Pallade Veneta - Japan feminist theatre fights misogyny in 'cute' fashion

Meet TremendousCircus, Japan's self-described radical feminist theatre troupe that embraces the flamboyant Gothic Lolita aesthetic as a powerful symbol of womanhood and defence against sexual violence.

The global #MeToo movement hasn't caught on in Japan, and many survivors are too scared to come forward despite a handful of high-profile cases that have forced a reckoning.

Driven by what it terms "radical victim feminism", the fringe group weaves its shows with accounts of sexual violence and harassment faced by members and their fandom, collectively dubbed "militants".

During a recent performance in Tokyo, actors screamed slogans such as "war for women" as they portrayed stylised revolutionists fighting an AI tyrant dubbed "Big Father" in a dystopian future.

Dressed in pink, white and black, the nine women sported Japanese Lolita fashion, a substyle that fuses the bell-shaped silhouettes of Victorian clothing with macabre goth motifs.

"My goal is to be a role model who can show that a joyful future can await sexual violence survivors," 28-year-old actor Chino, a rape survivor who co-founded the troupe, told AFP.

Having recently concluded a legal battle surrounding her own case, Chino is determined not to let that assault define her life.

"I want to wear pretty clothes and go explore a lot of places," she said.

"That single moment when I was raped is far shorter than a whole life ahead of me that I should care about and try to enrich."

- 'Armour' -

TremendousCircus, whose members agreed to be identified using their professional names, debuted in 2016 with a focus on LGBTQ rights.

The all-women group -- except for one co-founder, an openly gay man -- now charges men up to twice as much as women spectators in a dig at Japan's doggedly wide gender wage gap, double the OECD average.

From blouse to jumper skirt and drawers to petticoat, TremendousCircus's multi-layered garments are the "exact opposite of form-fitting, scant and sexually arousing clothes many men crave", said Chino.

"We can repel men while wearing pretty clothes," she said.

Members say in Japan -- which ranked 118th out of 148 economies in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Index last year -- women are regularly bumped into and ogled at by men on crowded trains while subjected to patriarchal expectations for marriage and childbirth, especially in rural areas.

A 2024 government survey found that around one in 10 young people in Japan have been groped at least once, the vast majority women.

Even off stage, member Hina Haruka braves the sizzling summer heat in Gothic Lolita-style "armour", with a white lace parasol and bonnet.

"These cannot be easily taken off, so they help protect women from rape as well," the pigtailed 27-year-old told AFP.

In the Gothic Lolita world "we can wear pink and go all out with frills and cuteness no matter how old we are", she said.

"That makes me think I'm fulfilling the version of myself that I love, and valuing my feelings as a woman -- there's something very feminist about that."

- 'Help each other' -

Arguing that every woman in Japan is in some way a victim of its misogynistic society, Chino said radical victim feminism, which centres on the needs of sexual violence survivors, "has the potential to unite all women".

During their latest performance titled "Unite", TremendousCircus actors depicted killings of men and ferociously ripped apart AI-generated photos of men's faces.

The group does not outright disavow dating, marriage, childbirth and sex with men like some radical feminists do in South Korea, for example, Chino said.

Instead, "we welcome all women", including mothers and sex workers, because "women should be free to live however they want", she said.

Formerly in prostitution, Mizuki Shikyoin recalls being systematically "groomed" by her male boss.

"Now I know. Everything I thought was 'given' by a boyfriend or a pimp through rape and sex was in fact what was taken away from me," the 27-year-old bellowed in an anguish-filled monologue during "Unite".

"I used to think I was helpless without men, but I was wrong. I can't do everything alone, but when women help each other we can do anything," Shikyoin told AFP.

The message resonated deeply with the dozens of audience members, most of them women, who smiled and sobbed as three-hour "Unite" ended.

"It made me realise how our society is centred around men and understand why my life hasn't gone well sometimes," Ayaka, 37, told AFP, only giving her first name.

"I can live a bit more positively now."

Z.Ottaviano--PV