Japan’s feminist theatre turns ‘cute’ fashion into a weapon against misogyny

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Tokyo: Feminist artists in Japan are using the country's culture of ‘cute’ fashion to challenge misogyny, sexual violence, and gender inequality. Their productions blend lavish Gothic and Lolita-inspired costumes with acts about harassment, abuse, and misogyny.

TremendousCircus, a Tokyo-based theatre company, promotes their work as feminist musical theatre focused on the experiences of women victims of sexual violence. The troupe's stage aesthetic is Gothic and Lolita, and it tackles subjects that are generally deemed difficult or taboo to discuss.

The technique also reflects a greater Japanese cultural discussion about ‘kawaii’ (cuteness) and femininity. Rather than abandoning traditionally feminine aesthetics, feminist artists are rewriting them to challenge societal expectations of women and reclaim control over how femininity is conveyed.

Other modern Japanese theatrical pieces use humorous and visually appealing approaches to explore patriarchy, sexuality, and exploitation. Satoko Ichihara's KITTY, for example, employs the repetitive vocabulary of "cute" to examine the paradoxes caused by patriarchy, capitalism, and consumer society.