e72. The Power of Cuteness

The Internet has two main purposes: porn and cute kittens. The reason people like porn is obvious… or if it isn’t… well, that’s a different show. But what about the kittens? Why do we like cute things so much? The answer isn’t as obvious as it seems. For one thing, cute is a complicated concept. It SEEMS like a good thing, but then there’s also problems with it. It can be at once a complimentary and insulting. It can be objectifying and empowering. It can show admiration and at the same time infantilizing. We might like cute things, but we also kind of hate them. It turns out there’s a whole academic study surrounding the aesthetics of cuteness. Join Hannah, Mav and Katya as they get together and work through the details of the the theories of cuteness and their relationship to gender and cultural studies. Citations and Links: * This episode’s Call for Comments* Our Aesthetic Categories: Zany, Cute, Interesting by Sianne Ngai* The Aesthetics and Affects of Cuteness by various authors* The Power of Cute by Simon May* “There’s No One Perfect Girl: Third Wave Feminism and The Powerpuff Girls” by Evie Kendall* “The Cuteness of the Avant-Garde” by Sianne Ngai * Thank you to Maximilian’s thoughtForm Music for our theme* Follow Hannah on Twitter: @hannahleerogers* Follow Katya on Instagram: @justthatnerdkid * Follow Mav on Twitter: @chrismaverick* Follow Mav’s Personal Blog: http://chrismaverick.com* Follow us on Twitter: @voxpopcast* Follow us on Instagram: @voxpopcast* Follow us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/voxpopcast* Make sure you subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever podcasts are found and please leave us a review! Oh yeah… and Mav with cat ears: