Do men like being called cute?

no.

"You're so cute." They hate that, right?

"You look really cute today."

What do you want to be called? Handsome? Beautiful? Sexy?

they also hate being called "sweet". they think it means you are calling them a pussy.

don't like cute but i'll take 'cutey'

xp uh not like as a 1st choice tho

if I'm deemed cute enough to get naked with then I can deal

I'll take any of those adjectives and treat them as compliments, why not?

Cute/sweet are great to hear

just as long as they call me

I'd rather someone made me a sandwich.

Ha! I would hate, hate, hate to be called 'cute'. My sperm count would drop by 50%. I would interpret it as code for 'you are not remotely sexy, but I do think you're funny, like a goofy brother'.

Fave compliment from a woman for me would probably be 'You handsome devil, you make me think bad, wrong thoughts'. I'm getting myself worked up just thinking about it.

i would be fine with bein cute especially if its a precursor to gettin laid--do people really find it that threatening to their masculinity?

i guess it depends on how the girl means it--"cute" as in "lets bone" vs. "cute" as in "youre like a 3rd-grader"

most girls i know use "cute" to mean the former but ill accept that others might mean the latter

"you're funny" = ok
"you look funny" = not ok

Here's the context with which I associate the word 'cute':

'Erm, sorry, Jane, for my behaviour last night.'

'You mean the way you said you'd had a crush on me for seven years and could I ever look at you in a sexual way? Don't worry about it. You were so cute!'

I wouldn't mind being called 'swell'. Do Americans still say that?

I used to hate being called cute until I thought about the girls to whom I applied the word "cute." They were all girls I wanted to bone.

At the lake.

yeah i mean "cute" when it means "goofy/childish/earnest" is a sort of cutting compliment, but i know a ton of girls who mean "cute" as "hot" or even "goofy/childish/earnest/hot"

Ah, well fair enough then. Ultimately I don't care what a girl calls me as long as she calls me.

yeah w/ guys it seems to be used more in reference to behavior/personality than looks. i don't mind being called cute by my girlfriend but if a stranger or acquaintance said i looked cute, i wouldn't be insulted so much as confused, because i'm not.

Being neurotic about receiving compliments is most definitely NOT cute.

Do guys really not like being called sweet?!

There is something infantilizing, and therefore desexualizing, about being called "cute"...

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v26/n08/haus01_.html

Mike's "milk" is like the sweetest thing ever. You should totally try it.

No. (xp)

There is something infantilizing, and therefore desexualizing, about being called "cute"...

Hahahahhahha. Funny, that's more or less how I feel about it, too!

"How does this look?"
"Cute!"
"Fuck, I gotta change."

God forbid anyone should mess with a man's image of his sexuality! Women, on the other hand....

AskMen

It has feminine and infantile overtones, and so can be read as half-assed or dismissive, even if you don't mean it that way - I probably don't feel strongly about people I think are 'cute', and being thought of that way may not do it for me. If you mean something more by it, and don't want to use a stronger word, you could use stronger intonation that makes clear that the word is somewhat euphemistic. 'Sweet' is stronger, but can be even more dismissive if you don't really mean it.

Xps

askmen... otm???

best compliment i ever got was when a girl said i was an 'amazing piece of ass' at a party, guys dont get objectified enough in my experience

really, who cares what men "like"

I enjoyed that article.

i see you take to the HRC model of negotiation

xp

I also agree that it's better for behavior than appearance, but I might not like it for behavior, and I could take it as complimentary re looks if from someone with much greater aesthetic sense.

lol bell_labs
dont h8 men

I don't mind having a cute ass, but being a cute person? Not so much.

what do women mean when they call a guy 'cute'

"women"

womyn?

Though I think you can be infantilized and still sexualized, as long as you are objectified. Men, particularly str8s, are less into that for obv cultural reasons

That's weird, because str8 women are totally into it.

I fucking hate being called "cute" because I am not 11.

they also hate being called "sweet". they think it means you are calling them a pussy.

No, that's not the issue with "sweet" -- I think "sweet" more often cuts back to the near-universal young-man moment where you make some big gesture of adoration to someone you're pining for and she says "oh, that's so ... that's really ... really sweet of you."

