Acculturation of Kawaii fashion in France through comparative analysis of questionnaires (France, South Korea, Taiwan) and interviews (France)

Since the 1990s, the term kawaii (cute in Japanese) has been used in France and in another countries to designate Japanese popular culture, such as manga or the fashion of Harajuku Street (Koga 2006), as a childish culture (Koma 2011). In contrast, the usage of this term in Japan does not always include childishness, as expressed by Otona kawaii (adult cute) published in certain Japanese feminine journals. It is true certain discussions take place on odourless aspect of Japanese popular culture (Allison 2002, Shiraishi 2000, Iwabuchi 2006) or the proposal is made that Japanese soft power rests more on a national rather than cultural identity (Botz-Bornsteins 2011 XV). However in France, adjectives concerning infantilism, such as petit (small in French) mièvre (vapid) or mignard (cute, pejorative meaning) derived from the adjective mignon (cute) were already used to designate Japan by P. Loti, who introduced the Japanese mousmé to France at the end of the 19th century. Would this coincidence not be able to lead us to consider kawaii style as an ethnic and exotic attraction, succeeding consciously or unconsciously the first Japonism of France? If kawaii style has started to diffuse into the world, the phenomenon is varied from country to country, in particular in France, which is the origin of Japonism in the 19th century. In this paper, I will try to make clear the situation of the acculturation of kawaii style proper to France through a comparative analysis of questionnaires on this style carried out in France, Lithuania, Taiwan and South Korea, and through interviews realised in public space (boutiques, cafés) with young followers of this fashion in FranceAzijos studijų centrasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta