Do you know what is Yaeba? It's basically crooked teeth in Japanese. While in the west, crooked teeth are not appreciated, in Japan the attitude is quite different! Read on to find out what is the Japanese attitude towards Yaeba.
From the Western perspective, having perfectly-aligned and white teeth will give you the perfect definition of a beautiful smile.
People would often opt for expensive dental procedures to align their teeth and make them as white as possible, but in Japan, it’s a completely different story.
The Japanese people accept and even compliment people with crooked teeth and it’s seen as an attractive quality because it makes them look childlike. This is Japanese beauty standard is called “Yaeba” (八重歯).
Surprisingly, a number of Japanese even undergo dental procedures to intentionally misalign their teeth. Who would’ve thought this was a thing? It might sound out of the ordinary, but it is!
In this article, we’ll talk all about “Yaeba” (八重歯) and its rise as a beauty standard and trend in the Japanese culture.
So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!
Yaeba - Japanese's Attitude Towards Crooked Teeth
What Is Yaeba?
You might’ve heard the word “Yaeba” (八重歯) in some Japanese videos or documentaries on social media platforms.“Yaeba” (八重歯) literally means “double tooth” and this specifies to the upper canine teeth or the “fangs” which are misaligned with the other teeth.
This is a beauty standard in Japan and in the Japanese people’s perspective, it makes them, specifically, women, look the same as a cat or a rabbit’s teeth.
“Yaeba” (八重歯) doesn’t come naturally to women most of the time which is why they undergo medical procedures to go make it look crooked intentionally, but due to its high cost, it’s not really a priority for the Japanese people.
Anime is a contributing factor for “Yaeba” (八重歯) to rise in popularity alongside Japanese people’s love for cats.
Japanese people also believe that the “Yaeba” (八重歯) look will make them seem younger because it resembles a child’s set of teeth.
Some say that the Japanese people’s acceptance of “Yaeba” (八重歯) stems from their belief called “Wabi-sabi” (侘寂) which basically means that the Japanese people find beauty in imperfect shapes.
Yaeba And Japanese Media Influence
“Yaeba” (八重歯) can be seen virtually everywhere in the media sphere because in animes, most of the girl characters have fang-like teeth which resemble “Yaeba” (八重歯). It can be seen with famous Japanese actresses as well.
J-pop idol groups or singers are known to have “Yaeba” (八重歯) as well which makes the Japanese public admire them even more. They usually perform in public and in large crowds which makes their teeth more visible.
Some say, the trend started in 2011 when people started noticing AKB48 singer and actress Tomomi Itano with a set of crooked teeth whenever she poses for photos or performs with her group.
Back in 2012, a girl group named “TYB48” (tsuke-yaba48) debuted and they were the first-ever J-pop girl group with all of its members with “Yaeba” (八重歯) with the help of dental procedure. They were adored and idolized by many Japanese even up to this day.
More and more teenage girls wanted to look like these actresses and singers; up until now, the beauty standard is very much alive.
In addition, the media influence and the positive portrayal of “Yaeba” (八重歯) pushed the Japanese male demographic to see it as a redeeming and beautiful quality of their Japanese counterparts.
This is why most Japanese girls want to have “Yaeba” (八重歯) and look attractive and desirable.
Yaeba And The Japanese Sentiment
In general, Japanese culture is known to be open and understanding. Japanese people also don’t follow Western culture that much. These qualities can be applied to “Yaeba” (八重歯) and why Japanese people accept and even follow this trend for more than a decade now.
As mentioned earlier, Japanese people adore anime characters, actresses, and singers with crooked teeth and this basically sums up their view on this beauty standard. They completely adore people with “Yaeba” (八重歯) and see it as a good physical quality.
Although it’s important to note that even though “Yaeba” (八重歯) is seen as a beauty standard of some sort, Japanese women aren’t really that eager to change their teeth’s appearance because it’s said that the dental procedure for it costs a lot of money.
The positive public perception of “Yaeba” (八重歯) is thanks to the media and the famous Japanese actresses and singers that have crooked teeth. Naturally, people tend to look up to influencers or people that they see on television or on social media.
Lastly, Japanese people aren’t that critical of looks, they don’t judge other people despite having different preferences. Japan might be a country full of rich history and traditions, but they're still open to accepting new trends and norms into its society.
