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Hello Kitty - The Perfect Japanese Citizen

This version was saved 13 years, 6 months ago View current version     Page history
Saved by Jake Kalman
on September 20, 2010 at 2:39:19 am
 

 

Understanding Hello Kitty

 

Don’t be fooled. This is not a page on why Hello Kitty is cute and why Japan likes Hello Kitty. This is a page on why Japan needs Hello Kitty. The cuteness page can be found at http://outsiderjapan.pbworks.com/Cuteness+In-depth.

No matter what is going on in Hello Kitty’s head, she always displays the same emotion. What do you think is in her mind? This is in direct correlation with Japanese culture – no matter what is going on in a Japanese person’s life or mind, they tend to withhold emotion from those around them. 

 

 

What emotions do you see in Hello Kitty?

 

The suppression of emotion in Japanese culture is not only evident in the persona of Hello Kitty, but also in the ability of Hello Kitty to identify with any and all Japanese as an outlet for expressing emotions that would otherwise be expressed through methods that may cause the Japanese to lose face. This face is not only that which is presented to the outsider, but also that presented to his or her family and community.

 

““What makes Kitty so intriguing is that she projects entirely different meanings depending on the consumer,” they write. The cat is “an icon that allows viewers to assign whatever meaning to her that they want.” . . . not only can Logos have meaning, and not only can that meeting be manufactured– it can be manufactured by consumers. Ultimately, a cultural symbol that catches on is almost never simply imposed, but rather is created and then tacitly agreed upon by those who choose to accept its meaning, wherever that meaning may have originated. That’s what Hello Kitty is: a cultural symbol. And a successful brand.” (Belson and Bremner)1

 

“Hello Kitty’s blank cryptic simplicity, he argues, is among her great strengths; standing for nothing, she is “waiting to be interpreted,” and this is precisely how an “ambiguous”– and let’s be frank: meaningless– symbol comes to stand for nostalgia to one person, fashion ability to another, camp to a third, vague subversiveness to a fourth.”1

 

““Without the mouth, it is easier for the person looking at Hello Kitty to project their feelings onto the character, explains a Sanrio spokesman quoted by McVeigh: “A person can be happy or sad together with Hello Kitty.” Hello Kitty, McVeigh argues, is a mirror that reflects whatever image, desire or fantasy in individual brings to it.”1

 

Suppressing Emotion

 

The suppression of emotion in Japanese culture is not only evident in the persona of Hello Kitty, but also in the ability of Hello Kitty to identify with any and all Japanese as an outlet for expressing emotions that would otherwise be expressed through methods that may cause the Japanese to lose face. This face is not only that which is presented to the outsider, but also that presented to his or her family and community. Maybe Hello Kitty is a tool with which to identify, allowing the Japanese to withhold all emotion not socially acceptable.

 

Showing Emotion in Different Ways

 

In Japan, people tend to look to the eyes for emotional cues, whereas Americans tend to look to the mouth, says researcher Masaki Yuki, a behavioral scientist.

The smile is in his eyes. His mouth is emotionless.

 

 

The smile is in the mouth.

 

"This could be because the Japanese, when in the presence of others, try to suppress their emotions more than Americans do, he said. Japanese people tend to shy away from overt displays of emotion, and rarely smile or frown with their mouths, Yuki explained, because the Japanese culture tends to emphasize conformity, humbleness and emotional suppression, traits that are thought to promote better relationships."

 

Emoticons showing this phenomenon

 

These traits are even obvious when looking at the emoticons in text and online instant messaging. Japanese people use emoticons that show emotion in the eyes while the mouth remains static. Americans keep the eyes static while making the mouth change. 

 

 

1 (^_^) or (^_^)v, etc Laughing x-D
2 (>_<)> Troubled :/
3 (^_^) Happy :-)
4 (ToT) Crying :`(
5 mm(__ __)mm Apologizing ..|.. (-_-)
6 (^^ゞ or (^^;) Shy ?
7 ( ̄ー ̄) Grinning :] or :-D

 

Can you figure out which emoticons are American and which are Japanese? 

 

Now that it is understood that Japanese use the eyes to express emotion, Hello Kitty has a lot more meaning than what first meets the eye (no pun intended. Okay, it was intended, and I'm proud of it).

 

Hello Kitty for Kids

 

Hello Kitty teaches the Japanese values to kids, especially the value of saving face that pervades all of Japanese culture. Japanese parents would be wise to give their kids Hello Kitty from an early age. Even if the children do not understand Hello Kitty and only like it for kawaii (cuteness), it still subliminally trains them to act like Hello Kitty. Regardless of culture, children tend to mimic those around them. If you give a child a Hello Kitty doll, would it not mimic the doll? Mimicking the doll, which is the ideal Japanese citizen, helps children to become ideal Japanese citizens, as well. In addition, Hello Kitty teaches children that emotion should come from the eyes, not from the mouth.

 

 

Do YOU see any emotion in this picture? I sure don’t.

 

The Hello Kitty children's anime shows Hello Kitty always acting politely and happy. When animating Hello Kitty, the subliminal message that normally pervades is somewhat lost. However, this is accounted for by showing Hello Kitty acting in other ways that are socially acceptable for Japan.

 

 

Hello Kitty for Teenagers

 

When it comes down to basic human genetics, a teenager is a teenager. A teenager wants to rebel. A teenager wants to show the world that it is misunderstood. If a teenager feels misunderstood, and Hello Kitty can morph to the emotions of that which holds/looks at it, then the teenager will be able to project its emotions onto hello kitty and go against the system without anyone else knowing. 

A Japanese schoolteacher is not going to get angry over seeing Hello Kitty in a classroom. But it is certainly possible that the scenario above is happening in classrooms all over. The children are forced to work so hard in secondary school when they are not yet fully mature. It is possible that Hello Kitty helps some of these teenagers express their emotions without destroying the reputations of their families.

 

Really? That’s your angry face?

 


Nerds can get into it, too!

 

And emos. The emotion is in the running mascara.

 

 

Hello Kitty for Adults

 

Drink your problems away, Japan. Hello Kitty is there for you.

 

 

OMGWTF

Hello Kitty for Couples

 

In a country where nobody shows any feeling whatsoever, wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a guest at your wedding that felt exactly the same way you did? You and your fiancé/fiancée are most likely extremely happy. Hello Kitty would seem extremely happy due to its lack of explicit emotion. If your mother-in-law was sad that her daughter/son was getting married, couldn’t she see sadness in Hello Kitty?

It seems that Japanese people are so indebted to Hello Kitty that they used it for the whole wedding.

 

http://www.lovelyish.com/707811254/how-to-have-your-own-hello-kitty-wedding/

 

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Japanese Society

 

Simply put, Japanese society needs Hello Kitty. Without it, they would have one less tool for expressing their emotions. Is Hello Kitty a tool for Japan to control its citizens? You’ll have to decide for yourself. I’ve made my argument.

 

Japanese society is

 

More Weird Examples of Hello Kitty

 

Uh..

 

Uh...

 

 

Sources

http://dangerousintersection.org/2008/10/09/hello-sarah-hello-kitty/

 

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