While touring Asia this July, Japanese Singer and television personality Shoko Nakagawa (often called Shokotan) was confronted by two young fans with a costume that could be interpreted as brashly mocking her were instead praised by the artist as Genius.

Looking at the picture, though, it might be hard to see what the problem is. People with a background in art might be able to figure it out.

The costume these girls are sporting is a reference to a photo posted on the internet around 2010 (see below). Shokotan created it in response to people saying she had short legs. Using a photo of herself she copied and pasted her own head running down the length of her body.

In total 5.5 heads were used to cover the distance. Any high school art teacher will tell you that an average person tends to be between 6.5-7.5 heads tall.  Shokotan jokingly boasted the photo as “proof of short legs.”

Surely realizing that the Taiwanese girls meant no harm with their homage, probably because Shokotan made the original photo herself, she gracefully (by internet standards) applauded the girls’ spunk.

“Woah lololololol Taiwan girls are harsh lolololol Amazing lololololololololol Crazy! lolololololololol Shokotan’s short leg photo cosplay lolololololol Genius, right on! lolololololol Everyone in Taiwan is intense!!”
(translated from her public blog)

However, one could read sadness often found in an overuse of “lol” putting on a brave face and covering up some hurt deep in her heart.

Sure having short legs is nothing to lose sleep over.  A quick Google image search reveals that if short legs are what she has, then I will take short legs any day of the week.

Yet I understand for someone in the entertainment business you usually want to downplay any physical problems as much as possible. It’s kind of like meeting Tom Cruise and getting down on your knees to look him in the eyes.

Source: Shoko Nakagawa’s Blog (Japanese)

▼The original “short leg proof photo”

[ Read in Japanese ]