Also, if the Japanese folks aren’t approving of the beauty trend of “Yaeba” (八重歯) more than a decade ago, they would’ve been more critical and unaccepting of it, but it’s a completely different story now and they’ve completely accepted it as a part of their culture.
Yaeba As A Beauty Standard In Japan
As mentioned earlier, “Yaeba” (八重歯) rose to fame due to popular anime series, movies, actresses, singers, and influencers. This catapulted “Yaeba” (八重歯) into a legit beauty standard embraced by Japanese women and adored by Japanese men.
Having crooked teeth is loved by the Japanese public because it makes them look younger by having child-like teeth and resembles the teeth of cute animals like cats and bunnies.
“Yaeba” (八重歯) is connected to another trend in Japan which is to be “Kawaii” (可愛い) or “cute”. The Japanese people, specifically the younger generation, are obsessed with being cute and doing cute gestures because they find it attractive and trendy.
Since “Yaeba” (八重歯) resembles a child-like smile, it’s considered “Kawaii” (可愛い) or “cute” as well. “Yaeba” (八重歯) compliments the trend and is like a prop to be cute or adorable.
A person’s smile is what most people are looking at first in terms of physical attraction which is why “Yaeba” (八重歯) is a big deal for some women because they know that this is one of the specific physical qualities that most men are looking for.
This leads to women with perfectly straight teeth undergoing a specific dental procedure, only in Japan, to have the crooked look and a child-like smile. We’ll talk about this more in the next portion of this article.
What Is Tsuke-Yaeba
As mentioned earlier in the article, there’s a dental procedure to intentionally give someone a crooked smile or “Yaeba” (八重歯), and this procedure is called “Tsuke-Yaeba” (付け八重歯) and it translates to “attached yaeba” or “false yaeba”.
Only a small number of women undergo “Tsuke-Yaeba” (付け八重歯) because it’s on the pricey side. To clarify, there’s no major operation whatsoever that is going to take place because it’s just going to be an attachment on the upper portion of the teeth.
The price varies from 270$-540$ (31,000-61,000 yen). The large disparity in price is due to additional bling or accessories. Adding a Swarovski crystal doubles the base price of a “removable yaeba”.
“Tsuke-Yaeba” (付け八重歯) isn’t really permanent and it can be removed whenever the person wants to. What makes the procedure so expensive even though it’s removable is because the extra teeth must be created from a perfect mold of the patient and that takes skill and effort.
Also, the girl group “TYB48” (tsuke-yaba48) was actually formed by a dental clinic offering “Tsuke-Yaeba'' (付け八重歯) and the clinic is called “Pure Cure” in Roppongi, Tokyo.
The girl group was formed to advertise the dental procedure of “Tsuke-Yaeba'' (付け八重歯) and continue the trend and maintain the topic as a talking point among Japanese people. The result was effective because more people talked about it at that time and the group rose to popularity.
Yaeba Under A Western Viewpoint
This isn’t a common sight for Western people and they’ll definitely view this trend or beauty standard as “wrong” or “unusual”, but that’s just because they’ve been used to seeing the complete opposite.
From a Western viewpoint, they relate beauty and a set of teeth as perfectly-straight and pearly white at all times. So it’s only normal for them to react this way or find “Yaeba” (八重歯) quite odd.
Naturally, since this is how they view “Yaeba” (八重歯) as a whole, they see the dental procedure of “Tsuke-Yaeba” (付け八重歯) as unnecessary and a waste of money. It’s normal to see it this way because they don’t see it the way Japanese people do.
To sum it up, we just have different preferences and perspectives toward beauty standards and trends.
Yaeba - Japanese's Attitude Towards Crooked Teeth
Having perfectly-aligned teeth is the “normal” standard for most people but the Japanese see it from a very different perspective. “Yaeba” (八重歯) is desired by almost all of the Japanese people.
It might be a new and surprising sight for many but this is completely normal and accepted in Japanese culture. They even offer dental procedures to give the Japanese a beautiful crooked smile.
We hope that this article has been helpful in teaching you about “Yaeba” (八重歯) and how Japanese people view crooked teeth as a beauty standard.
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