This is geisha. Translated as literally as possible, geisha means "performing artist." They are not prostitutes, contrary to popular Western belief. And to us, they look absolutely ridiculous. HOWEVER, this is quite common in Japan and we would probably look funny to a geisha. Because of their profession (which is basically and type of performance that's not prostitution), they seek to dress extravagantly for maximum entertainment. In fact, this is expected of them, especially in the young training geisha. They wear traditional white face makeup (A LOT) on special occasions, as well as these dresses called kimonos. Kimonos can be up to 15 layers thick (whoa) and are generally made of a silk-ish material to make the geisha look shiny and.. slick. (Pictures of these dresses are easily found on google images. Just be careful what exactly you search for) Training geisha have additional heavy attachments to the dresses and "pocket sleeves" which really only serve to get in the way. Kimonos can take years to complete, and the style of them depends on the current season being experienced. Prestigious geisha have storehouses of hoarded kimonos (reminds me of my girlfriend's purse collection), and are rated in the geisha heierarchy on a scale from poor to awesome based on how often each kimono is worn. If a geisha wears a kimono only once, it shows that she can afford to do so and has high economic placement in society.
Sweet. Check it out. It's.. sort of interesting.
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