Kawaii, meaning cute and adorable, has fully permeated Japanese society. Cute culture in Japan is colorful, fun, and a little bit wacky.
An Introduction to Cute Culture
At first, Kawaii culture was not widely accepted. In the 1970s, Kawaii started as a “cute handwriting” trend. Girls would insert adorable drawings into their Kanji lettering. As a result, teachers were unable to read their student’s handwriting, causing schools throughout Japan to ban the new trend.
From this small gesture grew a rebellion against the parameters of Japan’s orthodox nation and their traditional mindsets. People, mainly women at first, began to see the culture as empowering. It became something that gave them freedom of expression and a sense of individuality.
As its popularity grew, different sections of the culture emerged. One such example is street fashion, an area where even the men are becoming just as involved as women. These fashions are most visible in Harajuku, Japan, nicknamed the “Kawaii capital of Tokyo.” It is becoming more common for one to see the Decora trend, characterized by cute accessories, colorful clothing and matching surgical masks. Also the Lolita trend, where you look doll-ish, with Victorian-era elements.
Due to Kawaii culture’s ties with more traditional ideas of femininity, the trend spread into other parts of Asia. It gained a specific foothold in South Korea, founding the Aegyo trend. Aegyo became Korea’s version of Kawaii, but instead of strongly influencing things like fashion, it began to refer to cute ways of acting.
Differences in Cute Culture
To further distinguish the two, Aegyo has taken the idea of cuteness and fused it into Korea’s admiration of innocence and childlike beauty, while also maintaining its disdain for the unorthodox. Instead of helping people stand out in a crowd, it appeals to people through subtle actions.
Korean culture takes careful steps to ensure that no one stands out; that people are not different from each other. All women will follow the same trends in fashion and makeup, with variations being very minute. For instance, you would never see a Decora girl with flashy, neon tutus walking down the street of Seoul as you would in Tokyo.
In comparison to Japan, Korea harnesses the trend to set traditional, gendered parameters within their society.
My Experience
When I stayed in Seoul for the summer, aegyo and cute culture was very foreign to me. At first it was almost repulsive because it was so different from what my own culture practices and admires.
At first I thought cute culture in Korea was only cute actions, and eventually I got used to it. Sometimes I even tried to join in (and was laughed at immediately). However, the longer I stayed and the more I learned about Korean culture, I saw how people use the culture to reinforce archaic gender stereotypes.
Many people could argue that both men and women participate in aegyo. You see it all over the media, with famous idols and actors showing the latest aegyo trend. I’m not saying that men aren’t also negatively affected by cute culture. However, men can choose to participate. For women, it’s a requirement.
In order to be cute, Korean women are “required” to be extremely skinny. This even extending to having no definition in their arms and legs (known as “chopstick legs”). They must always wear makeup, but make it appear as if they’re barely wearing any. And of course, they must always keep within the current trends. They must act cute for their friends, fans, boyfriend – anyone and everyone who asks because it’s what’s expected of them.
This expectation is everywhere, in plastic surgery ads plastered across subway stations. In movies where women are only desirable if they follow “the rules.” If you want an example, look up the show Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, and see how she’s treated as a female athlete.
Worst of all… in TV shows where hosts WEIGH the female celebrities to see if they’re telling the truth about their profile weight and then SHAME them when the number is too high.
Other Opinions
A woman’s perspective:
I wondered what women that grew up in East Asia thought about the influence of cute culture and whether their experience was similar to women in South Korea. Ariel Lin, a freshman at Emerson College, grew up in Taiwan with the slowly growing market for cute culture infiltrating Taiwanese society.
Lin specifies, “It mainly comes from Japanese anime. Boys in Taiwan have been watching it for a long time and girls like it more now too.” She claims that she has also been influenced by cute culture, saying that she acts shy in Taiwan because it’s considered more acceptable. “But I don’t want to be like that anymore. I like that in the US people are outgoing, and girls get to play sports here without parents disapproving.”
In her opinion, the way women are depicted in Japanese anime has caused men to believe that their girlfriends should look and act in a similar way to these anime girls. Additionally, she believes that girls are held back by cute culture in Taiwan, as they’re expected to put marriage and childbearing above other things and keep men dominating the public sphere.
Most shockingly, she said, “Most girls from Taiwan think that men should be above them. They should be stronger than them too so they can protect their girlfriends. Also, they need to pay for what their girlfriends want. In return, men expect their girlfriends to be cute and take selfies with them. Then they need to dress in cute outfits for them, and always be happy and joyful.”
A man’s perspective:
Peter Lovejoy, a film student at Emerson College, has been interested in cute culture since middle school, and is knowledgeable about both Japanese anime and Kpop.
When asked specifically what he likes about it, he answered, “I like how different it is, whereas America is dramatic and intense all the time, it’s nice to have a fun change of pace.” When asked if he would like his girlfriend to participate in aspects of the culture as well, he said, “Once in awhile might be fun, but on the whole no. I’m proud my girlfriend is strong and independent. However, we do live in a culture that is still masculine driven and as someone who grew up in that environment, I still would like to be a protector and a provider for her.”
When speaking about the Kpop industry in particular, Lovejoy notes that, “Because of Aegyo and the desire for women to be cute, it’s hard for girl groups and female solo artists to stand out because they all go for the same cute concept. But if they try to distinguish themselves by being anything else, they’re criticized for being different and they usually don’t sell well.”
He adds that, “I don’t think it gives women an equal say in what they want to produce. Especially because the producers, writers, managers, and choreographers are mainly men. In that business, women are put behind men and I really hope they’ll be elevated more.”
Conclusion
How could something that started off as an empowering movement for women, become something that traps them? Hopefully, it will develop into what it was meant to be: a fun, colorful way of empowering women to exercise individuality.
~ ~ ~ ~
Written in 2018
Any questions? Contact me or comment below!
No Comments