Small, but mighty: how cuteness has taken over the world
A supposedly childish aesthetic is being taken more seriously
SCROLL THROUGH any social-media feed, and before long a cute video will appear. Perhaps it shows a giggling baby or a rabbit nibbling strawberries. A red panda might be throwing its paws in the air, like a furry thief being apprehended, or a kitten may sit astride a tiny motorcycle. The supply of these endearing clips is huge. On TikTok there are 65m videos tagged #cute. The demand is even greater: those videos have been viewed more than 625bn times.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Small but mighty”
From the February 10th 2024 edition
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