I’ve recently decided to keep things less cute. Cuteness has been my social phalanx for many years, but it’s also an anxious defense mechanism. Cute or not cute was a binary shortcut for self worth allowing me to hide my innards from people who have no time or inclination to understand them, but I think it’s been holding me back for awhile.

Cuteness served a purpose once, so I don’t write it off, but I just don’t want it to be the default way I stand in the world. With this new mindset, aesthetics need only be for fun, which is what they should be in the first place. It’ll take practice, but true connection is too valuable to miss out on, and I will miss out if I chase superficial validation. I think it’s worth the effort to change and find out.