A puppy is cute; I am hot.

I'm with morbs!

Laurel, I meant it's more of a threat to stereotypical male self image to be objectified (instead of being the active looker) than it is to stereotypical female self image which is raised to solicit the gaze. There are many refreshing and wonderful exceptions.

o_O

You guys are all crazy. ILX overthinking things nonsense.

I think some men might be into it, but moreso in the right context. I think it works better as a term of endearment than for flirting/dating.

Now that you mention it, Morbs, you are pretty handsome. The dimple, though, is actually cute.

Laurel, I meant it's more of a threat to stereotypical male self image to be objectified (instead of being the active looker) than it is to stereotypical female self image which is raised to solicit the gaze.

With all due respect, this is perhaps the most nonsensical thing I have ever read.

+ nabisco also correct re the association of sweet. cute and sweet are both strongly associated with insincerity and condescension whenever applied to adults

All due respect = zero

Given that I've read both Nude Spock and squirel_police on this board, that is nowhere near the most nonsensical thing I've ever read.

yeah there is def some condescension in 'cute'

Look, if somebody calls me cute or sweet, it better be because they like that my better impulses are hidden under this thick, cracked hide and a lot of eyeliner, and they better be somebody who's close and trusted enough to make personal observations about my chewy center. The rest of yous back the hell up.

What planet do you guys live on?!!!! Good christ.

NO! I REJECT YOUR COMPLIMENT!!! wtf?

I can't imagine many guys caring much either way about a straightforward "cute," said in a non-patronizing way. (Especially in an indirect way -- if someone's like "that girl thinks you're cute," who doesn't view that as good?) It's only bad in that limited patronizing context that includes "you're so funny" and "isn't that sweet," as discussed.

you boys are so sensitive. it's...endearing.

I think it works better as a term of endearment than for flirting/dating.

in a relationship just about anything works as a term of endearment, though.

One might even say...ahh no.

it's a dope womanpower insult tool

Haha what's the patronizing code language used by guys to mean "that's nice of you, but I am currently trying not to bust out laughing at the fact that you thought you could get with this?"

Actually yeah, I'm totally hearing the word "cute" as used by your overbearing great aunt as opposed to as used by the lascivious sexpot grinding against your crotch on the dance floor. It's more than acceptable in the latter circumstance.

heh i need to start reading thredz

Haha what's the patronizing code language used by guys to mean "that's nice of you, but I am currently trying not to bust out laughing at the fact that you thought you could get with this?"

"Later, fattey"?

just don't call their junk cute

lolololol @ luriqua

When I was little we used 'Cute' to mean 'good-looking', as in "Oh my god he is so cute". Sort of like how 'hot' is used now.

Now, if I say a guy is cute, it would be a compliment but not a sexual one. Just one of affection. My boyfriend doesn't accept my 'cute' compliments very often, and I have to change my phrasing to 'ruggedly handsome' or something.

(I suppose the irritating male habit would be to go for it anyway and then turn to an "it's not you, it's me" thing.)

"M'am, I reserve the right to refuse service to anyone. I have not and will not charge you a cent and you're free to take your business elsewhere. I'd rather not call the police, but if you insist on continuing to disturb me, I will. Please leave."

I guess a more serious answer is "Sorry, I have to get up early tomorrow..." My tactic used to be to wait for her to turn the other way and then duck behind random people in the crowd.

dudes who have been around know that the vast majority of women use "cute" and "sweet" to feign affection out of guilt so we ain't fucking buying it. end of story.

and as with any other negative semantic association it's the word that counts, not your intent

ftlolaurel n/sxy

That isn't necessarily true, Tom. I've seen a lot of times where "cute" is used as the safe designator of "wau he's attractive", kind of a placeholder until she gets to know the designated cuteboy and can figure out if he's worth boning.

xp I don't even know who you are.

not guilt so much, they just don't wanna hurt your feelings, a compliment's a compliment etc. xposts to tombot

Oh wait, I can think of a complimentary line that probably has the same effect on some girls: "you're so easy to hang out with" (with or without explicit "it's like hanging out with one of the guys")

xpost - yeah, I think the "that's sweet but go away" thing is a very small subset and I wouldn't kneejerk read that into "cute" at ALL

(A lot of men, OTOH, seem to be able to decide a girl is worth boning upon sight and spend the time afterwards trying to figure out if it's worth sticking around to bone again.)

