The wall of posters stopped me in my tracks as an array of stunningly beautiful women in a variety of clothing looked at me from advertising placards. Displayed along the walls of the Sapporo beer museum in Sapporo, Japan, I'd argue these are not your average "girl serving beer poster" we’ve come accustomed to in recent decades, especially the West. To me, these happy women look like they’re savoring their beer, not preparing to serve it to someone else.
But gradually—the timeline begins around the 1910s—these women are replaced by men who appear to be just as satisfied with their drink of choice. In my head, I can even imagine one of the men shouting, "umai!,” a word meaning "tasting good" and "cool, clever" at the same time.
Slowly and steadily, women are squeezed out of the frames, a reflection of how Japanese beer embraced masculine-focused advertising in the mid-20th century. By 1970, Sapporo even enlisted Toshiro Mifune, Japan’s biggest movie star and considered one of the greatest actors of all-time, to promote the beer “as the embodiment of Japanese masculinity.”
But from my vantage point in 2023, it all seemed disappointing. As the women disappeared from these images, it was like a public denial of the pleasure they found from drinking. I could hear an out-dated, monotonous chant in my head, “women don’t drink beer,” as if they weren’t a worthy audience.
Then again, this is a museum, an archive of times passed. When I leave the dark and cool walkways inside, I see a completely different picture, not on posters, but in reality. Wherever I go, it’s easy for me to see women enjoying a drink at any bar or taproom I visit. They order pints and flights, discuss flavors, explore new styles, and revel in all things beer. A short trip to Sapporo focuses on particular convergences of time and circumstance, and for that, I’m thankful. After all, beer is for everyone. No matter the advertising materials.
Words + Photo by Lana Svitankova