Hello Kitty question
January 7, 2006 5:55 PM   Subscribe

OK, it is really crazy for a grown woman to like Hello Kitty and all of her gear? Is there a support group for this?
posted by sandra194 to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (28 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
If loving Hello Kitty is wrong, I don't want to be right.
posted by makonan at 6:04 PM on January 7, 2006


support groups are for addicts who can't control their behavior with reasons. for example, alcoholics - you know it makes you unproductive, but you drink anyway and you destroy your life. as long as you're not going out of control (for example, you have kids and instead of setting aside some $$ for their college funds, you waste all $$ into hello kitty toasters and laptops...), then i say it's fine. if you are...then...see a therapist as i have never heard of "hello kitty anonymous".
posted by grafholic at 6:08 PM on January 7, 2006


It is not crazy, no, everybody loves something that it is considered "uncool" to love. People who are open about it are called nerds (sometimes geeks), and we secretly rule the world.
posted by Hildago at 6:11 PM on January 7, 2006


Results 1 - 100 of about 615 for "Hello Kitty fetish". (0.53 seconds)

Apparently you are fine!
posted by LarryC at 6:12 PM on January 7, 2006


In Asia, from what I understand, it is entirely normal.
posted by konolia at 6:14 PM on January 7, 2006


No, it's not crazy at all - it's just infantilisation: a trend that commentators say has seen young adults behave in a sanctuary-like bubble of arrested infancy....

From the article:

"IT IS ENTIRELY possible to live in your own Hello Kitty world. At night, you can put on your Hello Kitty pyjamas, slip between your Hello Kitty duvet, rest your head on your Hello Kitty pillowcase, and snuggle up to one of the hundreds of Hello Kitty cuddly toys (Chinese Kitty, Angel Kitty, Nurse Kitty). In the morning, after you have been woken by your Hello Kitty alarm clock, you can pull on your Hello Kitty dressing gown and Hello Kitty slippers, then wash yourself with Hello Kitty soap and Hello Kitty shampoo before drying off with a Hello Kitty towel. After brushing your teeth with your Hello Kitty toothbrush and Hello Kitty toothpaste, you can decide which Hello Kitty cosmetics to use that day - they will be sitting on the shelf next to your Hello Kitty sanitary towels. Then you can choose what to wear from your huge wardrobe of Hello Kitty knickers, bras, T-shirts, sweatshirts, socks and shoes, pick out a Hello Kitty hairpin and some Hello Kitty jewellery, and you're ready to face the world.

You can make breakfast using your Hello Kitty kettle, Hello Kitty toaster, or Hello Kitty rice cooker. You can eat Hello Kitty noodles and drink Hello Kitty juice or Hello Kitty water from Hello Kitty bowls, plates, cups and cutlery. You can even use Hello Kitty moulds and stencils to produce food shaped like, you guessed it, Hello Kitty. If you're in a rush, just grab a Hello Kitty chocolate or a Hello Kitty biscuit, which are, of course, kept in your Hello Kitty storage jars.

If you're staying in, you can listen to Hello Kitty cassettes while writing letters on your Hello Kitty stationery with Hello Kitty pens. Or you could watch Hello Kitty videos on your Hello Kitty television. Later, you can play Hello Kitty computer games on your Hello Kitty notebook PC, a pink Fujitsu-made computer with Hello Kitty on the lid and on the screensaver. And if you're going shopping with your Hello Kitty International Mastercard, you could drive to the stores in your limited-edition Hello Kitty Daihatsu Mira, with its Hello Kitty sunvisor Hello Kitty hubcaps, Hello Kitty steering wheel and sprinkling of Hello Kitty faces around the bodywork (about 200 cars a month have been sold since it went on sale in Japan in January)."

Whoa!
posted by forallmankind at 6:17 PM on January 7, 2006


Just call it a vice and let it be. I love anime, but I just don't let myself watch more than an hour or two a week. This self-block keeps me on focus with other things and I do fine in the end. Control your intake, not your desire - this isn't exactly an addiction.
posted by mystyk at 6:21 PM on January 7, 2006


Are you really of the mind that collecting hello kitty is a mental disorder or are you just looking to start a conversation? It seems a bit out of touch with the general population to not understand it's pretty normal for people to collect such items. What, in your mind, puts hello kitty in a different category than say, collecting star wars crap, or godzilla toys, or hot wheels, or royal doulton figurines, or any other category of collectible? Is this HK collector (You?) in debt because of her collecting, does she stay home weekends to play with her HK "neck massager" instead of having a life? That would be a real problem, but not so much the fault of our cute mouthless heroine, she would just be what you chose, out of millions of other things, to fixate on.

At my house we collect hello kitty stationery items, like letter sets & pens & writing pads. They're cute & useful.
posted by zarah at 6:23 PM on January 7, 2006


Not crazy at all. In fact, pretty tame, as far as Sanrio fetishes go. The hardcore addicts go for Tuxedo Sam. Spiffy is cool!
posted by Dr. Wu at 6:26 PM on January 7, 2006


While not exactly a support group (actually, it's a theme park), there's Puroland (English), where you would be sure to run into like-minded individuals...
posted by mr_roboto at 6:26 PM on January 7, 2006


Not crazy, but pathetic or creepy.
posted by xmutex at 6:40 PM on January 7, 2006


You're not alone. They've been marketing aggressively to adults for years.
posted by Miko at 6:44 PM on January 7, 2006


I always say that if money were no object, I'd furnish an entire house in Hello Kitty, just to prove it could be done. (There are vacuum cleaners, rice cookers, toasters, USB hubs, anything you could possibly want, like forallmankind's article synopsis shows.) Living in that house, on the other hand... it might be a bit much, for me. As long as you're not dropping your friends and family to move to Tokyo for the sole reason of being closer to Hello Kitty, I'd say you're fine.
posted by IndigoRain at 6:52 PM on January 7, 2006


No, lots of people collect or are fond of childish or cutesy stuff. I think that in your home, that stuff can be cool if you do it right.

