Week 7
ASA 141
Minh Pham's article, "The Taste and Aftertaste of Asian Bloggers" mentions how a lot of net idols promote the idea of cuteness. Cuteness has become a big part of Asian fashion and is reflected in franchises like "Pikachu" and even in the poses that Asian bloggers make in their photos. Cuteness has definitely become a mainstream part of Asian fashion, which is why I found the Japanese women that represented the chicano subculture very interesting. They want to look tough and strong, which could be hard to get out of the cute fashion trend. While, I like that "asian cuteness" has become more and more popular in the global market and has helped promote Asian fashion, I sometimes worry about what the "cuteness" promotes. Asian women are often already seen by western cultures as submissive, passive, and sexualized. Asian men are often already seen as feminine and emasculated. Dressing "cute" seems to further promote these already existing stereotypes. Yet, I appreciate how the popularity of "cuteness" challenges the western standard of attractiveness. Perhaps, "cuteness" helps embrace these negative stereotypes by turning them into something that can be seen as desirable. Is Asian "cute" fashion ultimately a positive or negative representation of Asians?
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