Not everyone approves of this princess' wedding. She's going ahead with it anyway

 

It had all the makings of a modern royal fairytale: the marriage of an aspiring lawyer to a real-life princess who was prepared to leave her Tokyo palace for a new life in New York. 

But since Japan's Princess Mako and Kei Komuro announced their engagement in 2017, their union has been mired in scandal, public disapproval and tabloid frenzy.

Some Japanese don't consider the commoner son of a single parent to be worthy of a princess. Their disdain was confirmed last month when he arrived in Japan for their October 26 wedding sporting long hair tied in a ponytail.

Tabloids ran photos of 30-year-old Komuro's ponytail from every angle, with some comparing it to a samurai's top knot. On social media, some tweeted support for his new look, while others said it was unsuitable for the groom of a royal bride.

A ponytail may not cause a stir in the West, but people in Japan are expected to reflect their status and role through their actions and words. People saw the ponytail as a sign Komuro wasn't conforming to social expectations, according to Hitomi Tonomura, a women's and gender studies professor at the University of Michigan.

"If he were a singer or artist, it would be fine, but people think he is not 'lawyer-like' nor looking appropriate for a person who will wed a royal woman," she added.

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