Every girl has that little black dress they've been saving for a night out. Mine was a sequinned Victoria's Secret bodycon that I'd fallen in love with during a trip to the States. It fit me perfectly, showed a touch of cleavage and would definitely be a valuable weapon in my battle to assure people that I was actually eighteen. After months of collecting dust in my wardrobe, I decided to wear it to a friend's eighteenth.

 

I strapped on a pair of heels and perfected the smokey eye look, before sitting myself opposite my high school crush. Did I want his attention? Maybe. Was I getting it? Nope, despite the fact I was making sure I wasn't socially awkward in the slightest. After ten minutes of conversation, he finally said one thing to me.

 

You're cute.

 

He then slung is arm around his soon-to-be girlfriend and complimented her about how beautiful she looked. That was it. In that moment, I'd essentially been pat on the head and told to run off while the adults played.

 

Cute. According to my mum (someone who didn't understand my readiness to burn the dress that got me that label), cute wasn't an insult. To her, it's a word that describes someone's natural beauty, but it's easy to see that definition doesn't translate to our generation.

 

“It’s a euphemism. People use it as a placeholder,” said Cliantha Dessay, someone who has also taken offence to being called cute. “If someone you’re interested in calls you cute, it’s patronising. A stuffed toy is cute! There are other words that are more positively connotated.”

 

Words like ‘sexy’ and ‘beautiful’ are more likely to resonate with young women today, but they are also the words most commonly seen in advertisements directed towards them. The women in these ads are the epitome of sexy and labelled as such, which changes perceptions of beauty. Women need to have long, flowy hair, big eyes and be stick thin to be called beautiful. This leaves women who don’t possess these qualities feeling sub-standard or ‘cute.’

 

“If people feel a sense of pity, they’ll call you cute,” said Dessay. “If you’re chubby or not particularly pretty, they’ll call you cute.”

 

This leaves young women aspiring to be like those in advertisements, not just for their physical beauty either. The poses of women in advertisements give them a sense of power and confidence, which most women desire. By associating the word ‘sexy’ with these poses, the term ‘sexy’ itself becomes associated with these qualities.

 

“Using the word ‘sexy’ resonates with the themes of empowerment and liberation,” said Dessay. “You can be sexy and empowered, you can’t be cute and empowered. If you’re cute, you’re helpless.”

 

“Cute is used in the media to describe things like a dog on a surfboard. It’s used to show youth and naivety.”

 

Helplessness and naivety are certainly terms that no young woman wants to be labelled with, which is why they would do almost anything to shake the label. A prime example is Miley Cyrus, who has changed her image drastically since her Disney days.

 

“People called her cute when she was on Hannah Montana and isn’t that part of her problem? She wants to show she’s not a child,” said Dessay.

 

Do we want a world where girls to act like Miley to shake the cute label? Nope. So boys, don't call a girl cute.