Is Kawaii A Slur? — Reaction of A Japanese HBCU Alum
My reaction to a young black woman, Mia Angelina’s Tiktok’s backlash.
Angelina posted a video of herself dressed as a Japanese anime character on Tiktok, with the hashtag #Kawaii, and has become engulfed in a flaming firestorm.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CTiZ9vSre7d/
One night, Angelina posted a video on TikTok of herself dancing in cosplay of Asuka Langley from the Japanese anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, and in the comments section was inundated with backlashes by anonymous accounts claiming to be Japanese.
They claimed,
“Kawaii culture is Japanese, so when foreigners use the word ‘kawaii,’ it’s cultural appropriation.
“Kawaii is a slur!!”
Honestly, I was confused.
How could kawaii have become a slur while NTR is a credit?
Haruka Kurebayashi’s response
In response to this issue, Haruka Kurebayashi, a Harajuku fashion model and influencer, released a message on her Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CUfIv9sBdSd/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again
Kurebayashi claimed,
“Anyone can use kawaii.
“It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner. Nor does your nationalities, gender, age, or skin color matter.”
I mostly agree with that.
I think it’s the majority of voices from Japanese born and raised in Japan.
In terms of cultural appropriation
In sociology, cultural appropriation is determined as, “the use of objects or elements of a non-dominant culture in a way that doesn’t respect their original meaning, give credit to their source, or reinforces stereotypes or contributes to oppression.” — Arlin Cuncic, “What Is Cultural Appropriation?”, Very Well Mind, August 29, 2020
Considering Cuncic’s definition, I had three questions in my mind,
1. Is Angelina from a “dominant culture”?
Asians and Black are both minorities.
2. Did she show a lack of respect for “kawaii”?
As long as I saw Angelina’s posts, her fashion and cosplays were so perfect that I could imagine how passionate she has been about what she does. She should have been studying other cosplayers, kawaii models, and Japanese pop culture.
As for “fetishizing Japanese”, I will talk about this later.
3. Is “kawaii” really Japanese ethnic culture?
Of course, “kawaii” is originally a Japanese term to mean “pretty” and “cute”.
But I feel the concept of kawaii culture or kawaii fashion has been developed from outside of the country.
As long as I remember, the style used to be more known as Harajuku style; kawaii style (カワイイ系）referred to more “mens’ favorite” style such as fluffy knits, skirts, and covering mouth when laughing.
After cosplays and Harajuku got popular internationally after 2000, I came to hear kawaii from foreigners more often ( I hadn’t been to Western countries till 2006, so I am just saying this based on my sensibility.)
Different from Kim Kardashian’s “Kimono” controversy, I have sensed kawaii is a culture grown with an international mixture.
Are the trolls Japanese?
Though Ms. Haruka pointed out its possibility of hate speech against black people by Japanese online right-wingers (Netouyo ネトウヨ), I honestly have no idea.
I suspect they might be white SJWs.
But also, I have some young Japanese American friends who object to any other ethnicity wearing Kimono, while they themselves are decked out in Levi Jeans.
If the Trollers Really Were Japanese…
If the trollers really are Japanese, I wanna ask them:
What do you think about our Halloween, Christmas, and curry rice?
Christmas is originally the day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, who was born from the Virgin Mary.
In Japan, Christmas is celebrated by losing one’s virginity while enjoying a traditional Japanese holiday meal of crunchy KFC.
Japan has developed its “own” culture by mixing different cultures.
We should first appreciate other cultures and ethnicities, shouldn’t we?
On the other hand, I can also assume Japanese growing up in Western countries frequently experience “being fetishized” by reading the newspaper article, “Waifu or Wai-Fools Fetishize Japanese Women” — Malia Kuo and Hanaé Yoshida, Yale News, FEB 18, 2021, 2021, Yale News), or watching Rina Sawayama’s STFU! music video.
All I can do is just imagine their feelings.
We are human and emotional creatures.
Honestly, I HATE sea urchins.
But it can’t be a reason to break someone’s love, passion, and heart.
Let’s talk.
Angelina said,
“I apologize to any Japanese people I harmed by using the word k***ii to describe an American artist that isn’t k***ii while presenting as hyperfemme. I understand that it can be used as a slur and that using the word while presenting as hyperfemme using pastel colors and pink can be harmful to Japanese people and will fetishize them especially if im using it to describe something that isn’t k***ii or unanimously considered k***ii.”
Hmmm… I just heard a Japanese high school girl say, “Kawaii!!”, referring to the hair on her finger hair.
It’s the traditional way how native Japanese use the word, though?
If the Trollers Were White…
And if the trolls were white SJW…
“You now wear surgical masks, too!”
I Might’ve Been Blamed for Cultural Appropriation, But…
I fell in love with black music at the age of 11.
And I got so into the diverse beauty of the African Diaspora, the black communities and cultures descended from native Africans primarily resettled in North and South America, that I decided to attend Hampton University in the United States. Hampton University is recognized as a Historical Black University and part of the HBCU.
I was dressing in “black style” back then (Yes, Japanese “B-Style”) … weaving my hair into cornrows, T-shirts with prints from legendary black musicians to civil rights activists, and a Malcolm X cap to show respect to them.
And I said “DOPE” to everything, even a math question.
Yes, maybe I fetishized black people.
If then were now, I might be accused of cultural appropriation.
That was around the time of Obama's presidency. I guess I was lucky.
However, I also can say that the encounter with the other ethnic cultures and history changed and saved my life.
It was my wake-up call from a long depression period, too.
I really appreciated it.
Devoting ourselves to something outside of the box, and truly loving it, gives us a chance to build a new self and gain self-confidence.
And we can meet amazing friends who expand our views beyond the boundaries of our native cultures.
Political Correctness is Not for Hatred
Cultures have been improved and invented by people who were fetishized more or less.
If there is something to be discussed, we can just talk.
I would love to say to Mia Angelina, “I know it’s a difficult time but please, please stay yourself.
“Your posts were Cho — — — -kawaiiiiiiiiiiiii❣️❣️❣️”
I just hope she keeps loving Kawaii, with no “KOWAI”(scared).
