Japan Has a Cute Problem

How the pink apron keeps women down.

By Sophie Knight

When Japanese scientist Haruko Obokata published a groundbreaking research paper on stem cells earlier this year, the media were thrilled — but not because of her work. They were more interested in the traditional Japanese housewife’s apron that she wore, instead of the lab coat you might have expected.

Obokata’s dress choice was savvy. The apron, a symbol of domesticity, made her obvious intelligence more palatable in Japan, where being “cute”, or kawaii is the only social currency women have.

Japan’s reverence for kawaii, and its close association with femininity, demands that women speak in a high, singsong voice, that they use childlike gestures and expressions, and that they never, ever challenge a man. Those who go against the grain by exhibiting ambition, brains or strong opinions are disparaged for being too “aggressive.”

So, Obokata’s apron deflected attention from her scientific prowess, and thanks to the media’s efforts, became a woman who just happened to be a scientist: a Barbie with a pipette.

To be kawaii is to be vulnerable, weak and powerless. “Cute” is the opposite of capable. Sure, it’s easy to like — seeing cute things ignite our protective instincts and trigger the release of…