I like being called cute unless I am trying to be not-cute, in which case I make a cute little grumpy face.

TOMBOTM

another wrinkle is that calling you 'cute' or 'a cute boy' may be totally sincere but indicate maybe the girl is bad news?

People trying to be all authoritative about this are weird. Different girls use cute/sweet in different ways. Sometimes it's a good thing, sometimes not. Generally, I'm happy so long as they're not calling me an asshole.

what if we tell you that you are so adorable we just want to cook you into a pie and feed it to some kittens?

run

when used in the 3rd person it's ok. as in, a girl tells me she told her friends she had a date with a "cute" guy. (that's 3rd person, right? i think) anyways that's fine. but if i hear "you're so cute" it puts me right in the same league as her stuffed animals and pets.
preferred terms: attractive, sexy, hawt, stud-pile, hero.

big time xposts! huh!

I like being called cute if it's sincere!

and what about the chicks who are all "you're cute, you're like my little brother, i want to bone you"??

What kind of crust does this pie have?

yeah what about the cougars who are all like let me at that big cute dong of yours

then that's creepy!

I suspect there's a valley between like 12 and 40 where men don't want to be "cute" but that at some point when they've got the world (and possib themselves?) convinced of their own ruggedness and agedness and non-cuteness it becomes legal tender all over again.

If Kathleen Turner says "Let me at that big cute dong of yours" to you, I don't know if there is any response more appropriate than "Okay!"

Like I said, just make me a sandwich once in a while.

you can also reach for your tranquilizer pistol, dan

Calling a guy cute is like calling a girl handsome. I should try that sometime.

I can't think of something to say after a girl calls me sweet though. ILXors help me out with this one.

"Damn straight"

"bitch"

"why thank you, you are so very much darling to me"

I'm gonna start a companion thread called "Do women like being touched?" so we can wind up teasing out the same answers: depends who's doing it, how it's being done, and who the woman in question is, duh

....

"do a dude like havin his nuts drooled on"

"do a lady enjoy handcuffs"

"why does straights never want to peg"

dont act like 90% of ilx threads aren't variations on this formula

There are plenty of women who qualify as "handsome", and generally speaking I find them a lot more interesting-looking than the "pretty" ones, so that def has a place.

I am a werewolf.

I know, it's just funny that the main way we wind up discussing the details is often in the context of a yes/no question with no answers. A hedged-out questions like "under what circumstances do you not like being called 'cute' and why and c." -- those never quite turn out, for some reason.

People like having something to argue about. The simpler, the better.

No they don't!

rong

People aren't people

This is hilarious how many ILX men are really special princesses inside.

the important thing is that we solve this issue for roxymuzak. i don't want anyone getting hurt out there.

"inside"

My wife called me "cute" last night in the middle of a $150 dinner that she was buying and I thought it was great.

fuck you, hitler

Libcrypt is an enemy of gender transition

she was the only one eating

cute = hmmm no
special princesses inside = yes please

Do men like being called cute over the internet?

I fear to Google "gender transition".

Do men like being called cute over the internet?

It's FEBRUARY 2008! So, WDYLL???

"Do men like being called Mandy Patinkin" = NO

I get the sense that on ILX "cuet" means "you're kinda hot," whereas "cute" would still mean "not if you were the last ilxor on earth"

Men like it when you tell them that their sausage appears to be especially large today and tee-hee I have a nice cheese to go with it and do you want to have a pic-nic?

yeah i'd go along with that

"Do men like being called Mandy Patinkin" = NO

Aw. But he's cute!

Do men like being called maestro?

