Media

Kawaii Beyond: Kawaii Culture in Atlanta, Georgia
Produced by Jeremiah Long (2025)

How has kawaii culture traveled beyond Japan to assume unique forms in different locations across the globe? This hour-long documentary from the Kawaii in Japan & Beyond: Theory & Praxis project explores how kawaii culture has been taken up in the local context of Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

We follow Erica Kanesaka, Assistant Professor of Cute Studies at Emory University, as she offers a brief and personal history of kawaii's globalization. She then takes us on a tour of kawaii culture in the Atlanta area, visiting kawaii-style shops and cafes and speaking with individuals who have cultivated kawaii within their local communities. Interviewees include Atlanta-area lolita fashion practitioners and the owner of a kawaii-style boba shop.

“Cute Is Tender”
A Conversation with Christina Yuna Ko (2026)

In this interview, I speak with Korean American artist Christina Yuna Ko about our shared attachments to cuteness and kawaii culture. We discuss what cuteness means to us personally and professionally as Asian American women researchers and creatives. Christina published this conversation in her e-book To Be Cute.

“Boba Culture: Kawaii Aesthetics in Diasporic Communities”
A Conversation with Christine Nguyen (2025)

In this special extended interview from the Kawaii in Japan & Beyond: Theory & Praxis project, I interview Christine Nguyen, the owner of Rebel Teahouse, a boba tea shop in Georgia, USA that celebrates the power of cuteness and kawaii. Christine explains what kawaii means to her as a Vietnamese American woman and how it plays a role in the aesthetics of boba tea. She also discusses the relationship between cuteness and community and how this can support Asian American art and activism.

“Kawaii: The Emergence and Evolution of Cuteness in Japanese Girls’ Culture”
with Joshua Paul Dale, Megan Catherine Rose, and Masafumi Monden (2022)

This webinar for the Japan Foundation, New York features four cute studies scholars, myself included, discussing the emergence and evolution of kawaii culture from its beginnings 1,000 years ago in Heian-era Japan through to its contemporary globalization.

“How UK Plush Toy Jellycat Conquered China”
BBC News, January 1, 2026

“What’s Really Behind the Cult of Labubu”
The Atlantic, August 4, 2025

“How Chinese Toy Company Pop Mart Is Taking Over the World”
Time, March 26, 2025

“Cute Food Gets Serious, and Savory”
Taste, September 16, 2024

“How Sonny Angels and Smiskis Took Over TikTok”
Bloomberg News, July 29, 2024

“Hello Kitty Turns 50. What Will the Next Cat’s Meow Be?”
Japan Times, April 22, 2024

“Welcome to Kidulthood: Why Adults Are Suddenly into Stuffed Animals”
The Atlantic, April 10, 2024

“The Enduring, Rebellious & Totally Adorable Appeal of Kawaii”
The Zoe Report, December 20, 2023

“Gwen Stefani Says She’s Japanese in New Interview: Singer Accused of Cultural Appropriation”
NBC LX Current, January 13, 2023