Invasion of Hello Kitty--Taiwan’s Cute Culture

As a foreigner living in Taipei, I have become fairly immune to the ins and outs of Taiwan’s quirky, yet enjoyable culture. One aspect of this curious society is the prevalence of ‘cute culture’. 7-11, department stores, advertisements, all push this Japanese import on the consumers here and has become an integral part of the Taiwanese identity. It’s not just for young girls here; it is accepted and loved by high school students, university students, young adults, older adults, and most likely, in the near future, even grandparents. A cute woman in Taiwan is accepted socially at almost every age, especially by men who are attracted to this kind of look and behavior. Taiwan is very unlike the US where cute is OK until about 3rd grade—that’s elementary school—young, adolescent girls in the US attempt to become more ‘woman-like’ as they go through adolescence. In Taiwan, being cute in university and even in the workplace after graduating is acceptable by society. The other day, I saw a middle-aged, 40-something-year-old woman wearing a tight, all-to-revealing Betty Boop top with a super-short skirt, fishnet stockings and carrying a Hello Kitty handbag… during the day, not going to a party, and not a prostitute (I don’t think)! People on the subway glanced, but seemed to think almost nothing of it. Her appearance is acceptable to the general public, because there is no age limit on being ‘cute’ here. Hello Kitty or Miffy or Melody can adorn any woman’s outfit--sophisticated or not, at any age --right along with Gucci, Prada, or Louis Vuitton. Cute seems to be ‘comfortable’ and soft, innocent, - and in the traditional way of thinking, women here should be ‘innocent’ and ‘pure’ to be appealing to the Alpha-male. Cute is here to stay, like it or not!