Born from the trauma of World War II, this bow-wearing cartoon icon became a powerful tool for diplomacy, reinvention, and ...

and really opened up that new design aesthetic," Cook added. Related: RuPaul's Drag Race recap: Hello, Kitty Girls! This isn't the first time that Hello Kitty's humanity has been insisted upon.

Pretty much the opposite of the clean girl aesthetic, this aesthetic is all ... and embellished back pockets for a total Y2K ...

but none with the lasting power of Hello Kitty. Forget the understated wabi-sabi aesthetic historically associated with Japan. A chameleon-like cat-girl who reflects unabashed kitsch is the ...