Abstract

What do Hello Kitty and other cute artifacts have anything to do with political communication? As the dominant aesthetic of global consumer society, kawaii (“cute” in Japanese) has become a popular expression in many public spaces and political cultures, especially in East and Southeast Asia. Based on her field participation, interviews, and secondary sources, Dr. Hsin-Yen Yang offers a historical-textual analysis of the ways in which cute aesthetics and fan participation alter the political communication process in postauthoritarian Taiwan. This study suggests that the prevalence of kawaii in protests and political campaigns indicates an ideological shift from masculine communication styles to an “effeminate” voice in politics. This study examines the process in which the fans of pop culture become engaged citizens. This paper also exemplifies the significance of the “minor aesthetics” such as cute, zany, glamorous, and whimsical because they give voice to weak, silenced and marginalized groups. These minor aesthetic categories deserve the same level of serious attention that academics have given to the grand, the beautiful and the sublime. This study is considered "groundbreaking" by one of the reviewers.

Document Type

Article

Source Publication

Popular Communication: The International Journal of Media and Culture

Version

Published Version

Publication Date

6-2023

Volume

21

Issue

2

First Page

85

Last Page

97

Rights

© 2023 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

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