Kawaii is the culture of cuteness from Japan. It is a prominent aspect of Japanese popular culture that is found within clothing, food, entertainment, toys and personal apparel. This culture is seen inside items that appear cute, vulnerable and childlike.
The original definition of Kawaii is derived from the works of Lady Murasaki, an 11th-century noblewoman. The term Kawaii helped replace notions of women, making them gentle, passive and submissive and not animalistic. The Tale of the Genji by Murasaki describes Kawaii as desirable, tender and charming
The aspects of modern-day Kawaii emerged in the 1970s within the handwriting styles of Japanese teenage girls. The Japanese language is written vertically and varies in thickness.
Teenagers using mechanical pencils and calligraphy strokes would draw cute drawings and characters that appear big and round. These letters were difficult to read and were banned within schools during the 1980s. Within the same decade, the writing style picked up in magazines, product packaging and mangas. The word Kawaii means acceptable to love in Japanese.
This cute fashion can be traced to the Edo era where men wore miniature sculptures to store tobacco, money, medicine and also other personal belongings.
The Kawaii culture is no longer restricted to children as adults also adore cute items. The market is filled with extensive amounts of Kawaii merchandise that cater to all age groups. Products like kawaii art supplies, kawaii squishies, kawaii plush toys , kawaii stationery, cute notebooks and much more. This culture is presently omnipresent within all anime and manga creations.
In 1974, the Sanrio company came out with a new character “Hello Kitty” which has now become a worldwide phenomenon. It first appeared on a vinyl coin purse. After 50 years, this super-cute cat has been printed on several pieces of merchandise and features itself on bullet trains. In 2008, Japan named Hello Kitty as an official tourism ambassador
The characters designed for Kawaii have disproportional bodies, wide eyes, a tiny nose and little or no facial expressions. The lack of emotions within these characters make them appear cute and lovable to people.
Kawai remains a symbol of protest as many Japanese students in the 1960’s refused to go to lectures and chose to read children’s comic books. It was a tool in the hand’s of people to protest rigidity and prescribed academic knowledge. The apparel offers adults an escape to their childhood. It is a form of resistance to all wrongs within the adult world.
This cute culture spread during the last decade and provided a means of export in turbulent times. It is a symbol of Japanese soft power and still renders hope to troubles of a post-war Japan. This culture continues to remain with Millenials as a piece of resistance against the loss of privileges that marked the coming of the century.
