In Heian-era Japan, the way people expected young women to look and act differed sharply from today's norms. Aristocratic women were subject to the harshest scrutiny, and those who did not respect cultural values ​​were judged by the people. Every action, outfit and sentence spoken was met with criticism from maids, parents and suitors. Many of them were based on the Buddhist religion, while others were drawn from popular culture. We can better understand what these expectations included specifically in The Lady Who Admired Vermin. Observing her appearance and behavior, the life of a young aristocrat is revealed. The cultural expectations of young aristocratic women in the Heian era included beauty, separation, and interactions between men and women. Through cultural studies, one is able to better understand and appreciate literature in different societies. This expanded what literary theory once considered in terms of non-Western literature. Non-Western literature, especially Japanese literature, has gone from being something that must be counted to something that must be read (Culler, 46). Literary theory, combined with cultural studies, helps to understand the context of Japanese literature and to read texts without "common sense". By knowing the history of a culture, we can read a text as if it originated in that culture. In The Lady Who Admired Vermin, cultural expectations can be examined using cultural studies to reveal how culture influenced word choice and phrasing. Literary theory and cultural studies create a dynamic lens to analyze the way women are treated and their expectations in The Lady Who Admired Vermin. The Lady Who Admired the Vermin narrates middle of paper..... .e Deputy Director, show how men and women interact with each other. Together, all of these elements paint a realistic picture of the cultural expectations of young aristocratic women living in the Heian period. Works CitedQuotesMcCullough, Helen Craig. Classic Japanese Prose: An Anthology. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1990. Print. 256-263Wakita Haruko “Women and the Creation of Ie in Japan: An Overview from the Medieval Period to the Present,” US-Japan Women's Journal: English Supplement 4 (1993): 83-105. Culler, Jonathan D. Literary Theory: A Very Brief Introduction. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2011. Print. White, Matthew. “The Japanese writing system.” Japanese writing system. Np, and Web. October 29, 2013. Minamoto Junko, “Buddhism and the historical construction of sexuality in Japan”, US-Japan Women's Journal: English supplement 5 (1993): 87-115.