"Twee". What do you think? (cut, guys, fashion)

[TwinkleBear]

So only in the last few months have I come upon this word to describe everything from fashion to people. I have to admit, the entire concept leaves me both confused and annoyed. As a lover of cute, dainty things, I often find the things I enjoy associated with this word, which is apparently a very obnoxious thing.

I can't help but wonder, what makes something inherently "twee"? When is the line crossed from cutesy to TOO cutesy? Is this word assigned to so many things simply because "cute" in general is not something many adults value compared to things that are instead sexy, beautiful or edgy, and cute is instead associated with children?

I'm honestly just very curious about the entire concept.

[JustJulia]

It's just a personal judgment call, like "ugly" or "pretty" or "cute."

[cloven]

Recently read a book on this exact subject, perhaps OP might check it out-

"Twee: The Gentle Revolution in Music, Books, Television, Fashion, and Film" by Marc Spitz (2014).

The book addresses the broad ethos of "twee", though-doesn't much focus on it with regard to clothing.
Twee is used somewhat interchangeably with "indie", which is inherently, by its very nature, a moving target-
since that which is indie tends to get eaten up and assimilated by the mainstream (or else remain marginal & fringe, perhaps dwindling away).

Couple quotes:

“The culture’s tendency toward crafting begins in the post-9/11 era.”
“Anything tangible, perennial, “old school”, and pure-a book, an LP record-is akin to a kind of cultural comfort food.”

[BirdieBelle]

Originally Posted by TwinkleBear

So only in the last few months have I come upon this word to describe everything from fashion to people. I have to admit, the entire concept leaves me both confused and annoyed. As a lover of cute, dainty things, I often find the things I enjoy associated with this word, which is apparently a very obnoxious thing.

I can't help but wonder, what makes something inherently "twee"? When is the line crossed from cutesy to TOO cutesy? Is this word assigned to so many things simply because "cute" in general is not something many adults value compared to things that are instead sexy, beautiful or edgy, and cute is instead associated with children?

I'm honestly just very curious about the entire concept.

When you look like you are wearing a child's costume or stepped out of another decade, it is twee.

If you own things that have to be insured but dress as if you are about to skip out of a 1950s storybook, you're twee.

It's trying too hard to be childlike and precious.

[Amontillado]

Actually "twee" is a British dialect word that people there make jokes about as being impossible to understand without a matching cultural background--or perhaps "impossible to understand" really means "likely to leave people with different ideas about its meaning".

I would say that it's not just "overly cute" but "something with a false atmosphere to suit boring middle-class taste". It is indeed a judgment call, no doubt about that!

Bu then again, maybe the people who'd use that word just don't appreciate nice stuff. There's no absolute standard for what's good--we can all choose.

[Rubi3]

Sounds more like a remnant of a tweet.

[high iron]

Trying too hard to be precious, unspoiled and innocent and childlike. Wes Anderson.

[TwinkleBear]

That's just it though. How does one know when someone is "trying too hard". Personally speaking, I hate wearing jeans or tightly fitted pants or anything really deemed as sexy. I like modesty. I like knee length, puffy skirts. I like peter pan collars because they feel more feminine than regular ones. I like pastels and kitten heels and babydoll dresses. As some say, I might even look like I'm "dressing from another decade" because sadly nowadays (in America anyway) women primarily wear tightly fitted pants and it's rare to find skirts and feminine cut blouses outside of those in the corporate setting. I'm not TRYING to act innocent or cute, but how does a stranger know that? Am I to alter my own personal tastes because I happen to like pretty, cute things, but am in danger of being seen as someone trying to emulate a child? It's fairly frustrating.

[rzzzz]

One of my favorite bands is like the poster case for twee, Belle and Sebastian.
When I think of twee style I mostly just think of skinny guys with the waistcoats and floppy hair, which I think is becoming a bit out of style. Wes Anderson is a good example of a twee aesthetic, though. Retro, but of an imaginary time period. I am not sure I could identify a "twee" woman's style.

[BirdieBelle]

Originally Posted by TwinkleBear

That's just it though. How does one know when someone is "trying too hard". Personally speaking, I hate wearing jeans or tightly fitted pants or anything really deemed as sexy. I like modesty. I like knee length, puffy skirts. I like peter pan collars because they feel more feminine than regular ones. I like pastels and kitten heels and babydoll dresses. As some say, I might even look like I'm "dressing from another decade" because sadly nowadays (in America anyway) women primarily wear tightly fitted pants and it's rare to find skirts and feminine cut blouses outside of those in the corporate setting. I'm not TRYING to act innocent or cute, but how does a stranger know that? Am I to alter my own personal tastes because I happen to like pretty, cute things, but am in danger of being seen as someone trying to emulate a child? It's fairly frustrating.

To me, the difference is whether you dress like you're auditioning for a part on I Love Lucy.

If your ENTIRE LOOK is straight-up '50s, then it is like a costume. To avoid being twee, mix and match vintage pieces with current pieces. Not everything made today is slutty.