A presentation at Casa Con online cosplay and game convention, June 25-27, 2021
Abstract:
Joshua Paul Dale explores the thousand-year-old history of kawaii and how it came to saturate contemporary Japanese society. He’ll explain the differences between cute and kawaii by comparing the distinct artistic influences and cultural development that inform the two aesthetics. In addition, Dale will offer a survey of “kawaii science,” which studies cuteness as a universal emotional response dating back to the dawn of human evolution. Questions and discussion are welcome.
Related posts
Lecture on Cute Studies at the University of Chicago.
I was a consultant for the CUTE exhibition at Somerset House in London. I also wrote an essay for the catalogue called: “The Irresistible Rise of Cuteness” (pp. 8-19).
Joshua Paul Dale, the author of Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired our Brains and Conquered the World, spoke to the CBC about why the Hello Kitty mascot endures half a century after it first came out in Japan.
It all started with a photograph of Lisa from mega K-pop girl band Blackpink, carrying a bag with an “ugly” doll accessory strapped to her bag. The demand for Labubu exploded to epic proportions thereafter and the craze has led to thousands of dollars spent – and sometimes lost through scams. Labubu isn’t the first (remember Hello Kitty?) and it certainly won’t be the last. So why is it that “cute” sells so well? Andrea Heng and Hairianto Diman speak to Dr Joshua Paul Dale, Professor, Department of British and American Literature Culture, Chuo University, to find out more.
This is an op-ed I wrote for The Japan Times.