My ultimate preference is "Captain of my heart". (Cue soprano sax solo)

i would like to be inside a special princess

Every time I'm ready to swear off ILX for good, Tombot posts some hilarious- because-it's-so-true thing in his inimitable manner, and nabisco goes from painfully over-analyzing to classic OTM-ness, and the people that are perennial targets here pipe up with something right on. I guess I like people, even over the internets.

And we, in turn, are happy to see you got that prescription refilled.

Ba-dum-pah!

No, I just had a "good night" last night. I'm in that space of feeling benevolent towards all, unreservedly.

Was she cute?

did she call u cute
XPOST XD

She was definitely cute, sure.

I don't think she actually used the word "cute". The compliments were more along the lines of, "well, you're really attractive".

"Attractive" as a compliment could be construed as hedging, I guess, but nonetheless my ego is running with it.

advice from internet old man: do not talk about yr dates on the web

this is a permanent record

I know.

But, I know what I'm doing.

Nothing lasts anyway.

think of everything you post as being a tattoo

Do men like being called cute?

I'm not sure.

-- roxymuzak, Friday, February 29, 2008 2:34 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Link

no.

-- dan selzer, Friday, February 29, 2008 2:35 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Link

xpost--like, once louis got a tattoo of him beating off one guy while another dude watched

this thread could have been over in 1 minute

really? what other threads could have been over in 1 minute?

http://www.ilxor.com/ILX/index.jsp

Minute Rice: C/D

no just the ones that end with "?"

i didn't read this thread but i'm using my ilxesp (ie looking at the thread title and how many posts it has) to guess that people are being retards

(copy and paste in any thread with more than 100 posts)

i like being called cute and in fact harbor great affection for all things cute. guys who dont like being called cute are worried abt being ineffectual. thats not really on my mind too much cause im enough of a jerk.

yes I can see those Aviators in my mind's eye. i am not enough of a jerk.

Guys who don't like being called cute might prize other qualities more highly.

where time becomes a loop

"Hey, I'm not a dickwad! I'm a douche, there's a difference"

Where's that Ourborous jpg when you need it?

Do women like being called cute?

The "cute-as-diminuitive" thing is definitely true. Tone has a lot to do with it, but generally speaking if a girl calls me cute I go "oh shit, I'm cute." This goes like x10 if it's "sweet."

have a coworker who calls me "honey" and it really grates because it makes her sound maternal and somehow superior even though we're the same age. Other coworker is much older and calls me "honey" and I don't mind.

Is that because your face is pressed between the older coworker's dirty pillows?

laurel you would probably have better luck GISing for Ouroboros if you spelled it right

BLAMMO

http://teek.artspots.com/files/image/file/10664/resized/19_aris-ouroboros.jpg

I don't mind being called "cute". I don't feel like it's a threat to my burly, he-man-like, two-fisted virility in any way.

Earlier I was GISing "headache" and I was super unhappy that I'd neglected to turn on safe search (although picture really suggested "faceache", going by the amount of face left).

xxxxp There's a Q in that, right?

There's certainly a queue in that lizard's mouth, yeah

hahahahaha dan I know what picture you saw. I remember it from like years ago, too

Do men like to be called beautiful?

i prefer "cute" to "beautiful"

Most guys I know don't give an F if they are called cute, and seem to just assume it means hot or desirable ("wow, you look really cute today!/in that/whatev"), which is pretty much always what I mean by it. One dude actually got a little angry with me for describing him as beautiful, though!

He turned out to be some kind of bitter ex-neo-nazi or something, though.

"beautiful" is weird. I try not to let the whole *feminine* connotation of it bother me, but what can I say, it does.

Sometimes beautiful is the only word that will do, though. Unless you're gonna really start rhapsodizing about some dude's face. "Handsome" seems to denote something else, something I don't usually find myself complimenting in a man. Or a woman!

I used to dislike "handsome" when I was younger - it seemed like the sort of word my mom's friends used to try to make me feel better about myself. Now I totally dig being called handsome.

But also depends on tone - it can have this feel of "Yeah, he has objectively nice features in spite of the fact that there's nothing sexy about him"

Also, there has got to be a less disgusting word for "manly" that means the same thing.

