It’s easy to get caught up in the cult of cute, cute, cute. But where did the word “kawaii” come from, and is the sexism that can come with it really all that innocent? Could sexism in Japan be directly related to the country’s heavy consumption of all things kawaii (cute)? “Kawaii” is clearly deeply rooted in Japan’s culture. Walking into a zakkaten (variety shop), you may be overwhelmed by the sheer volume ofkawaii products—from the plastic pens topped with cutesy characters to the fluffy blankets with animated animal faces sewn into them. It’s odd to me, even though I’ve spent most of my li…