Kawaii Culture And Gender Identity

Kawaii culture is a segment of Japanese culture that has become a global phenomenon. Since kawaii culture has become acculturated to Western culture, the concept of ‘kawaii’ has impacted Eastern and Western cultures, both males and females’ behaviour, influencing different aspects of society, including the perception of beauty, its influences in the modern feminist movement and the influence on gender identity.

The perception of beauty has become the product of globalising kawaii culture. Since kawaii culture was a segment of Japanese culture, “Japanese characters such as Hello Kitty, Pokemon and Sailor Moon overwhelmed all of the world… by placing kawaii with the aesthetics of the 21st century.” This concept is supported by my primary research
Categorised as third-wave feminism, kawaii culture can be argued as a segment of the feminism as it allows women to express their identity through colourful, eccentric fashion- otherwise known as Decora fashion. “Decora is empowering. We (decora girls) feel uplifted when we do Decora.” This statement emphasises the idea that decora fashion allows both genders to utilise fashion to express themselves rather than conforming to society. However, this idea was refuted by Akie Abe, the Japanese Prime Minister’s wife, as she proposed that kawaii culture may be holding back Japan’s women “by (the) pressure from men to be cute, rather than capable.” Furthermore, Abe’s statement was further supported by her reference to a government survey, showing that 8.3% of the higher positions in business were female. Abe’s statement is supported from my focus group as the participants’ response to kawaii culture setting unrealistic expectations on women provoked a unanimous “yes.” This indicates that the portrayal of women in kawaii culture has perpetuated the conventions of femininity. Nevertheless, the idea of kawaii culture being part of the feminist movement was rejected by my focus group since “it doesn’t necessarily mean that” kawaii culture is a feminist movement even thought it involves “mostly women,” indicating that kawaii culture should not be depicted as a convention of femininity. The acculturation of kawaii culture is indicated through the conflicting views of kawaii culture being a feminist movement or cementing unrealistic beauty standards, presenting the impacts of kawaii culture on a