{"id":82714,"date":"2024-10-24T14:14:38","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T19:14:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=82714"},"modified":"2024-10-24T14:14:40","modified_gmt":"2024-10-24T19:14:40","slug":"times-talk-discusses-aesthetics-and-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=82714","title":{"rendered":"Times Talk discusses Aesthetics and Politics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Story by ADIA REYNOLDS Photos by RORY MOORE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tiger Media Network<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Times Talk is a monthly on-campus event run by the American Democracy Project. Tuesday\u2019s installment marked the discussion of \u201cCute Politics!: Articulating the Kawaii Aesthetic, Fandom, and Political Participation\u201d by FHSU Professor of Communication Studies Hsin-Yen Yang. Situated in the upper level of the Memorial Union, students and faculty were treated to complimentary stickers, pins, and food before the lecture began. The stickers were themed to the event, with characters that fit the aesthetic tabled for discussion.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy favorite is Choco-Cat,\u201d Yang began with a strong component of relatability. Most people in attendance were familiar with kawaii aesthetics, even if they didn\u2019t know it by name. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of Yang\u2019s students, Harley Headley, was able to recognize the aesthetic from online videos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI knew about kawaii aesthetics via animation and YouTubers I used to watch. All cute and kind aesthetic\u2026 I had no clue that this culture and style also showed in the politics of Asia,\u201d Headley said. \u201cI thought it was just a style preference.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though it began with girls\u2019 stylistic handwriting in Japan, kawaii aesthetics was corporatized by Sanrio into the recognizable characters that are beloved all across the globe today. Characters like Hello Kitty and the aforementioned Choco-Cat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot everything cute is kawaii, Yang said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n