A Full Circle Back to My Inner "Wow, Cute!" Feeling

Many things in the world are loved by women, yet leave men scratching their heads, wondering, "What's so great about that?"
Examples include long, elaborate false nails adorned with flowers or sequins, flashy accessories in bright colors, stuffed animals... Of course, some women dislike these things, and some men like them. Preferences also vary greatly with age.


One thing I've come to love as I've gotten older is "pink." It's not that I loved it for the first time now, though. As a child, I would exclaim, "Wow, so cute!" over pink vinyl bags for outings and hair clips. Then, for about 20 years starting around age 20, I completely forgot about pink. This was because I prioritized "cool" over "cute." Naturally, in my work, I treated both "cute" and "cool" without distinction.

There's a reason I leaned towards "cool." When I was young, I had a round face and a distinctly feminine look (this wasn't just my imagination; it was the consensus of myself and others at the time). If I wore sweet colors or cute clothes, it was simply too much and unbearable. I hated that, so I started dressing exclusively in dark, mannish outfits, and my preference naturally shifted to "cool is cooler!"

Then, perhaps after turning 40, I began to embrace sweet colors, floral patterns, and frills with ease. While changes in my facial features were a major factor, I believe the expansion of my emotional freedom has revived that innocent childhood "Wow, cute!" feeling.

Incidentally, isn't the difference in preferences between men and women best summarized by this phrase, "Wow, cute!"? Perhaps it's because this feeling is scarce in the male DNA (probably), they simply can't comprehend "cute." And women can't comprehend why men can't comprehend it. Thinking about it that way, there's no need to agonize (though it's not a major agony) over things that aren't understood. It's probably a matter of simply acknowledging, "Ah, that's just their DNA," and moving on.

Still, to have this "Wow, cute!" feeling return after a full circle is so liberating and joyful. Now that I've passed the age where the "grass is always greener" and I'm no longer bound by others' gazes or expectations, and can finally accept myself wholeheartedly, this feeling has resurfaced. Perhaps this is the true benefit of accumulating years. It's something I've been reflecting on deeply lately. I feel this sentiment is encapsulated by pink, the quintessential "Wow, cute!" color. Thinking about it, pink might indeed be the color that represents my freedom of heart. If so, perhaps I should aim to be a "pink-loving grandma"!? Though I suspect men would struggle to understand such a grandma.