Opinion | From Anne Frank to Hello Kitty (Published 2014)

The Cute Factor

Ahhhhh, the “cute” factor. Japan is a gentle, nonviolent country and that core cultural thread is sewn throughout eCommerce and mobile communication.

Big Tobacco has also manipulated cuteness, leaning on vapes’ perceived harmlessness to distract consumers from their danger. Consider the Elf Bar, one of the most repurchased pebbles of all time. How could something so cute cause so much lung damage? Unlike the cigarette, a symbol of adulthood, sex, and rebellion, the vape became a “safe,” fruity p... See more

For all its good intentions, art that tries to minister to its audience by showcasing moral aspirants and paragons or the abject victims of political oppression produces smug, tiresome works that are failures both as art and as agitprop. Artists and critics—their laurel bearers—should take heed.