BUT, in my opinion, if Hello Kitty plays a large role in how you present yourself to other adults (eg potential dates or employers) that's a little odd and says that you either can't tell how other people see you, or that you might be a little insecure/clingy/immature/deranged. Lots of people think that grown up women who wear Hello Kitty hair clips are trying to cling on to their youth in a way that they see as sad.
posted by crabintheocean at 6:57 PM on January 7, 2006


It's very possible you'll grow out of it. I was pretty Hello Kitty crazy, but when I found myself considering the Hello Kitty toaster, I hit bottom and my recovery is pretty much complete.
posted by meerkatty at 7:07 PM on January 7, 2006


Oh damn. I shop at the store in the NPR story, though my vice is mainly restricted to kogepan.
posted by Alison at 7:26 PM on January 7, 2006


and lest we forget: the hello kitty vibrator.
posted by unknowncommand at 7:53 PM on January 7, 2006


Want to mamke a Sanrio store employee cry? Ask for Hello Kitty's twin sister Mimmy. In all my time looking at Sanrio products, I've only seen her once.
posted by jazon at 7:57 PM on January 7, 2006


It is not crazy, no, everybody loves something that it is considered "uncool" to love. People who are open about it are called nerds (sometimes geeks), and we secretly rule the world.

In Japan they're known as otaku, but they don't rule the world. As everyone knows, it's actually joshikousei who rule the world. Joshikousei are also big fans of Hello Kitty, I might mention.

(Note: joshikousei are cute high school girls wearing seifuku, sailor uniforms. I sometimes think we should consider instituting a joshikousei-tocracy.)
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 9:31 PM on January 7, 2006


In my opinion, it's a little creepy. I wouldn't date a girl with a bunch of Hello Kitty garb around, unless I was in high school. Just my opinion. It's certainly not a mental disorder, but perhaps hanging on to childhood things a little longer than some other people?
posted by my sock puppet account at 9:34 PM on January 7, 2006


It's never too late to have a happy childhood!
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 9:44 PM on January 7, 2006


Like others have said, I don't think it's weird unless it interferes in your life to a substantial degree. I'm 26 and I love Harry Potter. I read all the books, see the movies, discuss Potter theories, although only with fellow like-minded Potter fans, discussing it with a co-worker or a stranger would be a little weird, I agree, although anyone I date ultimately should be a Potter fan. Just kidding (but it would be a plus in their favor!) I even collect the Harry Potter Trading cards. Does that make me an addict? I don't think so. I pay my regular bills before I buy Potter stuff, I don't steal to support my "habit". And I'm perfectly aware of where the real world begins and the Potter world ends.
posted by katyggls at 10:52 PM on January 7, 2006


I'm with crabintheocean - whilst it indeed is not crazy, it does come at a cost. And regrettably, because of the general unacceptability in western society of childish behavior or strong symbols of childhood in adult life, that price is often the respect of your peers.
Also, do bear in mind that - as reflected by my earlier post - going a bit Hello Kitty wild is to a certain degree simple gluttony, shrouded in a thin plastic veil with a hair clasp. And no matter how cute that gluttony may be, it's gluttony nonetheless, which ironically is rather unattractive.
So yeah - not crazy, but I don't think you're really doing yourself any favors either....
posted by forallmankind at 10:55 PM on January 7, 2006


OK, it is really crazy for a grown woman to like Hello Kitty and all of her gear? Is there a support group for this?

Well, it's OK if you're Asian.

I actually knew an Asian girl who felt jealous when she saw other people similarly obsessed...
posted by delmoi at 1:33 AM on January 8, 2006


If you're staying in, you can listen to Hello Kitty cassettes while writing letters on your Hello Kitty stationery with Hello Kitty pens. Or you could watch Hello Kitty videos on your Hello Kitty television. Later, you can play Hello Kitty computer games on your Hello Kitty notebook PC, a pink Fujitsu-made computer with Hello Kitty on the lid and on the screensaver. And if you're going shopping with your Hello Kitty International Mastercard, you could drive to the stores in your limited-edition Hello Kitty Daihatsu Mira, with its Hello Kitty sunvisor Hello Kitty hubcaps, Hello Kitty steering wheel and sprinkling of Hello Kitty faces around the bodywork (about 200 cars a month have been sold since it went on sale in Japan in January).

Don't forget the Hello Kitty vibrator.
posted by delmoi at 1:38 AM on January 8, 2006


Is it any worse than people who go through life decked out in Sean John, Tommy Hilfiger, or any other ubiquitous logo? I think those folks are just as "immature".

It's all a matter of perspective.
posted by mkultra at 5:08 PM on January 8, 2006


I don't think it's really comparable to wearing Hilfiger.

The Hello Kitty phenomenon in women is more in line with that of adult men who read comic books and go to comics movies, IMHO. At least, I see that behavior in men of the same personality type and same demographic as I see the Hello Kitty behavior in women. It's something about being able to explore and finally own the fantasies of your childhood, but with an adult's monetary resources.
posted by Miko at 5:43 PM on January 8, 2006


I disagree- the "Hello Kitty" thing is as much about showing your devotion as it is having it.
posted by mkultra at 6:46 PM on January 8, 2006


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