Meta-Cute This element has overlap with both overprojection and quirky. It has to do with things that evoke childlike innocence and simplicity, but are meant for usage by adult-age people. In a sense, it’s a way of puncturing modernist over-seriousness, but in a way that is kind, not (postmodernly) biting. In addition to quirky characters and plot lines, and anthropomorphized characters, meta-cute includes spare/clean/flat design (such as the obsession with the font Helvetica that prevailed during the 2000s, incorporation of child-like instruments (such as the glockenspiel) in indie rock music, children being featured in lead roles in plot-lines not meant for children, adults who show childlike qualities in films e.g., having motivations not based in sexuality, career, or power-seeking, etc.