If there’s one serious hot-button issue in Asian cultures around the world, it’s absolutely mental health. Discussing it in any way is a universal taboo across East Asia, and by extension Asian communities in the United States and around the world.
Yet as much as Asian cultures treat mental health as something to not be discussed openly, mental health issues such as depression take their toll; in South Korea, for example, suicide is a leading cause of death in younger generations, while suicide rates in Japan are at a crisis level. In the South-East Asia region, India has taken the lead with the highest suicide rate since 2016.
Yami Kawaii: Harajuku’s Latest Street Style
As an Asian American, this topic is very personal to me. If there’s a movement to change the status quo, I want to join — Sign. Me. Up. But how do Asian cultures even begin to approach mental health in ways that circumvent the strong taboo about discussing such things? Well, through fashion, of course.
The Japanese counterculture fashion from Tokyo’s Harajuku district has always been tastemakers. Recently, the newest trend in fashion known as Yami Kawaii has met the challenge of bringing awareness to mental health in cultures that wouldn’t be caught dead talking about it.
Sickly-Cute. So Cute You Could Die.
Yami Kawaii, in a nutshell, means “sick-cute.” It’s a creepy cute aesthetic that expresses depression and suicide through fashion. This new movement takes the long-standing kawaii counterculture, which focuses on cute, adorable, and often girly fashions, and combines it with a surprisingly dark aesthetic.
The style focuses on physical representations of mental illness: makeup to simulate eyes red and puffy from crying, dark messages emblazoned across clothing such as, “I want to die” worded, ironically, in flowery and cutesy fonts.
Accessories like fake syringes, pills, and bandages are used to complete the look. Because nothing screams, “I need help” more than a top covered with empty pill bottle designs or a comb representing a box cutter knife, dangling from your wrist like a charm bracelet.
Kawaii culture originated in Japan in the late 1960s as a rebellion against traditional Japanese society and emerged from student protests against the rigid customs of post-World War II. The word kawaii means “cute,” and it’s this style that allows the younger generation to express their individuality — but the essence of Yami Kawaii fashion is to “ask for love.”
Expressing your emotions through fashion sends the message that you’re not alone, so dressing kawaii makes other people feel good too. The culture itself is an art form that brings goodwill to those who understand the meaning behind it.
Menhera-chan the “Wrist Cutting Warrior”
In English, Menhera-chan translates to “a person needing mental health care.” The artist behind the creation is Ezaki Bisuko. He began drawing her to cope with life when he dealt with his own mental health struggles. Menhera-chan quickly gained popularity with Japanese teenagers, so much so that it sparked a movement in a society where depression is considered a weakness and suicide are rampant.
Bisuko is trailblazing the movement by using his art to change the negative image of mental health.
He expresses sadness through Menhera-chan by making her cute and relatable.
Those who connect with the message adopt her style as a way of breaking Japan’s silence over mental health and suicide.
His art is reminiscent of culturally attentive therapy among Asian and Asian American clients, as therapists are encouraged to use somatic terms when working with this population.
By describing symptoms concerning the body instead of referring to it as depression, clients understand that it’s an illness, not a character flaw or weakness in personality.
The Suicide Epidemic
You’re never quite the same when someone close to you dies, especially if it’s by suicide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide leaves behind at least six survivors. In 2017 alone, there were as many as 1.5 million people who unwillingly became part of this club.
Suicide loss is unlike other types of grief in that grievers experience both grief and trauma, leaving those impacted by the loss with complicated bereavement. Survivors experience PTSD that’s on par with soldiers in military combat, yet suicide is still very taboo and stigmatized. This is universal across all cultures.
Cultural shame and religion can also complicate the grieving process by isolating grievers. Recognizing these cultural dynamics can help break the silence to help each other get the support we need.
Mental wellness needs to be a priority for everyone. It should not be a luxury afforded to a select few.
You’re Not Alone
Societal stigma often hides the truth. It can isolate grievers to make them believe that no one else could understand such a loss. I’ve lost people to suicide myself and suffered from complicated grief for years before I could move on. And in shame-based cultures like mine, survivors protect their families from losing face, so suicide is rarely discussed.
To make matters worse, faith traditions haven’t always provided the best support for those grieving. I want survivors to know that they’re not alone. Others have traveled the same painful path and we survived. You will too.
If you have survivor’s guilt, know that it’s false guilt. Don’t feed into the what-ifs and if only, our loved ones took their own lives to end their pain. It wasn’t to hurt us — it had nothing to do with us — the suicide isn’t your fault.
Suicide often comes at the end of a long journey with mental illness. If there were recent painful experiences don’t take them personally. Choose to only remember the happier times.
Some religious circles may view it as a sin. Despite what I learned from the church growing up, I don’t believe God would punish people who suffer from mental illness. Choosing to die isn’t a moral choice when a person is struggling with their mental health. Because like cancer or diabetes, it’s a disease. It’s okay to let go of your sense of guilt and responsibility for the death.
Making the Most of Your Time
Survivors are at a higher risk for suicide, though studies have shown that even children of parents who died by suicide were resilient and went on to live ordinary lives. But getting there takes time.
Recovering from loss can feel unbearable. Then being forced to confront the stigma associated with suicide every time you share the loss makes it even more complicated. Healing is a painful process that can be messy and uncomfortable. Don’t go at it alone.
Healing takes place in the context of community, whether it’s with friends, family, grief & loss groups, or a therapist. Even though grief isn’t something you fully recover from, it does give you a greater appreciation for life after enduring that level of pain. You also become more aware of your mortality.
I believe everyone has something to contribute, and it’s up to us to figure out what it is. Finding your purpose gives life meaning. It makes you resilient, helping you figure out ways to adapt and survive when life knocks you down; it teaches you how to pick yourself back up.
Will This Trend Go Out of Style?
Innovative ideas walk the line between ingenuity and insanity, and it’s THAT boldness that inspires change. That’s why avant-garde designers are the visionaries of fashion.
Yami Kawaii challenges existing ideas with the duality of cute and disturbing, which is why it’s such a success. Sugarcoating the realities of life makes it easier to digest.
This style is, without a doubt, fashion-forward and avant-garde.
It’s also proven to be more than a trend — it’s a means of self-expression in a community that celebrates conformity.
Cultural factors that influence why Asians don’t seek mental health support could change if enough people challenge the status quo.
In a society where you simply can’t discuss your mental state, literally wearing your emotions on your sleeve becomes an effective way to express how you’re not okay without actually saying it.
Not only that, it also reminds you that you’re not alone, that other people are suffering too. It normalizes depression, something crucial in a culture that punishes people for seeking help. While this fashion statement seems eccentric, this trend could potentially impact how Asian cultures view mental health, which could help many people who suffer in silence.
Some fashion trends come and go, but the lasting benefits of this look have proven to be more than just a fad.
