Honours Project: In Praise of Cuteness

In Praise of Cutness explores creepy-cute culture (Kimo-Kawaii) through the creation of illustrated mascots in order to provide counter-narratives against racial and gendered stereotypes of Asian Australian Women.

Based on anecdotes and quotes from workshop responses, the mascots ‘Void’, ‘Reactive’, Disconnectedness’, and ‘Fragility’ reflect common experiences expressed by Asian Australian Women in a world that deems them hypersexual, infantile, and submissive. Through character design and storytelling, this project hopes to spark conversation, provide comfort, and accurate representation to alleviate the hermeneutical injustice experienced by Asian Women.