War on the Domestic Front: Changing Ideals of Girlhood in Girls' Magazines, 1937-45.

The article discusses the social role of Japanese girls during the period of total war from 1937 to 1945 through examining the girls' magazines "Shōjo no tomo (Girls' companion)" and "Shōjo kurabu (Girl's club)." The girls' magazines' relationship with the Japanese education system is discussed. The representation of the ideal Japanese girl, including as being willing to sacrifice for the nation, nursing wounded Japanese soldiers and in having strength over beauty, is also discussed. The author contends that girls' magazines transformed from a focus on fashion, domesticity and motherhood in pre-war Japan into a portrayal of the ideal girl as classless, ageless and genderless during the period of total war.