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You know how Japanese people say "スタイルのいいお姉さん" to basically refer to "that
girl with huge boobs" or "that really tall girl"? I've seen this get thrown
around a lot but never really got the rationale behind this. My guess is that
it's a euphemism but can someone give an accurate explanation of this?
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2015-03-27T12:27:05.417
23494
2015-03-27T18:44:46.050
9673
question
etymology
Why is スタイル used to denote body figure?
In Japanese, スタイルのいい女性 is a plain and straightforward phrase that means "a
woman with a nice figure/body." No euphemism is involved. And it usually
refers to her general appearance, not specifically to her height or breast.

大辞泉 says [the primary meaning of スタイル is 姿 ( _figure_ ) of a
person](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/118595/m0u/), although it can
also mean _manner_ , _fashion_ , _format_ , etc. [Many Japanese people simply
believe that definition](http://www.eigowithluke.com/2013/06/style/), and you
can call it a kind of 和製英語.

I failed to find the exact explanation of when and why スタイル came to mean body
figure, but I think the reason is easy to speculate. スタイル was already used in
such a way at least in [a novel written in
1927](http://www.aozora.gr.jp/cards/000037/files/1417_22265.html).

>
> 少佐がどうして彼を従卒にしたか、それは、彼がスタイルのいい、好男子であったからであった。そのおかげで彼は打たれたことはなかった。しかし、彼は、なべて男が美しい女を好くように、上官が男前だけで従卒をきめ…
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2015-03-27T18:08:21.033
23499
2015-03-27T18:44:46.050
2015-03-27T18:44:46.050
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answer