Sanitizing Stereotypes: Marie Kondo and the Dualistic Representation of Asian Women in Popular Media

What is it about?

My paper focuses on the concept of purity and explores how it is described and represented in the U.S. media. It delves into the issues surrounding the representation of Asian women in relation to religious rituals. Through an analysis of the Netflix series “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo,” I demonstrate how Asian religious traditions, particularly Shintoism and Buddhism, are interpreted by Western society. Marie Kondo, a Japanese organizing guru, is portrayed as a magical fairy to the global audience. The religious rituals depicted in the series incorporate various religious metaphors. By analyzing these metaphors, I argue that purity has been depicted as the “Other” by Westerners when representing Asian religions and culture. These “Other” traits depicted in the series are often celebrated and, in some cases, worshiped.

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