Cute? You what?

Is being called cute a compliment? I know it's not necessarily a bad thing to be, but it's hardly something people aspire to be, is it? I'm only mentioning this because I'm often told (mainly by males, it'd be a whole different blog if it were women) that I am 'cute'. I never know how to take this, usually I just smile and say thanks,  what else am I meant to do? I can hardly get all defensive and say "WHAT? HOW DARE YOU! I'M A GROWN WOMAN*, HOW CAN I BE CUTE?" A) Because I don't particulary care enough to do that and B) I don't take being called cute as something offensive. I'm not dim, I know they aren't calling me cute in the same way they'd call a hyper toddler smushing cake on their face cute.

I'm intrigued though. Should I be offended? I just looked at the definition of cute and then looked at WeHeartIt pictures of cute and I've decided cuteness is pictures of couples kissing in true sarcastic indie fucks fashion, or small domestic animals.

I have two thoughts on this, my feminist one and my 'pah, just shut up and take the compliment' one.

Feminist one says - Cute is passive, it's informal, it's not taking things seriously. Something which we women totally have a habit for, ya know. It reminds me of an Alan Carr bit, he's discussing how his Dad doesn't trust him with 'man' things because he's gay *rolls eyes* and Alan Carr responds with "like I'm gonna come out of Dixons with a pony, oh what am I like!". I feel like this is what cute is, it's very just-going-to-pat-you-on-the-head-and-let-you-get-on-your-merry-little-way-sweetie.

'Pah, just shut up and take the compliment' one says - Being cute is a nice thing to be. It makes you feel all girly**. The dictionary seem to pounce on the whole 'informal' meaning of cute, and I'm totally agreeing, I am quite informal, I don't see this as a bad things, it helps me make friends easier and means I get on with people easier than if I was a walking piece of boring formalness.

At the moment, whilst I still have my youth, I will continue to enjoy being called cute. Then when I'm 35 I'll probably find it weird, who wants to be middle aged and called cute? It begins to sound tragic and a bit patronising at that age. I don't know why this rule changes when you become a pensioner, (well, I kind of do know, but again, that's another blog/academic-y essay). When I eventually hit 65, any man calling me cute will be on my radar, just sayin'. Gotta have those old lady options open, ya know.

*Okay, so maybe 20 isn't a grown woman (*plays Britney's Not A Girl Not Yet A Woman really loudly whilst singing into a hairbrush*)

**Note how I said girly and not womanly. The fact that men often use words that usually describe young girls to describe women is a bit odd, no?