cute is unpretending

As kawaii culture became more and more popular, a lot of media has been trying REALLY hard to appeal as “cute”. The word “wholesome” has also taken over a good chunk of the internet, both in music, art, movies and games.

Nothing irks me more than something trying its hardest to force me to like it. There’s this assumption that there is a universal sense of “cuteness”, so “obviously everyone will love it”. The more it tries to be ultra cute, the less I’ll enjoy it.

To use a metaphor, it’s when there’s too much icing on the cake, but the inside is only cheaply-made sponge and cream.

Good examples:

• Sanrio character design
• MosoGourmet
• Desserts that rely on ingredient color and flavor
• Sago Mini

Bad examples:

• Unsarcastic “uwu” and “baby language” (such as “doggolingo”)
• OTT (over the top) Sweet Lolita
• “IMVU aesthetics”
  (for lack of a better word…)
• “Wholesome games”