The list is long: pigeon-toed, squeaky voices,
baby noises, giggly, cute make-up, air headed, pig tails, flower prints, pastel
one-pieces, furry little stuffed dolls, and so on. The popular images offered
around the world of Japanese girls are all about
cuteness.
There are many possible theories floating around
the internet on why
Japanese women are so cute. Some
theories range from how they are shown in manga and in anime that have a direct
effect on young Japanese girls. There are also social demands placed on young
women from men to be cute and skinny. Promotion
ploys to attract business for anything cute and cuddly are all over Japan. Then
there’s the media, and so forth and so on. All of these reasons have
some quality.
My take on all of this is relatively
straight forward. The keyword here is trends, which come
and go here in Japan, along with marketing schemes started by celebrities and
media moguls. The “Kawaii” or “cuteness syndrome,” as it’s called in English,
didn’t start overnight. I contend that it was started at around the latter half
of Japan’s “bubble economy” when wealth swept
through the country, how else could Japanese girls fund their shopping trips.
Some experts may argue against this by saying the origins of “kawaii” started
much earlier than this. Based on which aspect of “kawaii,” they are correct.
My view is much more contemporary and practical.
Seika Matsuda was and is still the person largely
credited for starting this “cuteness” trend back in the 1980s.
She was the first “cute” idol, singer, and songwriter to flood the television
airwaves back when Japan was having its financial boom, and slowly its
subsequent decline....more click here
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