Student 10

This is a figurine of the Sanrio character Hello Kitty. This character, first introduced in 1974 in Japan marked the beginning of Japanese cute or “Kawaii” culture after the alienating events of the Second World War. Initially the character was created to market off the growing demand for Kawaii merchandise in Japan among young girls. As Hello Kitty transcended into an international sensation, controversy around what the character represented followed. While some fans of the character find the cat to be a lighthearted embodiment of joy for them to find comfort, others find the character demeaning in what it has come to represent Aisan women as.

Though Hello Kitty was created for a Japanese and East Asian audience, the global engagement, particularly in the west, has reshaped her meaning. As the perception Asian women in the West is often dehumanizing and infantilizing, the perception of the character's meaning in relation to its origins is colored by this western experience. Hello Kitty’s features; a blank expression, no mouth, and a small stature, may trigger associations with racism, misogyny and political outrage in some but, others embrace the character for this very reason. Inspired by the original purpose of the Kawaii culture, many fans seek to embody the youthfulness and ambiguity of Hello Kitty’s emotions. Especially in the East, the alienating experience of adulthood responsibilities pushed people towards the characters allowance for self expression and projection onto her open ended nature. Personally as a young girl, Hello Kitty represented my youthful nature. Her versatility gave me room to expand my own imagination. As I have grown, despite my current knowledge on her implications, I still find myself turning to the character for comfort and nostalgia, and keeping Hello Kitty paraphernalia such as the figurine.

In this way the significance of Hello Kitty depends greatly on personal experience with being socialized in a specific culture and the perceptions of other cultures form this outside view. This object adds to the commentary of the exhibition as the original purpose of the character was to expand the Sanrio company, but their power to influence personal lives is insurmountable. The ambiguity of the character makes way for discussion on viewing cultural experience based on personal experience.

This is my dress that I wore to prom. When initially planning for prom my perception of what prom should be was garnered from personal accounts from others, and the media.In the United States, Prom holds a large significance as a milestone marker, and the transition into young adulthood. As prom is culturally regarded as a pivotal experience in a teens life, my outlook on the event was then influenced by these expectations. Spending months in advance buying the dress,wearing elaborate makeup, and centering the night on every aspect of the appearance is a performance meant to show this transition.

In approaching prom my inexperience with the reality of the event inhibited my ability to properly prepare for the expectations. Though my knowledge of the values I am expected to uphold in my culture helped me to follow through with the expected actions, my perception of prom and its significance to my identity was not fully explored.This, as well as the expectation of my gender to present a certain way I felt pressured. Because of my lack of experience with going to prom I followed the influence of others’ experiences to guide me.

In choosing to follow the experiences and expectations of others I was not able to differentiate my own preference and present in a way that suited me. With a lack of experience and knowledge in how to approach such a potentially pivotal event, It did not hold great significance.This object is representative of the way a lack of personal experience can affect the way I interpreted knowledge and executed my actions.

This book, Milk and Honey is a collection of poems written by Rupi Kaur. The book highlights the experiences of growing up a young girl and becoming a woman. The poems both consist of detailed descriptions of events in Kaur’s life as well as short metaphorical poems for the complex emotions associated with self actualization. The poems focus primarily on gender related issues specifically on the ways in which sexism affects women’s emotional development.

Mental health and gendered experience are difficult to describe if not experienced first hand. Because of this messages sent through the book may be lost through the reader. Through the poetry medium this is partially committed as the use of metaphors synonymous with nature and neutralize the story in order to be understood by a large audience. Within the descriptions of degradation, and invalidation by being assaulted and abused there is a gendered subtext that creates a barrier between groups of readers who have not experienced this and hinders understanding.

This book coincides with this exhibition as it, just as the Prom dress, demonstrates how the lack of personal experience inhibits the transmission and significance of knowledge. Being a woman myself the book allows me to express my own personal experience and relate to the author. Without a foundation in order to fully grasp a concept it is rendered meaningless.