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Penguins are always popular at zoos and aquariums, and now the aquatic birds are serving as metaphors for some of Japan’s most eligible bachelorettes.
Recently, many Japanese men have been expressing a fondness for what’re being called penguin girls ("pengin joshi" in Japanese). It’s not the animals’ swimming prowess or cute little walk that the term is referring to, but rather their perceived personalities.
The logic behind the name holds that, as flightless birds, penguins have to pay attention to their surroundings in order to stay safe, and so penguin girls are women who, by extension, are observant and rational. Instead of reacting emotionally, they take a logical approach to things, yet are also able to show empathy. In describing his admiration for a penguin girl he knows, one Japanese man in his 20s said “When I was feeling down about screwing up at work, she told me ‘I’ve made that same mistake.’ Having a woman say those words to me left a deeper impression than hearing them from another guy.”
Penguin girls’ penchant for objective thinking translates into an independent personality, their proponents say. That desire for independence can manifest in a strong work ethic, which takes a lot of pressure off men in Japan, where society has long expected males to be the breadwinners for their households. “A woman who works hard and lives within her economic means isn’t going to be greedy or push a guy to provide her with a lavish lifestyle,” opined one thirty-something penguin girl fan. “That’s a really attractive personality trait.”
Finally, just as penguins can stand calm and still for long periods of time, penguin girls don’t react to emotionally stressful situations with panic attacks or verbal outbursts. Instead, they keep their cool while carefully thinking of what the most appropriate course of action to take is. “My girlfriend is always cool and collected,” shared one penguin girl’s boyfriend. “I was really busy at work, so I told her ‘I need some time apart from you,’ and after that, she didn’t try to contact me at all. I actually got sort of worried after a month went by, so I got in touch with her, and she acted just like she always has, even though we hadn’t spoken for a month.”
While the above example is an extreme case, men who prefer penguin girls say that women who fall into the category tend to be in control of, as opposed to controlled by, their feelings. Having fewer extreme emotional peaks and valleys means they’re less likely to become clingy or controlling, and so while a cool-headed approach to love may not be what every guy is looking for, for those who are, a penguin girl feels just right.
Source: Ameba News via Otakomu, Jooy
Read more stories from RocketNews24. -- Precious penguin picks a perfect playmate 【Pics】 -- Meet Sakura-chan, the sprinting penguin in love with a human【Video】 -- Blogger offers her top four tips for Japanese women dating foreign guys
© Japan Today
19 Comments
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sensei258
Wow, what a lot of psycho-babble.
HollisBrown
News: Grown up, rational ladies, who are able to participate in meaningful and constructive conversation are more attractive than childish, speak in high pitched voices, think everything is kawaiiiii, Disney obsessed, pout while blowing cheeks out for photographs, ladies.
...So lets give them a childish, kawaiiii, tag of 'Penguin Girls'.
Phoenix Scotney
...They sound like fairly normal women to me; not sure why a specific name needs to be given to women who have a set of fairly common personality traits.
cleo
I've always been a penguin girl. Got the right legs for it an'all.
goldorak
Mate could be that your penguin girl had met a big polar bear that kept her warm (and busy) while you were socially and sexually hibernating?
katsu78
LOL, so true!
It says a lot about relationships in Japan that a simple moment of empathy-driven one-human-relating-to-another-human is so novel it needs its own kawaii mascot term.
Alistair Carnell
Looking at the pic, I was mislead before reading the story. I thought that 'penguin girls' meant those office workers who wear scarves, and want the heater cranked up in mid-September.
MsDelicious
A whole month not talking? That is not a relationship.
Dale T Koshida
Must there be a label for everything in Japan!
cleo
Got the waddle down to a T. :-)
Good swimmer, too.
Himajin
Evidently so.... ;-)
Paustovsky
Any article on JT that starts "Japanese men ..." almost always reflects badly on them.
turbotsat
Hottt! :)
dcog9065
Independent personalities, rational rather than emotional? Sounds good to me! Hopefully this catches on with the girls here
notagain
...So lets give them a childish, kawaiiii, tag of 'Penguin Girls'.
Spot on.
Russell Williams
i thinks it more down to wanting a girl who has you back as much as you have hers, that you dont have to keep up strong appearance 24-7. that your not alone in carrying the weight of the house hold thay she can support you as much as you support her. and in a way you dont have to always be the practical on all the time.
turbotsat
?!? Shape like bowling pin???
Russell Williams
“My girlfriend is always cool and collected,” shared one penguin girl’s boyfriend. “I was really busy at work, so I told her ‘I need some time apart from you,’ and after that, she didn’t try to contact me at all. I actually got sort of worried after a month went by, so I got in touch with her, and she acted just like she always has, even though we hadn’t spoken for a month.”
sounds like dating a Girl with aspergers to me.
Hicoway
Objective thinking is a function of two of four main personality types. It’s not something that an emotional type can will. Scientific thinking is the strongest card a person can play in life, and women who can think evidence based, or scientifically, are the best to couple with, if the man is also rational.