I would like to be described as having "rugged good looks"

but I am not very rugged :(

i'm pretty reactionary towards this word bcuz i heard it a lot in middle school/early in high school bcuz i was short/young looking, but most girls i know now use it as a synonym for 'hot' or w/e

I don't mind. Beggars/Choosers.

Ha! I would hate, hate, hate to be called 'cute'. My sperm count would drop by 50%. I would interpret it as code for 'you are not remotely sexy, but I do think you're funny, like a goofy brother'.

-- moley, Friday, February 29, 2008 7:44 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Link

Fave compliment from a woman for me would probably be 'You handsome devil, you make me think bad, wrong thoughts'. I'm getting myself worked up just thinking about it.

-- moley, Friday, February 29, 2008 7:46 PM (Yesterday)

haha...I agree with this.

isn't cute just a byword for not being taken seriously? not an affront to masculinity.

do please read the thread

yeah someone else made that point. good.

i'm too much of a metal stallion to be affected by being called "cute".

call me anything you want.

sometimes not being taken seriously, but being called cute/hott, is exactly what one wants

Call me Ishmael

I do not understand this foreign tongue of Tracer Hand.

http://americancivilwar.com/pictures/abe_lincoln.jpg

Why the hell would anyone wanna be taken seriously?

Can one not accept that they will only ever be awwws cute because there is no other visual option? This is my curse. Wear that curse with pride, men who are only ever called cute.

hey guys, did i miss anything?

Summary of above 900 posts: men have varying opinions.

I like being called cute.

I don't.

I like being called cute as long as it's from a girl who I'm not attracted to.

I don't like it much, but it's totally my 'thing', so I should resign myself to it. Just started seeing a girl who said she fancies me because I remind her of a little boy, not sure how I should take that (I think she was joking. A bit.).

call the cops

Nobody calls me shit so I'd be grateful for anything. How people can pick and choose their compliments baffles me.

you got sick abs, a.a.!

if it helps all you thin-skinned dudes, you can pretend that girls who call you cute are interested but first want to test you to make sure you're not some hopelessly insecure guy who can't even take a compliment.

xp thanks but 'had' is probably the correct verb. It's all behind layers of sponge atm.

When you get married people stop saying good AND bad things about you, as though you're suddenly some asexual piece of cardboard.

Why would a guy find it offensive to be called "cute"? "He's cute!" Big whoop.

It is a mystery. Some guys find it offensive for some reason.

It's been shown that men who take things as affronts to their masculinity are often "omega" males or "omega men"

or "mega man"

http://www.megomuseum.com/custom/anthonymcelveen/albino.jpg

or homophobes

cuteophobes

That whole thing where some guys feel threatened by any suggestion that they're not rugged. Wank. Be glad you got a compliment, fuckstick.

Here's the thing: being called "hot" is sort of inconceivable to me, so in my book "you're cute" is synonymous with "you're attractive." Plus, cute is like my highest compliment for women. Plus, w/r/t AA's post: of course I'm not "rugged," nor do I want to be: look at me. That's not what I'm going for.

Why is this thread so long?

When you get married people stop saying good AND bad things about you, as though you're suddenly some asexual piece of cardboard.

I am v v interested in this phenomenon, which I guess I never thought about before.

it's true

it's as if they figure that as an adult in a stable relationship you don't need constant reassurance about trivial shit or something o_O

I don't care what you call me. It just tells me whether or not you've been paying attention.

i'll take compliments however/wherever i can get them

Being called beautiful = a little squicky, a little dud.

Going right over the top and being serenaded = amazingly classic.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/419HNW2HV5L._AA240_.jpg

Being called beautiful = a little squicky, a little dud.

seriously, i am so fed up with this

With what, exactly? the format of that post? The sentiment contained therein? Or are you constantly being called beautiful, and you just can't stand any more adulation?

I've dated one man whom I found beautiful, really classically beautiful and sternly angelic and kind of nobly fierce. I never told him that, though, and unfortunately those qualities weren't really borne out in his personality. I am now sticking to rogueish and ruggedly handsome.

