Brutally Cute: Kawaii as a Form of Rebellion
If you’ve spent any substantial time on the internet, you’ve likely run into the kawaii aesthetic. On the surface, it’s all big sparkly eyes and blushed cheeks. For the unfamiliar, the word kawaii means “cute” in Japanese. But it goes so far beyond just being cute. Kawaii is a subculture; one that has roots dating back to the early 70s. Walk into any store in Japan and you’re sure to find something that will capture your heart with cuteness! Kawaii culture has expanded outside of Japan as well, with Hello Kitty being one of the most prominent examples of this fact. People dedicate their lives to this aesthetic, dressing in cute clothes or becoming collectors of rare character merchandise. But where did kawaii come from?
The word kawaii means cute, as I stated before, but the culture of kawaii goes far beyond that. It began in the early 70s with a group of schoolgirls. As students began to use mechanical pencils, writing became much thinner and more individualized. Many young girls across the country started using what was called marui-ji, or “round writing”. This style of writing read horizontally instead of vertically, which was different from traditional Japanese writing. These girls also added decorations to their words, such as hearts or stars. Some of them took it to such extremes that the handwriting became nearly illegible, and caused it to be banned from schools. However, some students kept using it, reportedly causing them to be expelled. On the surface, this may just seem like teenage rebellion, but it’s so much deeper than that.
You see, Japanese culture is known for being very traditional. There are certain ways you must act or look. Conformity is key in the country, causing the suicide rate to be a big issue. Beyond that, in many countries around the world, we live in a patriarchal society that looks down upon femininity. Looking at the situation through that lens, you can see how radical this act of cute handwriting was.
Around the same time as the controversial handwriting debacle, another phenomenon became present in Japanese culture- gyaru fashion. Translated to “girl” or “gal” fashion, gyaru is a hyper-feminine style characterized by blonde hair, tan skin, and trendy clothes. Gyaru fashion subverted the traditional Japanese beauty standard of light skin and dark hair. Gyaru culture first started appearing in the 1970s, but it reached its peak in the late 90s and early 2000s. Gyaru fashion branches out even further into different substyles, such as himekaji, rokku, and goshikku. Gyaru became known all around the world, and although the popularity of the fashion is declining, it remains one of the most well-known Japanese subcultures.
If we step back from fashion for a moment we can examine other areas of culture. Music is an aspect of culture often overlooked because it’s something we encounter in our everyday lives. This doesn’t mean music isn’t important, but rather that it’s so important we don’t know how to live without it. Many different types of music could fall under the kawaii category, but we’re going to look at one of my favorite bands- BABYMETAL. BABYMETAL is the world’s first-ever “kawaii metal” band. If you have never heard a BABYMETAL song, I implore you to open up your music streaming service of choice and change that right now. Listening to this group is an experience like no other. Now, I’m a fan of BABYMETAL, but many people are not. Some claim that it’s not “real” metal. Others are offended that it doesn’t fit the traditional metal mold. Despite all the criticism, these young girls are proud of what they do and continue to make music. I think it’s super badass that they’ve entered an elitist genre and are making it their own. And even though they’ve got many critics, they have a loyal fanbase and have completed several world tours. I truly believe nothing is more rebellious than young women performing in a heavily male-dominated genre, and making it super cute at the same time. That’s a big middle finger to anyone who views femininity as inferior.
I think the most important aspect of kawaii is its hyper-femininity. Anyone can enjoy kawaii culture, not just girls. But in a world where things associated with femininity are seen as frivolous, even an act as simple as changing up your handwriting or dying your hair can be seen as an act of resistance. So go ahead, enjoy being cute. We all could use a little more kawaii in our lives.