"Girl" is the Buzz Word

First, it was ELLE, who launched ELLE Girl

Elle Girl always has an overseas celebrity on its cover.

Before Blake, it was Kristen Stewart, and before Kristen, it was Taylor Swift.

Obviously, the selction for the cover girl shows the target age group.

Next came VOGUE Girl...

VOGUE has been casting Japanese models and actresses on its cover.

But the target age group is the same as those for ELLE Girl.

And today, I received a copy of Peach John Girl.

And given that Peach John is the "Victoria's Secret of Japan,"

it is easy to see that "Girl" is the buzz word du jour.

Girl is a State of Mind, not Age

Though the cover girls speak volumes about the target age group and lifestyles/fashion preferences, once inside the cover it is obvious that Girl is actually a state of mind and not necessarily an age group.

Sure, the publications do not talk about anti-aging remedies and cosmetics, but the advertisers are not always the second line and VOGUE often features "high and low styling" where they match up haute couture brands with more up and coming ones like CHANEL x Acne.

I was quite impressed that the health related articles in VOGUE Girl went into some very serious advice on sensible and healthy eating, like "choose whole grain rice over bread and pasta to prevent blood sugar levels from rising too quickly."

Japan seems to forever be the market where youth and a "girly mindset" remain not only acceptable, but even preferred or seen as aspirational. Initially, I was inclined to think "and this, despite the rapidly aging population and there being more dogs than kids under the age of 15," but then again, perhaps it is more accurate to say that it is because of this that youth and being girly are so desirable.