By Skyy Genies

The idea of Amae, which is “the way we act when we wish to be loved or seek attention or when we want to depend on someone else with a sense of submissiveness,” is very interesting to me. I find it intriguing that unlike in the United States, acting cute/spoiled to get attention is a quality that is expected in especially girls. The idea of collectivism that motivates Amae is something that the US opposed where our individual rights and uniqueness are expressed. This word makes me think of Aegyo in Korea, where the same cutesy concept persists. As the article states, Amae is sometimes perceived by Americans as spoiled or brat-like. The existence as a word for this behavior accentuates the huge contrast in the way we perceive submissiveness. In the article the author also speaks about how men like girls with girlish voices, faces, and Amae. However in the US men like women to be somewhat independent/powerful. The US also values its individualistic culture where people, including women, can have power in all realms and express dominance rather than submissiveness. This is so cool!