A Beginner’s Guide to Kawaii
You may have heard of the term before, but even if you have, we’re here to give you all the latest and greatest details on all things kawaii. Kawaii can be anything you want, in the respect that you can dress kawaii for a night or go all out and live a full kawaii lifestyle. You can also dive into kawaii anywhere — you don’t have to be in Tokyo to enjoy this style.
Whichever suits your fancy, we’ll tell you what the hottest kawaii looks are at the moment and what kinds of accessories, products, and even lingerie you can get to achieve any level of kawaii aesthetic.
Ready to take a deep dive into the cutest subculture there is? Get ready to read all about this kawaii culture, full of pastel colors, manga references, and plushie toys galore. Let’s first take a peek into the history of kawaii culture and where it began.
The History of Kawaii Culture
Believe it or not, kawaii culture has been around for a while. It all started in Japan around the late 1960s — in fact, kawaii is a Japanese word meaning “cute” in English.
This cute culture was birthed out of protests and rebellion among Japanese students. These students wanted to stand up against authority and express their true style and love for cuteness.
What started as a rebellion began to take over as part of Japanese popular culture — and moved through the rest of the world. Many started to embrace kawaii culture by expressing themselves with youthful handwriting, fashion choices, and even the foods they ate.
Kawaii culture took over much more than the style of the younger crowd. Soon, companies started implementing kawaii marketing strategies to reach new crowds and keep up with trends.
The term kawaii has been seen both as positive and not so positive, but we want to highlight everything we love about this cute lifestyle. Kawaii as a culture includes cute clothing and lingerie, adorable everyday products, and a pastel aesthetic that you’ll have dreamt of.
Different Types of Kawaii
There are a few different types of kawaii that are worth exploring:
- Busukawaii: Ugly cute
- Kimokawaii: Creepy cute
- Erokawaii: Sexy cute
- Gurokawaii: Grotesque cute
All About Kawaii Lifestyle
As for living a super cute kawaii lifestyle, we’ve got some amazing things to point out that everyone immersed in this subculture does or has. Think Hello Kitty plushies, cute makeup that keeps your look fresh and young, and keeping up with everything current in pop culture. In fact, Hello Kitty is basically the unofficial mascot of the kawaii movement.
Interested in cultivating the most kawaii lifestyle? We’ve put together a list of everything you’ll need to know if that’s the case. Learn everything from how to have more kawaii handwriting, what some hot kawaii accessories are at the moment, and what cute products are out there that you can use all the time.
First things first, did you know there was such a thing as kawaii handwriting?
How To Achieve Kawaii Handwriting
Believe it or not, you can be kawaii right down to how your writing looks. As we mentioned, kawaii culture started in Japan among Japanese students who wanted to express themselves. This meant that they formed their own way of dressing, talking, and even writing.
Kawaii handwriting involves bubble letters and the use of cute symbols such as hearts or stars. You can even amp up the cuteness by writing with cute stationery, stickers, and colored pens. Kawaii handwriting is super fun and unique.
What Are Some Kawaii Accessories?
We’re so glad you asked. As you can tell, there are tons of ways to incorporate kawaii culture into your life. Another one of those is by wearing or having kawaii accessories. Not sure what we mean by that? Don’t worry; we’ll list some for you below.
In this colorful subculture, you can be kawaii no matter what you’re doing. For example, you can even have a cute bento box to take with you for food on the go! Along with bento boxes, you can find cute things like squishy keychains, plush pillows, notebooks with Japanese kawaii characters (think Pikachu) on them, and so much more.
Are There Any Kawaii Lifestyle Products?
Of course, there are. Because kawaii culture is valued, especially in places like Japan, countless brands have developed ranges of products for other kawaii lovers. Mainly, we see a lot of super cute bedding, home decor, and desk stationery, but there are many other types of products you can get your hands on as well.
We have some favorite kawaii products in mind, and we’d love to share them with you if you want them for your rooms. It’s trendy right now to have cute neon signs, and what’s great is that they can be found in many different shapes or words. Throw in a couple of fluffy emoji pillows and a pastel Pokemon sign, and you’ll be sleeping in a kawaii paradise.
