Piglet

A big part of my family was killed by Nazis. I can understand Nazis are not such a taboo in Japan as in Europe, but this is at least a very insensitive thing to use such a uniform in a commercial. This should not be overplayed, but I am quite surprised you write “we Japanese not have any bad image of Nazi”, because many of Nazi victims are still alive and very very few people would nowadays approve any of the Nazi system, army or ideology. Your comment just makes you look like a fool (or a troll).
Thanks.
helical

Please don’t use “we”.
You don’t speak for all of the knowledgeable Japanese people who actually know why Nazi symbolism is disliked around the world.
ponta

”sorry, we Japanese not have any bad image of Nazi,German army”

あなた本当に日本人なの？
Karisu

So, you’re telling us you are pro genocide? That is some amazing stuff.
USA ex-Canadian

I love Japan, but, sorry, you Japanese should have a rotten view of the Nazi regime. You hitched your wagon to their horse, and, well, the rest is history, as they say. Kudos to the majority of today’s Germans for their integrity and courage in facing their Nazi past and refuting it.

Weirdo

I personally think that Nazi uniforms are quite fashionable. It’s unfortunate that they have such negative connotations.

cesar

they are very fashionable

Comment

I have to agree that some of the uniforms were pretty striking. But on the other hand, I also have to appreciate the irony of an all black uniform with a death’s head symbol on it. It basically screams “look at how evil we are!” which turned out to be exactly the case. I suspect it was more meant to be imposing and intimidating rather than a portent of just how stereotypically evil the Nazis turned out to be. In other words, kind of hard to argue that you are not the bad guy when you are running around in a uniform that looks like that.

Menotyou

I don’t see the problem here. The picture is of an actress in a play were she acts as the bad guy. Would you be angry if they would use a picture of Tom Cruise from the movie Valkyrie for an advertisement?

@Piglet: The SS-uniforms were designed by Boss. If you weren’t aware of the crimes that were committed by the SS you would have to admite that they look cool.
ponta

キャンペーンテーマ　～　舞台の裏にはPOND’Sがいる～
宝塚歌劇の舞台はとても華やかで、観ている私達を魅了しますが、ステージ上のタカラジェンヌたちは、役になりきり、長時間にわたる舞台をこなすため、強いスポットライトを浴びています。このような状況下でも、タカラジェンヌたちは、美しい素肌を保ち続けています。その秘訣は、舞台後のクレンジングにあるのです。タカラジェンヌの美しい肌を、舞台裏で支えるポンズでありたい。これからも宝塚歌劇団がすばらしい舞台を魅せてくれるよう願いを込めて、今回のタイアップが実現しました。

http://c.filesend.to/plans2/biz_news2u/body.php?nid=NRR201076931

https://www.ponds.jp/takarazuka/concept

Ponds tied up takarazuka

Here is why.

Takarazuka actors stand in the spotlight on the stage and yet they keep their skin beautiful even off the stage;they use ponds cleansing cream.

The photos on the poster are the shots of the actors on the stage.
Rurika Miya plays the roll of Gestapo colonel Günter Hyman in “The Prisoners of Lilac Walls,”
http://whatjapanthinks.com Ken Y-N

My tuppance worth, since I first posted it to JapanSoc:

Yes, it’s obvious that she’s just dressed up in a costume and the advert is to highlight how Pond’s can protect your skin even from the rigours of stage make-up, not to claim that Pond’s supports Nazi ideals.

However, a Gestapo uniform has a lot of historic baggage and to many people who can recognise the style, we cannot see past the uniform and we come away with a “What were they thinking?” impression. That’s certainly how I felt the first time I saw that hanging advert (the last photo up there) in the train. I see also that’s what Brian Ashcraft wrote.
Jordan

Ah, Takarazuka.. How could such a beautiful lesbian wet dream get so twisted up in the ugly mess that is Nazism?

Oh how far your over-the-top gender roles have fallen!
http://whatjapanthinks.com Ken Y-N

Interestingly, on this morning’s Hankyu train, as with every other train over the weekend, each carriage had a hanging advert with one of the five actresses, but on getting to the carriage where Ms Miya should be (last carriage at the Osaka end of the Takarazuka line) her space was empty. This was a new train straight out of the shunting yard, so it wasn’t a fan who did it.

Anyone else from the Kansai notice this? I’ll check a few more trains myself tonight.

http://whatjapanthinks.com Ken Y-N

It looks like the missing poster was just a coincidence.

However, I also realised there was another Nazi in the train, Lady Gaga, as that appears to be a similar design of hat, although with all the insignia removed.

hidflect

To those who say the Nazi uniform was quite stylish. That was no accident. It was designed by Hugo Boss. Ja! ZAT Hugo Boss.

Nazi Cross-dressers Use Pond’s Cream

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