Whats with japan's obsession with Maids?

Mahoru Andou - one of the most famous Maids in anime
Calgary, Alberta
April 6, 2013 5:51pm CST
After the schoolgirls, Cat girls and Moe girls, I started to notice maid characters and characters who are not maids but dresses in a French Maid outfit started to become famous in many Anime and Japanese videogames as well. i did like some maid characters though. I notic there is this trend of anime and Japanese videogame characters who are maids. Then its also a trend among to Japanese teenage girls to dress up like maids eventhough they dont work as maids,Why do you think Maid characters are starting to be a trend in anime?
5 responses
@Aja103654 (5646)
• Philippines
7 Apr 13
I am guessing that some guys, and even some girls, like the idea of submission. There are guys who prefer submissive and obedient types. And some girls like being submissive. This is somewhat of an observation I got from reading and encountering(often by accident)BDSM and stuff that girls like me should not know about. Others are into it because it's famous, it's cute and it looks good. ^_^
1 person likes this
• Calgary, Alberta
7 Apr 13
In our countries TV shows, Maid outfits are usually worn by unattractive ladies making it unattractive and undesirable and its also used as a symbol of low social status. So S&M have something to with its fame in Japan? And I thought S&M is about leather outfits. Cuteness might be the factor as well because it has ruffles and ribbons making it kawaii. It also looks similar to Lolita fashion which is popular to japanese girls.
@Aja103654 (5646)
• Philippines
8 Apr 13
You have a point. Maids are not attractive in our soap operas. Though lately there's been a fad in the west about sexy maids. In japan, the maids in the anime are cute and young looking, it's very different. Maybe not the BDSM costume. I mean the dominant and submissive application. ^_^ That's right. Girls and boys find the outfit cute and adorable. Plus, I think it's a rather cheaper costume compared to the other costumes other characters wear, because the quality of the cloth is not that expensive.
• Philippines
9 Apr 13
Notice that they type of dressing the maids have is sort of similar to the lolita style. Maids are from the influence of the European Rococo era. It has been an extremely popular thing in Japan because maids and maid outfits are thought to be as kawaii (cute). Really, the frilly type dresses only work for maids. Can you imagine a cute doctor outfit? Nope? Didn't think so.
1 person likes this
• Calgary, Alberta
9 Apr 13
The black and white motifs of maid outfits seemed similar to the gothic lolita look whch Japanese girls really love. I think modern day maids dont wear uniforms, they just dress in casual clothes. That dress is pretty much impractical for cleaning the house. Now its ore of a costume thing.
• Philippines
8 Apr 13
the maid theme is always there in Japanese culture - there are maid shops and other amid- themed establishment. It's an easy trend to pick up in anime since it is a fashionable and it's already in the mainstream. Japanese audience are familiar with it while foreigners can be introduced to the idea. Either way, it's profitable.
1 person likes this
• Calgary, Alberta
9 Apr 13
dont you find it weird that in our country, maid uniforms is a symbol of poverty, not of cuteness.
@cmania (207)
• Portugal
7 Apr 13
because japanese boys have a thing for maids ? Boys would like a woman who serves them with a cute face xD and than it can convert japanese girls and world girls into maids so everyoen is somewhat cute lol
1 person likes this
• Calgary, Alberta
9 Apr 13
Japanese women are starting to be independent and they were starting to be dominating, That could be a factor I guess, they were longing to find a submissive woman, Well maids serves their masters. Most modern women are too independent and smart to let a man dominate her.
@yume11 (183)
• Romania
7 Apr 13
Well.. I think it's because they first tought it's moe/ sexy and maybe now they arrived at the idea that's cute/kawaii. Anyway... I also think that the idea first came from [and Ithink it was promovated mostly by] mens , because of their fantasies :D. Of course if we think more, we'll see that Japan had from ancien times something with things like a maid... Gheishas were like maids in some time [after World War II]. That's my oppinion :).
1 person likes this
• Calgary, Alberta
9 Apr 13
I just realized Maid costumes are so popular in japan that even men wears them.there is a cafe in Japan were the waiters are en n maid outfits. They were straight men.