With an ethnicity of half-black and half-Korean, Smith’s obsession with Japanese culture began at a young age.

Smith said the Internet exposed him to media, which he should not have been exposed to, at a young age.

When he was 5 years old, “Sailor Moon,” a show about a team of magical girls, first triggered Smith’s interest in Japanese culture.

“Computer usage, at first, wasn’t something children did,” Smith said, “but my mom worked all the time, so I just kind of watched myself.”

He also played video games, such as “Final Fantasy.”

“Manga,” a Japanese cartoon, also shaped Smith’s love for Japanese culture. Even though the cartoons were fictitious, they sparked an interest in Smith.

Eventually, Smith spent time searching  real facts about Japan and its people. He said he is more interested in Japanese culture than his own heritage.

“It shaped me into this kind of archetype of some flamboyant Japanese girl, and, as a result, I am very truthful, eccentric, and I dress weird,” Smith said.

Smith said he is also very interested in Japanese fashion magazines, such as “Ageha” and “Fruits.” Smith’s main fascination is “Gyaru” fashion, which Smith defines as very flamboyant.

Smith’s friend Brooke Duffy, fine arts freshman, said she appreciates his sense of style.

“He  is one of those really eccentric people you meet and just love,” Duffy said. “His style is sort of crazy, but I think it’s great that he is dressing however he wants to, however extreme it is.”

In high school, Smith said he was not happy with himself.

“I was your typical nerd guy with glasses, who was overweight, had acne everywhere, and I wanted to be like these beautiful Japanese girls,” Smith said.

He began wearing make-up and changed his clothes. Smith said he has many things he buys, like clothing and make-up, which leaves him with little money for video games.

Since Smith’s taste in fashion is different from his peers, he said he faces challenges of being bullied.

“I am frequently criticized and bullied, and I guess I am more strong-willed than other people,” Smith said. “You hear stories of homosexuals getting harassed in school and how they are in similar situations, and they end up killing themselves.”

Smith said he can never imagine being in this type of situation because insults do not faze him.

“When someone says something, that doesn’t bother me, since it’s your own opinion,” he said.

However, his transition from high school to college has been unproblematic. Smith is not bullied in college as he was in high school.

“In college, people are here because they want to be, and they have trained to be here,” Smith said. “They are trying to better themselves. With that sort of determination comes a sense of maturity that allows people to not enforce their opinions on other people.”

Since Smith said he is attention getting, he has not yet heard any negative comments being made against him on campus.

Smith said he gets plenty of attention from female students.

“They compliment me on my hair, how I look, or they will say how cute I look,” Smith said.

Smith said he also enjoys receiving positive reinforcement from people.

“It helps you re-evaluate yourself,” he said.

Smith said his mother accepts him, but tells him to be less flamboyant. She is protective of him, but lets him be who he wants to be.

In four or five years, Smith said he sees himself with a college degree. He has dreams of becoming an English conversation teacher in Japan. If his plans do not work out, Smith wants to teach in the U.S.

“If it is socially acceptable at the time or if students can handle that, it won’t be a giant scandal due to the way I look,” Smith said.

Smith is not part of any clubs around campus since he leads a busy life. With an Internet addiction, Smith said he spends six or more hours a day surfing the web. He spends his time on Tumblr, as well as listening to music. YouTube is also one of his go-to sites for foreign music. Smith said he also listens to K-Pop,which is Korean pop music.

“Even though I am not in touch with Korean culture, the music is really catchy, and Japanese music has gotten kind of stale,” Smith said.

In the fall, Smith will begin learning Japanese at IU Southeast. He also works in the Center for Cultural Resources which gives him an opportunity to surround himself with items from other cultures.

By ANA-MARIJA DRINOVAC

Staff

adrinova@umail.iu.edu