Cuteness Is Political
Conservatives are attracted to baby-like cuteness due to its association with purity, write Chethana Achar and Carolyn Wells Keller.
In the 2024 Indonesian elections, a military general turned political candidate, Prabowo Subianto, managed to win votes by adopting a cute persona. This unconventional approach employed AI-generated images of Subianto as a grandfatherly figure, an image that contrasted with his controversial past as a military leader and defense minister.
This strategy is not an isolated case, as research indicates a clear connection between cuteness, purity, and conservatism, which could have significant implications for political messaging.
The researchers defined cuteness as the attributes of infants such as big eyes, chubby cheeks, and round bodies, which evoke a caregiving response. This concept is widely recognized today, with cute mascots like Hello Kitty generating billions in sales. However, the impacts of cuteness may not be uniformly distributed among different groups and individuals.
The study published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science found that conservatives showed a greater preference for baby-like cute products over liberals, and this preference was partly explained by the association between cuteness and innocence or purity.
The study involved 3,648 participants across the U.S., U.K., and India, revealing that political conservatives, on average, preferred baby-like cute products more than political liberals. This preference was consistent across various measures such as purchase intent and search behavior on platforms like Google Shopping. These findings suggest that moral value systems, like purity, may influence everyday consumption decisions, often without explicit awareness.
Moreover, the researchers noted that designing messaging and packaging to reflect a consumer's moral value system could enhance consumer appeal.
While the study mainly focused on product attitudes and choices, the findings have broader implications for political messaging. The concept of cuteness as a symbol of innocence and purity could be a powerful tool for political strategists aiming to attract conservative audiences. However, it is crucial to remember that cuteness should not replace thorough scrutiny of the message, particularly in critical contexts such as voting behavior or other important decisions.
Written by urgent.news from Time's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
