Recently, in what we might call the ‘marshmallow movement’, we’ve seen chubby girls start to shed some of their stigma in Japan. A chubby Japanese idol group has already arrived on the scene, and now we can also introduce a dedicated plus-size magazine. And as if marshmallows weren’t enough, they’re apparently also pushing for a new, and rather creative, label.

La farfa is Japan’s first fashion magazine for plus-size girls! It features all kinds of fashion, makeup, and accessory recommendations specifically tailored to slightly larger girls, and advice on which looks a chubby girl should go for and which she should avoid.

The latest issue, volume 5, boasts Spring style recommendations by body type, and real street snaps of marshmallow girl fashion. It also introduces 4L, the all-season plus-size Japanese brand for men and women.

But what’s really caught the attention of Netizens is some of the lingo used in the magazine’s blurb. There’s all kinds of words for ‘chubby’ in Japanese, from the offensive debu to the cutesy pocchari and recent marshmallow. But la farfa is taking it to the next level with the introduction of ‘oshakawateddy’.

▼ From the pages of la farfa.

Let’s break down this portmanteau. The osha comes from oshare, which means fashionable or stylish. Kawa of course comes from kawaii, Japan’s very own brand of cute. And teddy… well, that speaks for itself.

The standard response tweeted to the new word was ‘wwwwwwwwwwww’, which we would translate into English as something like ‘lolololololololol’. Perhaps it’s too much too soon? These girls might be more than some guys can handle, but it looks like they’ll be carrying on changing perceptions on body type, as well as the Japanese language, for a while yet.

▼ Each issue so far has featured popular actress and comedian Naomi Watanabe as its covergirl. Will she be identifying as an oshakawateddy girl from now on?!

▼ Behind the scenes video from a la farfa photoshoot. There’s definitely more food than you’d expect at your usual fashion shoot!

Source: Hachima Kikou

Images: La farfa Official Blog