Beyond Kawaii

Kawaii. The love of all things cute has become the dominant image of Japanese girls and women.

Real Japanese women are, however, more complex. Some celebrate their uterus, others experiment with fashion and cross- dressing or embrace their chubbiness, many struggle with motherhood. And some may even return as vengeful ghosts.

This third collection of studies by young scholars from the University of Cambridge looks beyond the kawaii image and explores the diversity and complexity of being a Japanese woman in the new millennium.

Brigitte Steger is a Senior Lecturer in Modern Japanese Studies at the University of Cambridge researching daily life.

Angelika Koch (PhD Cambridge) is a Research Fellow at the University of Ghent studying sexuality and health discourses in early modern Japan.

Christopher Tso is a final year PhD student at Cambridge exploring male grooming practices in Japanese business culture.