An An

An An (stylized as an an) is a weekly Japanese women's lifestyle magazine. It is one of the earliest and popular women's magazines in Japan.[1][2] In 2009 it was described by Japan Today as a mega-popular women's magazine.[3] It is also one of the best-selling women's magazines in the country.[4]

An An
CategoriesWomen's magazine
FrequencyWeekly
PublisherMagazine House Ltd.
First issue20 March 1970
CountryJapan
Based inTokyo
LanguageJapanese
Websitemagazineworld.jp/anan

History and profile

The magazine was started as a sister publication of French magazine Elle and was named as Elle Japon.[4][5] The first issue of the magazine was published on 20 March 1970.[6][7][8] The magazine was renamed as an an in 1982,[9] which was the name of a panda bear.[5] Its content was also changed to reflect the trends affecting Japanese women and their self-identity.[5]

At the end of the 1990s an an was published biweekly.[10] The magazine has its headquarters in Tokyo and is now published on a weekly basis on Tuesdays.[11][12] The publisher is Magazine House Ltd., a Tokyo based publishing company.[11][13] The company, which was also the founder of the magazine, was formerly named Heibun Shuppan.[14] Its target audience is women aged between 20 and 24 years old.[6] The magazine has two versions, a regular one and a cheaper one.[1]

Like other young women's magazines in Japan an an frequently features articles on fashion, cosmetics and relationships.[7] On the other hand, it emphasizes the visual aspect and advertisements rather than text.[15] Celebrities, including Jang Geun Suk, have appeared on its covers.[16] However, instead of focusing on gossip, an an and another women's magazine Non-no provide their readers with materials which have the aim of developing their self-identity.[17] In addition, since its inception an an has been instrumental in changing attitudes of young Japanese women as well as in reinforcing new and subversive identities.[18] In 1984 it began to publish an annual sex special issue.[19] Its April 1989 cover read "Become Beautiful through Sex" (sekkusu de kirei ni naru).[4][19]

In 1976 the male version of an an, Popeye magazine, was started.[15]

an an celebrated its publication of 2,000 issues with an exhibition at Tokyo Metro Omotesando station between 11 April and 17 April 2016.[20]

Circulation

The circulation of an an was between 540,000 copies and 720,000 copies in the period of 1970 and 2009.[7] In the mid 1990s the magazine sold 650,000 copies.[10] In 2006 the magazine sold 280,683 copies.[21]

References
  1. "Kindle celebrity image rights scandal hits anan magazine". Japan Trends. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  2. Kaori Shoji (12 May 2008). "Health-conscious Japanese women are running in style". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  3. "'Marriage-hunting' is latest buzzword". Japan Today. 1 March 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  4. Youna Kim (2012). Women and the Media in Asia: The Precarious Self. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 119. ISBN 978-0-230-29272-7.
  5. The Art of Seduction and Affect Economy: Neoliberal Class Struggle and Gender Politics in a Tokyo Host Club. 2008. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-549-64242-8.
  6. Lise Skov; Brian Moeran (January 1995). Women, Media, and Consumption in Japan. University of Hawaii Press. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-8248-1776-3.
  7. Bryan S. Turner; Zheng Yangwen (2009). The Body in Asia. Berghahn Books. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-84545-966-6.
  8. Emiko Ochiai (1997). "Decent Housewives and Sensual White Women". Japan Review (9): 151–169. JSTOR 25791006.
  9. "Section 2: Fashion". National Diet Library. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  10. Aviad E. Raz (1999). Riding the Black Ship: Japan and Tokyo Disneyland. Harvard Univ Asia Center. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-674-76894-9.
  11. "an an Magazine for Japan's Young Women". Japan Visitor Blog. 15 May 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  12. The Far East and Australasia 2003. Psychology Press. 2002. p. 625. ISBN 978-1-85743-133-9.
  13. Jonti Davies (14 February 2007). "Women's magazine enters Japanese DS market". engadget. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  14. Keiko Tanaka (May 2003). "The language of Japanese men's magazines: young men who don't want to get hurt". The Sociological Review. 51 (S1): 222–242. doi:10.1111/j.1467-954X.2003.tb03613.x. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  15. Barbara Németh (2014). "Masculinities in Japan" (PDF). Filozofická fakulta. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  16. "Jang Geun Suk poses for the cover of Japan's 'Anan'". Allkpop. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  17. Yoko Tokuhiro (2009). Marriage in Contemporary Japan. Routledge. p. 45. ISBN 978-1-135-23032-6.
  18. Jennifer Robertson (2008). A Companion to the Anthropology of Japan. John Wiley & Sons. p. 320. ISBN 978-1-4051-4145-1.
  19. Alexandra Hambleton (2012). "Women and Sexual Desire in the Japanese Popular Media". Women and the Media in Asia. Palgrave Macmillan UK. pp. 115–129. doi:10.1057/9781137024626_6. ISBN 978-1-349-33246-5.
  20. "Anan Magazine Commemorates 2,000 Issues Publication with an Exhibit". Arama! Japan. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  21. "Manga Anthology Circulations 2004-2006". ComiPress. 27 December 2007. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
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