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写真は『蛯原友里―エビちゃん― 2006年カレンダー』の商品イメージ画像。定価は2000円であるのに、06年９月現在プレミアがつき、6300円以上で売買されている。
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Trendy Japanese #14:
Ebi-chan OL |
* 2006/7/12 配信 ALC Newsletter No.39(ALC
International Marketing 発行)より
* クリックできる語句には、語注がついています
"Ebi-chan" is the nickname of the famous Japanese fashion model Yuri Ebihara. Ebi-chan began her career in 2002 as a model for a female fashion magazine "CanCam." She became more and more popular after she appeared in the TV commercial for Zespri kiwi fruit in 2003. We now see her in many TV commercials of big companies such as Shiseido (cosmetics), FUJI FILM (digital cameras), and McDonalds. At the end of the last year, her 2006 calendar was published and became a huge hit, which is very unusual for the calendar of a fashion model. She appeared in a TV drama and debuted as an actress this spring. And in June, Associated Press reported worldwide how popular Ebi-chan has become in Japan, beginning with the sentence, "Cute is cool in Japan." Ebi-chan is now beginning to be an icon to Japanese women.
Then, what does "OL" stand for? The answer is "office lady," meaning "female office worker." The initials BG (business girl) used to be used, but in order not to be confused with the English phrase "Bar Girl" by foreigners, it was replaced by a new term "OL" around the time of 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. Now people tend to avoid using the term "OL" in offices, because it can be taken as a sexist remark. "OL" is now used mostly in magazines, especially female fashion magazines, to show how you can dress up for work or after work.
So, "Ebi-chan OL" refers to young female office workers who love Ebi-chan and copy her fashion. Ebi-chan usually appears in magazines with "feminine, cute and gorgeous" fashion. Her fashion is based on the key concepts of pastel colors, frills, denim, glitter, loosely permed hair and vivid make-up. Many of Ebi-chan fans just love her so much that they try to dress the same as her. All the clothes she wears in magazines or on TV fly out of stores, and this phenomenon has been named "Ebi-ure(Ebi-chan seller)." You can see how big her influence is over young women.
You may be able to name several Japanese friends around you, who are dressed like Ebi-chan. If you say to them something like, "Wow, you look just like Ebi-chan!", they'll probably be delighted. But if you happen to be a sushi lover, try not to confuse "Ebi-chan" with one of the popular sushi items "ebi," which has a completely different meaning from a "pretty girl" - "shrimp." "Wow, you look just like a shrimp!" probably won't do any good and will just make those women upset!
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