Kawaii
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Kawaii (可愛い) is a Japanese term which means "cute" or (literally) "adorable." It can be used to describe animals and (young) people, but is not usually used to describe adults; while young women will sometimes be described as "kawaii," young men are more likely to be described as kakkō-ii, roughly "cool."
Characters like Hello Kitty are considered kawaii and while the appreciation of such things is often associated with girls and women, unlike in the West, it is also considered acceptable for men to appreciate things that are kawaii.
Kawaii is considered by some to be a female-led youth movement, while critics argue it creates an obsession with youth and cuteness instead of appreciating mature beauty. Some think it also contributes to the acceptance of lolicon fandom.
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The term is also widely used in Hong Kong and Taiwan, though many people use the original Chinese term, 可愛. In Mandarin reading, this would be (py) kě'ài.
Anomalous Female Teenage Handwriting is an application of kawaii to Japanese handwriting. The term is also used among the huge anime fan base of America in the same context (used by both males and females).
Kawaii can be also used to describe a street fashion, which is characterized by clothing that appears to be made for young children, typically featuring the liberal use of ruffles and shades of pink. Accessories often include toys or bags that have representations of cartoon characters on them. However, it is not simply fashion that represents this new trend, but also the physical attitude and posture. Almost all will stand like little children (pigeon-toed, shoulders back with fingers laced behind them, tilting their heads down slightly).
See also
External links
- Sociologist Sharon Kinsella's analysis of the origins of kawaii (http://www.kinsellaresearch.com/Cuties.html)
- December 1999 Wired article on "Cute Inc." (http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.12/cute.html)
- All Things Kawaii, a web site dedicated to everything cute. (http://www.allthingskawaii.net/)
- Fruits by Shoichi Aoki (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0714840831/oakacornbooks/)
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