/kawaii/ - cute things

Not mutually exclusive, but both words are really hard to define due to how people like to use words. For instance, you could say "sexy" means "sexually attractive, but then again you might call an expensive sports car sexy or a gaudy piece of jewelry sexy.

Cute usually means endearing, as in the item makes you feel familial towards it. You might find a child or a puppy cute, because you feel a familial bond that makes you want to take care of it. Or your partner may be cute, but in a more amusing or ticklish way. A tiny porcelain house with a tiny porcelain frog inside wearing a tiny porcelain bowtie is maybe the cutest thing I can think of, but I feel no attraction towards it, and I feel no connection to it whatsoever.

So yeah, words are weird and who cares what means what. Sometimes the words cute and sexy are just the right word for the emotion you feel.

For me cute can be sexy. Sexy without cute is just a more calm refined kind of sexuality more influenced by behavior than just looks,

>>2494
In my experience it varies from person to person, for some people one cannot be cute and sexy while for others one has to be cute to be sexy. That is to say that the border exists for some but not for others, and how important and how narrow it is varies a lot.

>>2495
>For instance, you could say "sexy" means "sexually attractive
This is a wider phenomenon and it is a bit frustrating. Unfortunately, quite often people associate their attraction for someone with the quality of what they are doing, the most obvious example being acting. Personally it bothers me with fashion, the majority will always say the most attractive person is the best dressed regardless of what they are wearing…

>>2494
Because of the highly subjective nature of aesthetics, even if you you could define a concrete border, that border will be different for different people.
Also you're making an assumption that there even is a border separating them because, for me at least, I consider "sexy" to be a subset of cute. I've always found what other people called purely "sexy" or "hot" to be gross/impure/repulsive mostly due to the cultural environment I grew up in. I only feel physical attraction to 'cute' women.

I don't think there has to be a defined border as these qualities don't overlap or neighbour in my opinion. Both are pleasant to look at, but to me the distinction is always clear. I just feel it…

>>2494
If it makes my heart go ドキドキ it's cute, if it makes me go ピリピリ it's sexy and if it's ドキドキピリピリ it's both

> can something be both?
Yes.
> or must it sacrifice one quality for the next?
No. Rather, the cuteness may greatly enhance the sexiness, and for something to be sexy, there likely has to be at least some bit of cuteness in it. It is a loose generalization, but it's definitely not too far from how I perceive the world.

cute is all that matters