Japanese Kawaii: A Bibliographic Essay The focus of this bibliographic essay is the Japanese idea of kawaii. The term kawaii is generally translated as “cute” in English, but it’s actual meaning in Japan is far wider and more complex. In addition to exploring the extent of the kawaii phenomenon, my research revealed multiple questions or ideas for me to potentially address in my paper. These include the topic of kawaii on Japanese youth, specifically the effect on the identity and self-image of girls and young women in Japan. In reaction to this, the idea of kawaii concerning young males also came up, especially as a reaction to kawaii concerning females. Additionally, the question of the how far kawaii reaches in Japanese culture, and potentially outside of Japan, came up.
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A brand new future? Cool Japan and the social imagery of the branded nation relates to kawaii in talking about the type of kawaii used in Japan’s “cool” image, that being a sexist kawaii imagery like maid cafes. This will be useful in examining the way kawaii presents itself to the young consumer and in analyzing the male versus female kawaii.
Concerning non-scholarly sources, I found several simply by searching the terms “Japan,” “kawaii,” and “youth” on google. The first of these sources was a short article on a blog titled “Why Do the Japanese Love Kawaii Culture?” in which the author briefly theorizes on the reasons for the prevalence of cute culture in Japan. I would more likely use this source as more background information on the topic of kawaii than as evidence for my argument.
The next of these sources that I found analyzed how the idea of kawaii affects modeling in Japan from a [business standpoint]. This came from a website titled The Business Model [whose articles are directed towards models.] This article would provide information on the effect of kawaii on females in
A brand new future? Cool Japan and the social imagery of the branded nation relates to kawaii in talking about the type of kawaii used in Japan’s “cool” image, that being a sexist kawaii imagery like maid cafes. This will be useful in examining the way kawaii presents itself to the young consumer and in analyzing the male versus female kawaii.
Concerning non-scholarly sources, I found several simply by searching the terms “Japan,” “kawaii,” and “youth” on google. The first of these sources was a short article on a blog titled “Why Do the Japanese Love Kawaii Culture?” in which the author briefly theorizes on the reasons for the prevalence of cute culture in Japan. I would more likely use this source as more background information on the topic of kawaii than as evidence for my argument.
The next of these sources that I found analyzed how the idea of kawaii affects modeling in Japan from a [business standpoint]. This came from a website titled The Business Model [whose articles are directed towards models.] This article would provide information on the effect of kawaii on females in