Stuffed animals, Lego, cartoons, and video games are no longer just for children. A growing number of adults, known as "kidults," are openly admitting their attachment to these regressive objects. Is this a passing trend or a symptom of a deeper generational unease?<\/p>\n
The term "kidulte," a portmanteau of "kid" (child) and "adult," refers to adults who continue to consume products traditionally associated with childhood. This includes collectible figurines, retro video games, coloring books, clothing with cartoon characters, and pop culture conventions (such as Comic Con or Japan Expo).<\/p>\n
Far from being marginal, the phenomenon has grown significantly. In 2023, according to a study by the British firm Mintel<\/a> , 27% of adults aged 25 to 44 reported buying toys for themselves. This figure has been steadily increasing since 2019. Brands have clearly understood this: Lego, for example, has launched premium ranges specifically designed for adults, blending nostalgia and sophistication.<\/p>\n Behind this trend lies a deeper dynamic. The "kidult" phenomenon is primarily a coping strategy in the face of a society perceived as anxiety-inducing. Economic, environmental, and political crises... for many in their thirties and forties, the adult world rhymes with precariousness and instability. Returning to the world of childhood then offers a refuge.<\/p>\n This allows one to reconnect with comforting memories, to regain a sense of control and lightness in a daily life that can sometimes feel heavy. As French sociologist C\u00e9cile Van de Velde, a specialist in European youth, explains, "the transition to adulthood has become a long, uncertain, and often fragmented process. In this context, certain childhood landmarks serve as anchors."<\/em><\/p>\n Some critics see it as an extension of consumer society, where everything is commodified, even nostalgia. For them, the kidult phenomenon is being exploited by brands as a marketing tool. Indeed, the targeted products\u2014often expensive\u2014are more about collecting than everyday use, and sometimes contribute to a self-promoting image on social media.<\/p>\n This interpretation, however, overlooks an important aspect: for many kidultes, these objects are not merely a whim or an Instagrammable trend. They embody a part of their identity. They become vehicles for personal expression, social connection, and sometimes even psychological resilience. In this sense, being a kidult can also be an act of cultural reappropriation.<\/p>\n The "kidult" phenomenon also raises questions about our relationship with maturity. For a long time, becoming an adult meant abandoning "childish" pastimes. However, this boundary is becoming blurred. Being an adult in 2025 no longer necessarily means having a standardized lifestyle based on marriage, children, and job security. These new adults are claiming the right to choose their own path and to invent other forms of balance.<\/p>\n In this context, liking Pok\u00e9mon or building a Star Wars model would no longer be seen as a regression, but rather as an expression of freedom of expression and taste. This shift is further reinforced by public figures who fully embrace their "childhood." Artists, athletes, and content creators no longer hesitate to display their geeky or childlike passions, thus contributing to the legitimization of this culture in the public sphere.<\/p>\n While it's difficult to predict the future of this phenomenon, certain signs suggest it's more structural than cyclical. On the one hand, new generations are growing up with a pervasive and uninhibited pop culture. On the other hand, successive crises are making the need for comfort and lightheartedness more enduring.<\/p>\n Kidults are therefore not simply adults who refuse to grow up. On the contrary, they may be adults seeking to redefine what "growing up" means in a changing world. A world where self-care also involves the right to lightness, play, and imagination.<\/p>\n In short, the kidult phenomenon goes far beyond a passing fad. It reveals a quest for meaning, belonging, and individual expression in an often uncertain world. Far from representing an escape from reality, it can also be seen as a new way of inhabiting adulthood, with its own codes and sensibilities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Stuffed animals, Lego, cartoons, and video games are no longer just for children. A growing number of adults,...","protected":false},"author":8375,"featured_media":430854,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable_msn":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5678],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-430850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-societe"],"image":{"medium":["https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/VAZHNIK-_-Pexels-200x113.jpg",200,113,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/VAZHNIK-_-Pexels-500x281.jpg",500,281,true]},"custom":{"td_video":"","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/VAZHNIK-_-Pexels.jpg","author":{"name":"Fabienne Baure","avatar":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/fabienne_baure-96x96.jpg"},"categories":[{"term_id":5678,"name":"Society","slug":"societe","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":5846,"taxonomy":"category","description":" The Society section of The Body Optimist unpacks the debates that shape women\u2019s lives: equality, discrimination, beauty standards, social ties and the place of bodies in public space. Its analysis, first-person stories and practical advice are for anyone who wants to understand the pressures of everyday life and push back, with an inclusive, body-positive and judgment-free perspective.<\/p>\n Beauty standards are a social issue because they are neither natural nor universal: they shift from one country to another and from one era to the next, as our article on how beauty standards differ around the world<\/a> shows. Yet these ideals of thinness, youth and flawless skin have very real effects: comments starting in childhood, pressure to watch your weight, unequal treatment at work and in health care, online harassment. Recognizing that a norm is constructed helps you take a step back, spot the messages designed to make you feel guilty and choose what you want to keep. That is the common thread of this section: connecting individual experiences to the collective mechanisms that produce them.