Unspoken Incantation: Kawaii Culture as Empowerment

Unspoken Incantation explores the use of self-portraiture as a form of expression that represents female empowerment in kawaii culture. This paper specifically addresses how kawaii culture has evolved to include a form of self-expression primarily constructed by young females. Proponents of kawaii culture claim to celebrate femininity through the physical representation of qualities they define as sweet, adorable, gentle, and lovable. Additionally, it stands powerfully against patriarchal hegemony and, specifically, patriarchally constructed traditional roles and expectations of women. I posit that the embodiment of kawaii aesthetic, including fashion and feminine signifiers in my research creation, serve as an empowerment tool. Through an exploration of cultural context and personal experiences, I investigate the positive potential of kawaii as a tool for empowerment. Popular culture, religion, and East Asian mythological sources influenced hand gestures and power poses within Unspoken incantation. These sources in-turn represent the repurposed symbolic powers used in kawaii culture, most commonly manifested by women. Through my research creation project, I have embraced kawaii culture as an aesthetic language to show the silent yet powerful intentions of the kawaii movement.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Art

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Arts

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• Chen, Kun

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Anderson, Judy

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Leier, Heather
• Schwartz, Dona

• self-portraiture
• female empowerment
• kawaii culture
• self-expression

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/37534

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:1880/111590