Episode 73: The rise of the cute ~aesthetic~
Charlie Jane and Annalee get as cute and sparkly as possible, with only a little help from filters.
Suddenly, everything is cute again. Animation, pop music, and the internet are packed with adorable sparklefest feelings. What is behind the new wave of cute aesthetics? We talk about why hard times drive us to comfort content -- and whether the cuteocracy is a protest against dystopia. Plus, can things get TOO cute?
Notes, citations, & etc.
There is a Cute Studies website, run by Joshua Paul Dale, which focuses a lot on Japanese culture. He has compiled a Cute Studies bibliography.
The grimdark subgenre
Cute Overload and its rules of cuteness
Steven Jay Gould, “Mickey Mouse Meets Konrad Lorenz,” also known as “A Biological Homage to Mickey Mouse”
“I would like to see the baby!” (Annalee misstated the meme as “Show me the baby!”)
Manic pixie dream girl trope