We all have seen tourists do the V sign when they click a picture. If you are a K-pop or anime fan, I am pretty sure that you have done it too while clicking pictures. And no, I am not talking about V from the Korean boyband BTS.
Have you ever wondered why Asians make this gesture? Or from where did it originate? What does this sign mean?
Theories Behind Its Origin
When someone is clicking a picture of me, sometimes I don’t know what to do with my hands. So, I do the peace sign. Is it just me that feels awkward?
There are many photos of celebrities and politicians doing the V sign in the mid-1900s. Winston Churchill was doing the peace sign in many of his pictures, and even John Lennon and Yuko Ono did it for world peace. But they were not behind making it a trend.
Some say that it began with Janet Lynn, an American figure skater. She had just won five U.S. championships in a row. Everyone was confident that the American figure skater would take home gold in the 1972 Olympics in Japan.
Unfortunately, she fell while doing a spin two minutes into her performance. Instead of getting sad, Lynn just smiled. She won the bronze medal, and with that, she also won the hearts of millions of Japanese. When Lynn toured the country, she often flashed the v sign and even signed the magazine for her fans with “peace and love”.
Another theory suggests that this trend was started by a manga named Kyojin no Hoshi (Star of the Giants). The manga came in 1968, and it was about baseball. In the manga, a character shows the protagonist the V sign before a big game.
Another manga based on volleyball, Sain wa V! (V Is the Sign), was created shortly after and was adapted into a television series. Later, everyone started doing the “V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!” chant.
The sign slowly started to get associated with not giving up and the “you can do it” kind of thinking.
According to the Japanese media, a boost to this trend happened because of Jun Inoue, a singer from the popular band The Spiders. He was in a commercial, and he flashed a V-sign during the filming.
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Asians And The V Sign
In the 1980s, the trend spread to China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea. Many Asian kids do it without even being taught. The sign is now being used globally because of the K-pop wave. People are getting introduced to the culture of East Asian countries.
K-pop not only helped to make the V sign a trend worldwide, but fans have also started doing finger hearts while clicking pictures. It helped to remove the awkwardness while posing.
Doing the peace sign is becoming the habit of every young adult. It is cutesy how people are appreciating it and are doing it without even thinking.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Vice, Japan Times, Time, YouTube
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This Post Is Tagged Under: The peace sign, what does v sign mean, the v sign, kpop, Janet Lynn, Yoko Ono, John Lennon, Jun Inoue, Camera commercial, Sain wa V, China, Hongkong, Taiwan, South Korea, East Asians, Indians, Southeast Asia, Winston Churchill, Kyojin no Hoshi, Star of the Giants, Peace and Love, Victory, the victory sign, Why do Asians do the v sign, Japan, Manga, Japanese Manga, Comic books
