The Many Downsides of the Psychology Behind Babifying Animals

"In this riveting interview, attorney Taylor Paige Waters discusses her recent writing on this topic and explains why humans have a tendency to infantilize animals, to be drawn to the babies, to choose pets who have baby-like looks, and to like social media posts of baby animals far more than adults. However, when we frame animals as babies (cute, harmless, dependent), we start to feel entitled to their bodies and attention. The "aww" becomes a permission slip."

"I was at an elephant orphanage in Nairobi listening to keepers describe calves who'd lost everything, mothers shot by poachers, families scattered, while tourists smiled for selfies and tried to coax babies closer with branches. My legal work lives inside that gap, scrutinizing claims on packages, challenging systems that turn animals into content or commodities, and asking what genuine care looks like when the audience isn't watching."

Infantilizing animals through baby-like depictions and content turns living beings into commodities, prompting stronger public engagement with juveniles than adults. Social media algorithms favor images and videos that evoke caregiving instincts, increasing visibility for animals that appear dependent or controllable. That visibility normalizes treating animals as objects of affection and permission, eroding boundaries and fostering entitlement to their bodies and attention. Real-world consequences appear where animals suffer despite sympathetic displays, such as orphaned calves coaxed for selfies. Legal scrutiny and advocacy challenge labeling and systems that commodify animals and call for boundaries that protect animal autonomy and model ethical restraint.

Read at Psychology Today