Updated Looking to learn and understand a bit more about cuteness (in general) or kawaii (in Japan), here is a list of some of the best articles found on the internet:
Biology/evolutionary-related theories:
- Introduction (.pdf) to Evolutionary Psychology
- Early Aesthetic Choices (.pdf) Infant Preferences for Attractive Premature Infant Faces
- The Cute Machine
- Science of Cuteness
- Survival of The Prettiest: The Science of Beauty
- Cuteness Will Rule
- MSNBC Health: Why do we take so long to develop?
Socio-cultural/Consumerism side:
- Cuties in Japan by Sharon Kinsella (best source)
- Cute formalism
- A Biological Homage to Mickey Mouse
- Fifteen theses on the cute
- New York Times: The Cuteness Factor --NEW
- Cute Pr0n
- Business Week Online: In Japan, Cute Conquers All
- Silent Reading
- Wired: Cute Inc.
- King of Poku: Takashi Murakami
- Time.com Asia: She's a Material Girl
- Time.com Asia: From We to Me
- Time.com Asia: Export Machine
- Cute is forever
- Small and cute sells
- Japanese teenagers
- Japanese street Chic
- Shibuya Girls: Mountain Witches or Glam-Rocking Cyborg Barbie Dolls?
- Strange Mix of Contradictions
- Teen prostitution a growing problem for Japan
- Enjo kosai: teen prostitution, a reflection of society's ills
- Kawaii food photos
- Hello Kitty turns 30 in 2004
- ‘Enjo Kosai’ – Sex, Schoolgirls and Consumerism in Japan
- imomus - What is Cute?
- Graffiti Photos: Expressive Art in Japanese Girls' Culture
- London Review of Books - Cute
- Hello Kitty's Official Blog (in Japanese)
If you have other links, please post them in the comments.
Related books:
- Women, Media and Consumption in Japan
by Lise Skov (Editor), Brian Moeran (Editor) and Sharon Kinsella, "Cuties in Japan"
- Adult Manga: Culture and Power in Contemporary Japanese Society (Consumasian Book Series)
by Sharon Kinsella
- Japan Pop!: Inside the World of Japanese Popular Culture
by Timothy J. Craig (Editor)
- Permitted and Prohibited Desires: Mothers, Comics, and Censorship in Japan
by Anne Allison
- Contemporary Japan and Popular Culture
by John Whittier Treat (Editor)
- The Worlds of Japanese Popular Culture : Gender, Shifting Boundaries and Global Cultures
by Dolores Martinez (Editor)
- Japan Edge: The Insider's Guide to Japanese Pop Subculture
by Satoru Fujii (Editor)
- The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture
by Mark Schilling
- Takashi Murakami: The Meaning of the Nonsense of the Meaning
by Dana Amanda/Friis-Hansen Cruz (Author)
- Women on the Verge: Japanese Women, Western Dreams (Asia-Pacific)
by Karen Kelsky
- So Crazy Japanese Toys!
by Jimbo Matison, Rodney Alan Greenblat (Photographer)
- Fruits
by Shoichi Aoki (Author)
- Understanding Japanese Society (Nissan Institute/Routledge Japanese Studies)
by Joy Hendry
- Nightwork: Sexuality, Pleasure, and Corporate Masculinity in a Tokyo Hostess Club
by Anne Allison
- Gambling With Virtue: Japanese Women and the Search for Self in a Changing Nation
by Nancy Ross Rosenberger
- The Image Factory: Fads and Fashions in Japan
by Donald Richie, Roy Garner (Photographer)
- The Material Child: Coming of Age in Japan and America
by Merry White
- Japanese Mirror: Heroes and Villains of Japanese Culture
by Ian Buruma
- Japan-Think, Ameri-Think: An Irreverent Guide to Understanding the Cultural Difference Between Us
by Robert J. Collins, Jane Walmsley
- Hello Kitty : The Remarkable Story of Sanrio and the Billion Dollar Feline Phenomenon
by Ken Belson (Author), Brian Bremner (Author)
First published 2003-09-30