<\/p>\n If you experience discrimination or online harassment, the first step is to keep evidence, then to turn to the right people, who will depend on the country you live in:<\/p>\n Born from a plus-size fashion site, our magazine looks at social issues through the lens of the body and representation. We give a voice to the people most affected, we explain the words before debating them (sexism, fatphobia, trans identity, consent) and we favor practical ways forward over outrage alone. Our articles start from everyday experiences to shed light on broader patterns, without moralizing or pitting women against each other.<\/p>\n Discrimination is unequal treatment based on a characteristic protected by law, in a specific area such as employment, housing or access to goods and services. Protected grounds vary from country to country, but they often include sex, race or ethnic origin, disability, age, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity. Some places also protect physical appearance or weight.<\/p>\n Intersectionality describes how several forms of discrimination can overlap in the same person and reinforce one another. The American legal scholar Kimberl\u00e9 Crenshaw coined the term to describe the experiences of Black women. A woman who is both fat and lesbian, for example, may face sexism, fatphobia and homophobia, which compound one another rather than simply adding up.<\/p>\n Diet culture is the set of beliefs that equates thinness with health, success and personal worth. It shows up in foods labeled \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cbad,\u201d compliments on weight loss and the shaming of fat bodies. Our magazine prefers a weight-inclusive approach to health, at every size.<\/p>\n Want to go further? Our Culture<\/a> section explores how bodies and identities are portrayed in movies, TV shows and books, and our Psychology<\/a> section supports you with self-image, confidence and emotions.<\/p>","parent":0,"count":1539,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":5678,"category_count":1539,"category_description":" The Society section of The Body Optimist unpacks the debates that shape women\u2019s lives: equality, discrimination, beauty standards, social ties and the place of bodies in public space. Its analysis, first-person stories and practical advice are for anyone who wants to understand the pressures of everyday life and push back, with an inclusive, body-positive and judgment-free perspective.<\/p>\n Beauty standards are a social issue because they are neither natural nor universal: they shift from one country to another and from one era to the next, as our article on how beauty standards differ around the world<\/a> shows. Yet these ideals of thinness, youth and flawless skin have very real effects: comments starting in childhood, pressure to watch your weight, unequal treatment at work and in health care, online harassment. Recognizing that a norm is constructed helps you take a step back, spot the messages designed to make you feel guilty and choose what you want to keep. That is the common thread of this section: connecting individual experiences to the collective mechanisms that produce them.<\/p>\n If you experience discrimination or online harassment, the first step is to keep evidence, then to turn to the right people, who will depend on the country you live in:<\/p>\n Born from a plus-size fashion site, our magazine looks at social issues through the lens of the body and representation. We give a voice to the people most affected, we explain the words before debating them (sexism, fatphobia, trans identity, consent) and we favor practical ways forward over outrage alone. Our articles start from everyday experiences to shed light on broader patterns, without moralizing or pitting women against each other.<\/p>\n Discrimination is unequal treatment based on a characteristic protected by law, in a specific area such as employment, housing or access to goods and services. Protected grounds vary from country to country, but they often include sex, race or ethnic origin, disability, age, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity. Some places also protect physical appearance or weight.<\/p>\n Intersectionality describes how several forms of discrimination can overlap in the same person and reinforce one another. The American legal scholar Kimberl\u00e9 Crenshaw coined the term to describe the experiences of Black women. A woman who is both fat and lesbian, for example, may face sexism, fatphobia and homophobia, which compound one another rather than simply adding up.<\/p>\n Diet culture is the set of beliefs that equates thinness with health, success and personal worth. It shows up in foods labeled \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cbad,\u201d compliments on weight loss and the shaming of fat bodies. Our magazine prefers a weight-inclusive approach to health, at every size.<\/p>\n Want to go further? Our Culture<\/a> section explores how bodies and identities are portrayed in movies, TV shows and books, and our Psychology<\/a> section supports you with self-image, confidence and emotions.<\/p>","cat_name":"Society","category_nicename":"societe","category_parent":0}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8375"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=430850"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430850\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":430903,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430850\/revisions\/430903"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/430854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=430850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=430850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=430850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} An answer to the uncertainties of adulthood?<\/h2>\n
Between consumerism and identity construction<\/h2>\n
A renewed vision of maturity<\/h2>\n
A generational phenomenon that is likely to last?<\/h2>\n
What you\u2019ll find in the Society section<\/h2>\n
\n
Why are beauty standards a social issue?<\/h2>\n
What can you do about discrimination or online harassment?<\/h2>\n
\n
Our approach: connecting the personal and the collective<\/h2>\n
Articles to start with<\/h2>\n
\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
What counts as discrimination?<\/h3>\n
What is intersectionality?<\/h3>\n
What is diet culture?<\/h3>\n
What you\u2019ll find in the Society section<\/h2>\n
\n
Why are beauty standards a social issue?<\/h2>\n
What can you do about discrimination or online harassment?<\/h2>\n
\n
Our approach: connecting the personal and the collective<\/h2>\n
Articles to start with<\/h2>\n
\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
What counts as discrimination?<\/h3>\n
What is intersectionality?<\/h3>\n
What is diet culture?<\/h3>\n