Burning Bunnies and Kawaii Resistance: On LARME’s 10th Anniversary Video
<p>Japanese fashion magazine LARME recently yanked and apologized for a video intended to celebrate its 10th anniversary. But the backlash misses the point of the production — and, in doing so, attempts to silence women in Japan.</p>
<h2>Bunny! Bunny! Burning bright</h2>
<p>On the 5th of May <a href="https://www.larme.co/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">LARME magazine</a> released a short promotional video for their 10th Anniversary. In the video, four models, wearing ethereal pastel tulle and brandishing sparkling pistols and parasols, strut down a pink catwalk. The video features voice overs with young women speaking with disdain about sexual assault, harassment and online bulling.</p>
<p>The video juxtaposes these images to a tiny <a href="https://www.sylvanianfamilies.com/ja-jp/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Sylvanian Family</a> (aka Calico Critters) dollhouse, set ablaze.</p>
<p>The toys burn in the densely overpopulated streetscapes of Kabukichō, a red light district in Tokyo. Two Sylvanian Family fuzzy rabbit toys look at each other as they are burnt alive. The flames light up the model’s faces with an orange glow. They give the camera a knowing smile.</p>
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