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The story
An article has gone viral after a psychiatrist claimed that “plushie life” (nuikatsu) — posting photos with stuffed animals on social media — is “a sign of psychological infantilization” rooted in deep loneliness. Reactions on 5ch were split: some defended the hobby as “a comforting activity that’s existed forever” or “not infantilization, just showing off to fellow fans,” while others kept their distance. Many comments also expressed distrust of the “psychiatrist” title itself, with the majority favoring personal freedom of hobby over any medical diagnosis.
11/4 (Wed) 5:56
The famous postwar ballad containing the line “Who made this woman the way she is?” was once hummed by the public amid the chaos of postwar Japan. Now, roughly 80 years on, plenty of people find themselves troubled by a different kind of “chaos.” This piece examines the pathologies of modern Japan through the countless curious lifestyles found in society today.
The first installment featured expert commentary on the pathologies afflicting modern Japanese society, such as the surge of conspiracy theories surrounding the late actor Haruma Miura and the growing number of people spending as much as 100 minutes a day on “poi-katsu” (chasing reward points).
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Read the original article here
What people said
Can't help it — COVID already proved how childish the medical establishment can be.
You're overthinking this.
Yeah, exactly, acrylic stands are the same.
Those people don't show their own faces, right?
It's just that a photo on its own would be plain scenery, so they probably want to put something in frame.
I don't think that's any different from guys who carefully pose their motorcycle for a photo.
Aren't these just people who want to show off "I went here!" with a photo, but don't want to show their own face?
Isn't it the same as putting a dog or a motorcycle in front of a nice view?
Isn't he way too outdated to be commenting on modern times?
If you take good care of a mummy too, does a spirit end up dwelling in it?
Not being able to find a partner, not being able to get married — isn't that more a problem with the structure of society?
It's such a buzzkill when you search a tourist spot on Google Maps and photos like that show up.
What I want is information about the tourist spot, not information about how much you love that character.
There are even people who make a living in the plushie business.
To begin with, I think that kind of thing already has full social acceptance in this country.
Even mascot costumes have "human rights," so to speak.
Same goes for middle-aged men collecting miniature cars, or train-spotters.
It also applies to guys still customizing motorcycles and cars in middle age — the kind of thing teenagers used to do.
True lol
But honestly, to normal society, seeing a grown adult rambling on 5ch on a weekday afternoon is just as cringe-inducing lol
Background and Key Points of This Debate
“Plushie life” (nuikatsu) refers to going out with stuffed animals or photographing them and posting the results on social media — a term that spread as an offshoot of “oshi-katsu” (fan-support) culture. The claim in question comes from a passage in a women’s-magazine feature article, cited alongside conspiracy theories about the late actor Haruma Miura and immersion in “poi-katsu” as examples of “pathologies of modern Japan” — worth noting this is not an independent academic study. On the thread, the main fault line ran between commenters questioning the credibility of the “psychiatrist” title and those defending the hobby with arguments like “it’s been said for over a hundred years that this is a comfort-seeking behavior.” Many also compared it to other hobbies involving “photographing objects,” such as acrylic stands, model collecting, and train photography, expressing discomfort at singling out plushie life specifically — meanwhile, the article itself doesn’t specify its survey subjects or sample size.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geisokuho+) thread “‘Plushie Life,’ Taking Photos with Stuffed Animals on Social Media, Is ‘a Sign of Psychological Infantilization’ — Psychiatrist Claims ‘Deep Loneliness Underlies It’.”
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