I hope nobody finds this post offensive---such is 
not my intention.  But some recent threads got me 
thinking....

We all know what to expect fromt the average anime 
character---huge hair and eyes that take up 
roughly 1/3 of their face.  ^_^  And I'm sure that 
there have been volumes written about this 
particular design style.

But what I thought about as I read the bishoujo 
posts was, "I wonder if Japanese kids are 
influenced by these designs?"  I mean, it's 
well-documented that many people base their 
self-worth on comparisons made to TV personalities 
and styles.  In the US, cartoon characters are 
usually heavily caricaturized, to the point of 
being inhuman.  So I don't think too many kids 
make close comparisons to themselves.  But anime 
in Japan is more ubiquitous and widely accepted.  
And the characters are often CLOSE to being real. 
 So is it possible that some kids feel bad that 
they don't resemble these faces that they see?

It has never ceased to amaze me how DIFFERENT the 
characters in anime are from their creators (in 
appearance).  Again, I don't mean to be offensive. 
 I find Asians to have the same potential to be 
beautiful or ugly as anyone else.  But every now 
and then this thought crosses my mind....

Does anyone have anything to add?

Please let me know if this is Off Topic for this 
forum, and I'll quit it!

JP