Weeks went by. Elizabeth and Ryomi continued their programme daily. It was the only programme aired on Australian television, with the episode for a given day repeated nonstop on every channel until the next day's episode was available. Australian residents' travel was still highly restricted, as were Internet and phone. With little else to do, the country, by and large, tuned in. Massive viewership led to massive societal change, with no visible unrest.
Weeks of the two Australian girls explaining the benefits of Japanese taste led Australians to adjust their tastes accordingly. A country that detested seafood quickly became full of avid sashimi eaters. Homes were redecorated to match the Japanese aesthetic. AC/DC music was replaced on radios by Hikaru Otara. Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman were replaced as fixtures at the box office by Shun Oguri and Keiko Kitagawa. Libraries threw out their Michael Robotham novels in favor of books by Yukio Mishima. In Japanese, of course.
Weeks of Elizabeth and Ryomi extolling the Japanese language and reveling in their ongoing efforts to master it made the libraries' switch inevitable. Most Australians embraced the new language. Even the reluctant few knew that they would eventually have to learn. They had no choice. Virtually overnight, all signage was changed to Japanese. Schools, too, switched to Japanese-language only. Then, one day, it was Elizabeth and Ryomi's pleasure to inform the Australian population of a new edict: English would be outlawed within six months, with stiff penalties for speaking any language besides Japanese. This suited Elizabeth fine. Her Japanese was coming all great. Debuko and Chiyami now conversed with her and Ryomi exclusively in Japanese. Elizabeth had successfully rid herself of her Australian accent when speaking English. Now, both she and Ryomi spoke English with a decidedly pidgin affect. This mannerism, too, was catching on with Australians, many of whom diligently worked to abandon their accents.
Weeks of Elizabeth and Ryomi discussing Japanese style and fashion had a similar effect. Kimonos and yukata joined pants, shorts, shirts, and dresses in Australian wardrobes. Women who had never worn open-toed shoes before, like Elizabeth, now wore sandals exclusively, albeit flats (the cultural understanding was that high-heeled sandals were reserved for those of higher class than native Australians). Elizabeth particularly loved the tan lines she acquired on her feet from constantly wearing Tevas. She now owned multiple pairs, as well as other sandals. She regularly monitored Japanese gossip magazines for the latest trends. When the magazine had a feature on some fashionable Japanese women wearing flip-flops, she got pairs for herself and Ryomi.
Weeks of the Australian girls raving about the traditional Japanese skin tone changed the Australian norms surrounding attractive pigment. Australians were, by and large, Caucasian, with coloration ranging from pale to pink to tan to darker. There was nothing inherently preferable about one color or another - Elizabeth herself was on the pale side and was considered a true Australian beauty, before the occupation. Now, however, an olive complexion was the only acceptable one, for women at least. Over the span of weeks, viewers to Elizabeth's programme witnessed her undergoing repeated, regular, and prolonged UV exposure, resulting first in painful sunburns, then some minor blistering, then a measure of a base tan, then, at last, skin the rich, dark hue that was favored.
All of these changes in Australian culture were immense, but perhaps the most consequential change resulted from the fact that Elizabeth and Ryomi - famous, wealthy, desired Australian beauties - systematically abandoned their heritage, informed their countrymen and women that they would be wise to do likewise, and visibly and erotically submitted to their Japanese superiors at the conclusion of each programme. Ryomi's new name and hair style, Elizabeth's tan, and the girls' accents were one thing, but for these two girls - objects of extreme lust among general Australians - to openly lust after Debuko and Chiyami truly adjusted viewers' expectations for how to receive the new culture. Elizabeth habitually ended each programme explaining to the viewers in what respects Debuko and Chiyami's beauty far exceeded hers or any Caucasians, before dutifully opening her mouth to receive one of the Japanese women's feet. The camera made sure to capture the fervor with which she worshiped the foot, as well as the look of reverence of subservience. And over time, viewers' conception of beauty shifted into alignment with the Japanese.
Elizabeth found herself less of an object of desire. Whereas before she could scarcely cross the street without attracting generally-unwanted attention from lecherous men, the former model now could wander freely without even an untoward comment. What attention she did attract now came from viewers who considered her a role model.
*****
Elizabeth was walking down the street towards the studio one afternoon. She picked up some squid okonomiyaki from a yatai, who bowed respectfully in recognition that a celebrity was patronizing his business. Lost in thought, she munched on the seafood pancake and thought about when she would have time to visit the bichi, when, suddenly, she was struck from behind.
"You bitch! You did this!" came a familiar voice (in English).
"Solly?" Elizabeth asked, disoriented, before looking up and seeing her old friend Caitlyn. Caitlyn was wearing a denim jacket over a black tank top. Her blue jeans ended in shiny black leather boots.
"You're working with these fuckers to destroy our country! They're erasing everything about us! And we're just being turned into serfs in our own country!"
"It is for best. Trust me."
"Fuck you! There won't be an Australia --" Before Caitlyn could finish, two Australian keisatsukan, drawn by the commotion, tackled her to the ground. They pinned her arms behind her as they muzzled, then handcuffed her. As they dragged her away, they bowed respectfully to Elizabeth.
Shaken, Elizabeth continued to the station.
Once she arrived, she was greeted outside by a giddy Ryomi. "Arama! Wait until you hear the news from Debuko! It's so awesome!" she told Elizabeth. in perfect Japanese.
Debuko stepped forward, a vision in a red gown. Her straight. black hair was pinned up. The toenails on her feet were painted black, and she wore extraordinarily high-heeled sandals with straps ascending her calves. Both of the toe rings on her left foot glistened in the fading sun.
"Today's the last day of your programme, girls! Which means, it's time for your rewards!"
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