<p style="font-weight: 400;">Fencing women&#8217;s sabre player Misaki Emura (25), who was the flag bearer for the Japanese team at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, winning her second consecutive World Championship title, unexpectedly lost in the third round. In the post-match interview, she commented, <span class="strongInContent">&#8220;I don&#8217;t know why</span>,&#8221; after her loss to a lower-ranked opponent ranked 18th in the world.</p>
<figure id="attachment_384601" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2754px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-384601"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="38cceec2"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/07/ad7372fdabe25a23c80bc0a50993a77b.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-384601" class="wp-caption-text">Emura is only 25 years old. He has a long life ahead of him.</figcaption></figure>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="strongInContent"> In response to analysis suggesting that his loss was due to a thigh injury he sustained during the pre-match training camp in Paris, he said, &#8220;That&#8217;s a small thing and can&#8217;t be the reason.&#8221; It is a disturbance following Abe Uta (24) in judo,&#8221; said a reporter covering the event.</span></p>
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<p style="font-weight: 400;">While the archipelago was still in a state of surprise over the queen&#8217;s defeat, Emura unexpectedly came under criticism. It all started at the opening ceremony. Emura kept a smile on his face despite the rain and fulfilled his role as the flag bearer. While his dignified appearance was praised, a post on social media immediately after the ceremony sparked controversy.</p>
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<p style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="strongInContent"> I wish the players would quit dyeing their hair,&#8221; she said. They will be laughed at abroad.</span></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="strongInContent"> If an Asian person wears his hair blonde, he will be laughed at behind his back in North America and Europe.&#8221;</span></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">The post, which made fun of Emura&#8217;s trademark blonde hair, received more than 10,000 likes, with comments ranging from &#8220;It <span class="strongInContent">looks good on you, so it&#8217;s fine</span> &#8221; to <span class="strongInContent">&#8220;Blonde hair on a Japanese person is embarrassing internationally</span>.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Is Emura&#8217;s blonde hair really &#8220;embarrassing&#8221;?</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="A surprising answer from a local resident"></div>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">This reporter asked local people what they thought. Since we thought it would be difficult to get the true feelings out of a Frenchman by asking him, &#8220;What do you think of Japanese blondes? In this case, we asked a French-speaking Canadian journalist we met at the media center to help us out.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="strongInContent"> He told me, &#8220;Yes, there are some people who make fun of Asians, but they are racists, not people who laugh at their hairstyles. Maybe they laugh at Asians with black hair. Why should I limit my hairstyles just because those assholes laugh at me in the first place?　If we just backed down and listened to them, they would keep making fun of us.</span></p>
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<p style="font-weight: 400;">Others talk about the perpetuating nature of the &#8221; <span class="strongInContent">stop it because it&#8217;s embarrassing&#8221;</span> argument.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="strongInContent"> I have a thing for beautiful Japanese black hair, so I think it&#8217;s a waste to go to the trouble of dying it gold. But whether it&#8217;s embarrassing or not is up to the individual who chooses that hairstyle, not for those around them to say. If there really are people who laugh at other people&#8217;s hairstyles behind their backs, then they are poor creatures who only get pleasure from humiliating others.</span></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="strongInContent"> Those who say &#8220;Stop it, it&#8217;s embarrassing&#8221; should be more aware of their own complicity in discrimination. Because that would mean, &#8220;Let&#8217;s listen to the racists and stay quiet,&#8221; wouldn&#8217;t it?　That is nonsense. Besides, there are many Asian people in Europe now. And yet, most of the people who make fun of Asians are elderly. You don&#8217;t have to listen to them.</span></p>
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<p style="font-weight: 400;">The reporter interviewed 10 other people, including local residents and German journalists, and their answers were similar to the above two.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Emura is a globally active athlete who is an ambassador for the iconic French brand Dior. The only people laughing at the blonde are elderly Europeans and netizens who want to discredit the athlete. &#8230;&#8230;</p>


 Kyodo News

 Misaki Emura, 25, the flag bearer for the Japanese women's fencing team at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, was eliminated in the third round of the competition after winning two consecutive World Championships.

Fencing’s Misaki Emura Considered Internationally Embarrassing by French

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