Having a Kawaii Aesthetic
If you put all of what we’ve told you together, odds are you’ll have a complete kawaii aesthetic that everyone will admire. If this is what you’re going for, it’s easy to achieve.
Curious about how to perfect a kawaii wardrobe? We’ve got the answers for that, too. Read a little further to start making a shopping list for all the kawaii pieces you need to complete the look.
Learn About Kawaii Fashion
If you’ve been reading all of this and thinking about all the ways to incorporate kawaii qualities into your wardrobe, you’re definitely in the right spot. Kawaii fashion has its own unique look that ranges from casual wear to our personal favorite — lingerie. What’s great about kawaii fashion is how many ways you can mix and match to keep the looks fresh and cute.
When it comes to kawaii fashion, you’ll see key elements like pastel pinks and purples, fuzzy oversized sweaters, long socks or fishnet stockings, and much, much more. There’s a little bit of something for everyone, which is why we love it the most.
Overall Cuteness
When it comes to dressing kawaii, don’t overthink it. Chances are, if you think that what you’re wearing is adorable and dainty and you feel cute wearing it, then you’re definitely in the kawaii zone.
Kawaii clothing has an overall sense of youth and fresh delight that will make you feel bouncy and youthful in the best way. When you take on this wardrobe, you’ll probably find yourself in clothes with little kawaii elements. For instance, you could pick out a pair of long socks that have a kitten face at the knee or wear an oversized pastel shirt with your favorite anime character on the front.
These sorts of qualities and thoughtfulness of design are what give kawaii fashion its overall cuteness.
Kawaii in Cosplay
Are you as into cosplay as we are? Cosplay and kawaii culture can go hand in hand. If you’re planning your next cosplay costume and are looking to include some cute looks, there are tons of cute characters you can emulate.
Kawaii Lingerie
Want to spice up your lingerie life while keeping up with the whole kawaii lifestyle you’ve made for yourself? Good news, it’s totally possible, and we even have some styles up our sleeves that are perfect for you.
Kawaii lingerie keeps certain qualities as kawaii streetwear, such as ruffles, light colors, and a younger style to make you feel your cutest. If you’re shopping for kawaii lingerie, keep your eye out for baby pink colors and designs that portray your favorite kawaii waifus.
Kawaii Lingerie at Moeflavor
As we mentioned earlier, we offer several styles of lingerie that definitely fit the category of kawaii. In fact, we’re proud at Moeflavor to say that our designs are original and are made specifically with kawaii and waifu in mind for our fellow kawaii fanatics.
As far as styles go, there are a couple of favorites that we wanted to mention here. If you’re in the market for some new lingerie to add some excitement to your life, then read on.
- Blush Bunny Ears Lingerie: this lingerie set has many of the kawaii attributes that we’ve talked about above. You’ll love its soft, plush details, and the bunny ears headband is an added touch.
- Love Dessert Cow Maid: we adore this set for its option to be worn in pink or black and the fact that it has ruffles galore. We thought of all the details with this set, including the bow headband and ruffle apron that offers slightly more coverage.
- Sweet Talk Heart Ruffle Lingerie: designed in pink, black, and our current favorite, lavender, this lingerie outfit will be sure to make hearts soar. There’s nothing quite as kawaii as silk hearts and the words, “be mine.”
Wrapped in a Bow
So, do you feel confident in your knowledge of everything kawaii, and what makes it such an important part of Japan’s culture? We hope you do, and we also feel sure that you’re ready to shop for some amazing new kawaii pieces that will make you and your closet very happy. Get ready to embrace your inner kawaii cutie.
Whether you’re ready to jump all in and make everything you own kawaii or want to keep that safe in just the bedroom, we support it and can’t wait to hear what you think about kawaii culture.
Sources:
What Is Kawaii? | The Conversation
Living The Kawaii Life | The Breeze
Kawaii, but make it subversive: Japan's latest fashion is more than its frills | Japan Times