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More and more Japanese men now are aiming to join the ranks of the "Cool Dads" like Jonny Depp and Brad Pitt, in sharp contrast to their own fathers who were known for their "work-till-you-0drop" and "leave the kids to the wife" lifestyles.
Magazines have sprung up to guide them on everything from "Child-rearing, the Male Way" to "How to Become a Beloved Dad", reflecting the trendiness of being a hands-on parent.
"We re no longer living in an era when it s expected that men go out and women stay home," said Tomohiro Shimizu, publisher of FQ Japan, which stands for Father s Quarterly.
"Fathers in their 30s and 40s still feel a bit ashamed of being a doting parent. We want to change that," added Shimizu, 39, who has a 3-year-old son.
FQ Japan debuted in December and the maiden issue featured Depp and the words: "Be a Cool Dad" on the cover. The magazine also ran interviews with celebrity fathers and had plenty of information on parenting products, such as "stylish" buggies.
FQ was first published in Britain in 2003. Shimizu said that when he raised the idea at the time of making a Japanese edition, colleagues said it wouldn t sell.
Perceptions gradually changed, and several parenting magazines aimed at the male reader have now hit newstands, some focusing on education, others on fashion tips for the stylish father.
"Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, David Beckham the cool guys, all have children," said Kiyohiko Okubo, publisher of Oceans, an up-market fashion magazine.
"Some playboy-types may have thought it was cool to go out secretly with a woman," said Okubo. "But more and more men are starting to feel that it is really cool to spend time with their family." |
如今，越来越多的日本男性想加入强尼·戴普和布拉德·皮特的“酷爸爸”行列，这和他们父辈“只顾自己的工作”，而“把孩子丢给妻子”的做法形成了鲜明对比。
近年来，日本出现了一批如“爸爸育儿”及“怎样成为一个好爸爸”等指导男性育儿的杂志，这也反映了日本正在兴起一股“做好爸爸”{的潮流。
《爸爸》季刊日本版的出版商清水友广说：“男主外、女主内的时代已经过去。”
“一些三、四十岁的爸爸仍然有点羞于宠爱孩子，我们想改变这种观念。”今年39岁的清水友广有一个三岁的儿子。
《爸爸》杂志日本版于去年12月首次发行，创刊号的封面用的是强尼·戴普的照片，上面写着“做个酷爸爸”。杂志里还有“名人爸爸专访”栏目，而且还提供了很多类似“时髦童车”等育儿产品的信息。
《爸爸》杂志于2003年在英国创刊。清水说，当时他建议出版《爸爸》杂志的日文版，但同事们对此都不太看好。
随着人们观念的改变，如今几种面向爸爸的育儿杂志在日本也开始畅销起来。这些杂志有的侧重于如何教育孩子、有的则教时髦爸爸们如何穿衣打扮。
高端市场时尚杂志《海洋》的出版商大久保清彦说："强尼·戴普、布拉德·皮特和大卫·贝克汉姆这些 酷星 们都有孩子。"
“有些‘花花公子’类型的男人可能认为和女人秘密约会很‘酷’，但越来越多的男性则开始意识到投入家庭生活才是真正的‘酷’。” |