Archive · 31 Oct 2025
Japan Municipality Withdraws Sexist Dating Advice for Women
A town in Japan made a guide to help people find partners.
The guide gave a lot of specific fashion and makeup tips to women, telling them to look delicate, elegant, and wear certain clothes.
It also told men to make sure their shirts were clean and their hair looked neat.
People got very upset because the advice for women was much stricter and seemed to suggest they should all look the same, which felt sexist.
Because of the complaints, the town took the guide down from its website.
They said they believed the information was helpful for singles, but they also said they take the upsetting comments seriously.
This happened in a country trying to encourage more births, as fewer babies are being born.
A Japanese municipality, Iwate, has withdrawn a dating advice booklet after widespread criticism.
The booklet, published in 2019, offered specific fashion and makeup tips for women to appear 'delicate' and 'elegant'.
Critics, including a feminist scholar, accused the booklet of entrenching gender roles and imposing undue pressure on women.
Advice for men in the booklet was significantly less demanding, focusing on basic grooming.
Iwate officials stated the booklet was meant to offer successful matchmaking strategies, not mandatory dress codes, and cited complaints for its withdrawal.
- Who
- Iwate, a northern Japanese municipality
- What
- Withdrew a dating advice booklet after facing criticism for sexist content targeting women
- When
- The booklet was published in 2019, and withdrawn this week.
- Where
- Iwate, Japan
- Why
- The booklet was criticized for entrenching gender roles and imposing specific, narrow beauty standards on women seeking partners, while offering minimal advice to men.
Critics of the booklet
Iwate Municipality Officials
Nature of the Advice
Critics of the booklet
The advice enforces traditional gender roles, specifically pressuring women to conform to narrow beauty standards and appear 'delicate' to attract a partner.
Iwate Municipality Officials
The advice was intended to share successful strategies for singles looking for marriage, not to mandate any particular appearance, and was meant for those struggling to find a match.
Discrepancy in Advice
Critics of the booklet
The significantly more detailed and restrictive advice for women compared to the minimal advice for men highlights inherent sexism and unequal expectations.
Iwate Municipality Officials
The advice was simply meant to help people understand common successful approaches, and the differences in detail for men and women were not intended to be discriminatory.
Impact of the Booklet
Critics of the booklet
The booklet entrenching the division of roles based on gender and causing distress to women.
Iwate Municipality Officials
The information was necessary to support people looking for marriage and the municipality takes upsetting comments seriously, leading to withdrawal.
- Region
- Iwate, Japan
- Brochure Publication Year
- 2019
- Brochure Withdrawal Date
- Tuesday
- Reason for Withdrawal
- Complaints of sexism and upsetting descriptions
- Brochure Content (Women)
- Wear pumps, skirts, "delicate" makeup, elegant hairstyles, white clothes
- Brochure Content (Men)
- Keep shirts wrinkle-free and clean, don't go out with bedhead