Hello Kitty???

(note:I didn't mean it, but this title is ironically funny when compared to my previous entry, "bye bye puppy")

I attended an academic lecture (well, at least that is what we were all led to think it was) at my university about Hello Kitty. Well, the true purpose of the symposium was to display ways that Japan is influencing the U.S., and this one particular lecture was about Sanrio's Hello Kitty doll/icon and its movement to the U.S.. The lecture, given by Dr. Christie Yano, an associate professor at University of Hawaii, came as a surprise to all who were expecting something on the academic side.

The lecture started out with a poem "Hello Kitty Has No Mouth" (which is on a website that also has a hilarious FAQ section on Hello Kitty's mouth). This was not too strange, but then as the lecture progressed, we realized we were in for a ride.

"...Kitty is a paradigm of the preadolescent female self, before young women are forced to internalize the images of what society promotes as necessary to become beautiful or appealing: uncomfortable shoes, control-top pantyhose, a cow-like Nancy Reagan gaze, and those twin demons -- silicone and StairMasters. Kitty is eternally uncorruptible. She doesn't want to please anyone except herself. She is girl power, not vamp power. ...A fellow Kittyphile suggests that Kitty, with her immaculate whiteness, is the embodiment of pure innocence." This is written by Ann Hanks who has something of an obsession with Hello Kitty goods. Dr. Yano discussed people such as this who adore Kitty from every aspect, but then she began discussing how some see Kitty as not so sweet and loving. She discussed Kitty's dark side....

Many people are the antithesis of the obsessed, character-collecting Kitty-lovers. They are Kitty-haters. They share a world where perverse writings, cartoons, and paraphernalia tear Hello Kitty to pieces. We start with the Hello Kitty vibrator - originally a "massage wand" became much more when put into...um...the right hands? Then, Hello Kitty gets a mouth! One may think this is good.....until they see the site. Dr. Yano had a clip from the dvd production which she showed a shocked audience as we watched a gigantic, life-sized Hello Kitty make some noises with her mouth as she used her "massage wand"!! The lecture went on with so many examples...of Hello Kitty Goths, Hell Kitty websites (sic.), Big mama Chinese b****es, Hello Kitty porn and many many more surprises. The close of Dr. Yano's presentation was a quote from the Kitty has no mouth website saying, "yous are all just jealous of hello kitty because EVEYONE loves her ! so go rot in hell you stupid mother f**kers....hello kitty is the BEST!!!!!!!!! ROCK ON HELLO KITTY LOVERS".

Now, why should I carry on about such a lecture? 1) it was a shock, so now I have to spread the shock, 2) this is academia?? 3) where can I get a job reading websites and studying something so interesting that pays me to fly to Japan and show lewd films?? 4) ya'll like the funny links and crazy Hello Kitty fans (yes, it is hard to believe that such a devote subculture exists!)

Posted by Kristen at July 6, 2003 06:35 PM | TrackBack