It's a lot easier to come by, and also substantially less intimidating.

ooh... "rogueish" is good. Strong, independent, dangerous, maybe a little crazy. A bit Jack Bauer, a dash of Gunpowder Plot, untrustworthy but oh so exciting.

"IT'S A STRONG LOOK, BABY" -- all-purpose good compliment for a man or a woman.

I was recently referred to as "lovely" by a woman who then copped off with my friend... I suspect "cute" might fall into the same category.

Yeah, well, you know what they say: you can have smart, hot, or not crazy...but only two out of three.

POLL

What do you want to be called? Handsome? Beautiful? Sexy?
-- roxymuzak, Friday, 29 February 2008 19:37 (3 days ago) Bookmark Link

"your cock looks huge today"

rather be called cute than "lol your face is so funny looking" which a girl i fancied once said to me.

vs "your cock is cute"

xpost

the only time i can remember being called cute was by a dude in a witch hat at three am in dupont circle. i didn't mind

you're cute.

thanks sweetie

Yeah, well, you know what they say: you can have smart, hot, or not crazy...but only two out of three.

I BEG TO DIFFER (ymmv on the "not crazy" part)

All of my objections upthread to being called "cute" came from a gut reaction to the word driven by the presupposition that it only comes out of the mouths of your great-aunts and grandmothers.

this be knife a hobo territory

that's cute

This one customer at this place I last worked came in one day; I had spoken to him on the phone a bunch but we'd never met. As he left he turned and shouted, like full-on riding a rollercoaster shouting, from halfway out the door "YOU'RE CUTE!", which was kind of shocking, but ultimately satisfying.

generally business dealings could greatly benefit from increase cuteness and vociferous acknowledgment of said cuteness.

it's as if they figure that as an adult in a stable relationship you don't need constant reassurance about trivial shit or something o_O

-- That one guy that hit it and quit it, Tuesday, 4 March 2008 02:03 (6 hours ago) Bookmark Link

Yeah, or that you're out of bounds, and therefore any compliment would look like a come-on.

Fuck that. If someone's hot/cute/omg I will tell them. And if I call someone 'cute' - male or female - it's because that person is boneable.

IT'S ALSO SUMMERTIME WHERE YOU LIVE.

And warm, and beachy, and people (mostly) are megafit and know how to dress, so there's one hell of a selection of goods.

A girl called my apartment "cute". Is that ok?

Did she want to bone it?

That would probably leave a mark.

or a spot, at the very least.

roguish IS good

roughage

also good

How about 'rakish'?

a rake among scholars, a scholar among rakes = good

I enjoy being referred to as a scoundrel as well.

i will be trying all of these asap

Also, I'm easily swayed by 'concupiscent'.

doesnt that mean having a huge ass?! that would not go over well

my bf is constantly being all "i caught a glimpse of my ass. its hueg, i need to do something about it"

wtf its fine

What can he do anyway:? Have an arsectomy?

vertical stripes on that ass

you should know, a.a.!

wtf

botw

Yeah, well, you know what they say: you can have smart, hot, or not crazy...but only two out of three.

Oh my god I am the goose/fox/cabbage crossing the river.

I've got all three. Cute too.

So you are missing two to keep equilibrium in place?

I have the one in the middle

two to keep equilibrium, one in the middle, three to get ready, now...?

yes xxp

I was recently referred to as "lovely" by a woman who then copped off with my friend... I suspect "cute" might fall into the same category.
ha ha, i can't remember what she called me!

i just remember her saying you're coming home with me.
worked for me.

if only it was that easy for us ay?

i just remember her saying you're coming home with me.
worked for me.
-- not_goodwin, Tuesday, 4 March 2008 06:38 (3 hours ago) Link

I don't think she called you anything, she just dragged you off. As I recall that was the last I heard of you for a few days...

Roguish: well-received.

"A rake among scholars, etc": "I don't even know what that means."

does emily d like being called cute?

I always say my bf is a dead set spunk. He says he prefers 'handsome' but they mean the same thing to me. I don't think he'd like to be called cute if it referred to his appearance... it wouldn't fit with his bloke-y self-image. He IS cute though.

emily d thinks you are a crepe for that stunt you pulled on youtube!

xpost

haha you finally found it!

