Natsumi Nonaka

• Discursive Design for Critically Embodying Gendered Experiences in Japan’s New Graduate Recruitment Practices
• Tutor: Garðar Eyjólfsson

This project delves into the societal gender norms imposed on female university students in Japan, particularly focusing on their appearance during new graduate recruitment practices. It employs a discursive design approach to critically visualize and embody women’s gendered experiences, aiming to provide new perspectives and spark discussions. Through the lens of performance theory, the study analyzes how female university students ‘perform gender’ during job hunting, investigating the messages conveyed through their appearances, societal pressures, and cultural influences.

Furthermore, it focuses on stockings as an essential ‘prop’ for female students to ‘perform gender’ as employers demand. This research creates two alternative artifacts—bioplastic stockings and body hair stockings—to expose the male gaze embedded in current beauty norms and the invisible burdens required to maintain normative appearances.