I found it as soon as you did it, it was my video!

I like "rakish," even though I imagine in the intended meaning of the word, you could start a fight with it. It has a feeling about it of "handsome devil," but I think it was once supposed to mean something more like, "You are the kind of disgusting monkey who would violate the elderly and not even wash up afterwards."

M White OTM about "scoundrel."

haha i didn't know it notifies you!

i was just trying to make her feel better

is stubble cute

or rakish

If you can use your beard as a rake, it's probably not cute.

that's some kind of AAD lol isn't it

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/graphics/2007/10/02/beard.jpg

Looks pretty convenient for holding napkins.

he hides the microfilm in it

You would say that, wouldn't you?

are boners cute?

I like being called cute, mainly because I ain't.

Asking this because I've just seen the Stuart Leevid of him performing in scotland and him called the crowd 'scotch' and it being a big deal, is it like called an American a 'yank', or an English person a 'limey' (ie its dehumanising and vaguely offensive, but possible to use it in banter between friends) or is it really offensive and not cool, like referring to a German person as a 'Kraut' or worse (don't really want to type quasi racial nationalistic slurs on here, even in the context of meta question about such terms)

Thoughts!

Yes. But mostly in reference looks. Sometimes for what you do.

TO looks

I called a guy I know/like cute a while back and he went off at me! He said "dont ever call me that, it's so INSULTING". I'm like... uhhh.. okayyy. :|

i told a fwb "you are so precocious, it's adorable" - but that was to deter him from being a dick to a mutual friend.

he did not realize he was being a dick and got mad at me, and then screwed up an 80s pop culture reference.

woof absent context my post abt HRC upthread seems like a total dick post. maybe it wasnt great w/ context but it seems worse w/ time

love being called cute

this was a guy who bragged about his first instrument being hammered dulcimer at age 5.

yah i like being called cuet now

if my first instrument had been hammered dulcimer at age 5 i would brag my life away tbh, that is way cool. i mean, ok, all that really says is 'my parents are obnoxiously indulgent' but when i was a small child i was totally fascinated by the cimbalom and that would have been my absolute dream.

i told a male friend he was adorable last week, he seemed to take it well.

Totally down with being called cute. Handsome is for old men.

i am fine w/ anything that the person considers a compliment tbh

being called cute makes me go swoony and bashful and bat my eyelashes

Haha I cannot imagine you being like that at ALL.

i take the safe route and tell people i find them attractive

Handsome is something you say to someone who needs a compliment but you can't bring yourself to lie and say cute or hot or sexy or good-looking or attractive. Cute is great.

Cute can be used in many ways, from enthusiastically swoony, to dismissive or infantilizing.

yeah to me there's a difference between "cute" and "sexy"- "cute" is for, I dunno, kittens or puppies. Not potential sexual partners.

girls around the office use either "cute" or "hot", nearly interchangeably. as in "omg who's the new cute/hot guy?!???!". i'd say the only difference is "hot" guy is 1 degree of attractiveness about "cute" guy.

I accept all compliments

"cute" will get you laid iirc

I don't recall ever being called cute (and I looked uncannily like Donny Osmond most of my social life). It would have been nice.

:(

i think tbh the diff between 'cute' & 'hot' is 10lbs or so

I am going to start telling guys they look neotenous.

i think tbh the diff between 'cute' & 'hot' is 10lbs or so

i get both from my gf so i must have some major weight oscillations

they look neotenous

As Stephen J. Gould famously pointed out, Mickey Mouse displayed ever more neotony as he aged. nagl imo.

haha, better be careful!

I say that because "haha, better be careful" is the only phrase Mickey Mouse says, in my imagination.

I've actually been called neotenic!

!!!
I have only seen pics of you but you have way too angle-y a face* to be considered neotenic imo. You do have crazy huge eyes, tho, maybe that's why that was said?

*trying to think of a non-weird way to say this & failing, it is agl tho do not worry

Me, I basically look the same now as I did at age eight. This is not a thread about chubby cheek chicks tho.