丑萌现象——我们为何如此迷恋“丑”宠物？

The ugly-cute phenomenon — what is our obsession with ugly pets?

词汇：考研 | 句法：高考 | 文本：考研

刘立军供稿

In a world that favors beauty, from aesthetically pleasing interior design to an attractive physical appearance, why are we suddenly fawning over goofy-looking pets, particularly dogs, with exaggerated features? There’s been a pet paradigm shift — perfection is out, and droopy eyes are in. What’s going on?

在一个崇尚美的世界里，从令人赏心悦目的室内设计到迷人的外貌，为什么我们突然开始迷恋那些长相滑稽的宠物，尤其是五官夸张的狗狗？对宠物的审美已经发生了转变——完美不再流行，“耷拉眼”反而成了新宠。这到底是怎么回事？

First, we must understand our attraction to cuteness. Human babies are pretty helpless, so there had to be an evolutionary adaptation to ensure we looked after them. According to Konrad Lorenz’s “baby schema” theory, infantile features like big eyes, big heads and soft bodies trigger the instinct to protect our offspring. When animals have similar traits, we think they’re “in need of our companionship or care,” causing “the rush of warm emotion that is the cuteness response,” says Joshua Dale, co-editor of The Aesthetics and Affects of Cuteness.

首先，我们需要理解“可爱”对我们的吸引力。婴儿非常无助，因此进化过程中必然有一种适应机制，来确保我们会照顾他们。根据康拉德·劳伦兹的“婴儿图式”理论，大眼睛、大脑袋和柔软的身体这些幼态特征会触发我们保护后代的本能。《可爱的美学与影响》一书的联合主编约书亚·戴尔表示，当动物拥有类似的特征时，我们会觉得它们“需要我们的陪伴或照顾”，从而引发“一种温暖的情感反应，这就是所谓的可爱效应”。

During the Victorian era, dog shows were all the rage, and with them came selective breeding for cuteness rather than health or functionality. This led to a rise in flat-faced breeds with squashed snouts and bulging eyes like bulldogs and pugs — a reminder that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. These breeds remain very popular today.

在维多利亚时代，狗展风靡一时，随之而来的是为了“可爱”而非出于健康或功能改善考虑进行的选择性繁殖。这导致了像斗牛犬和哈巴狗这样拥有扁脸、塌鼻且凸眼的品种兴起——这提醒我们，“情人眼里出西施”。这些品种的狗至今仍然非常受欢迎。

The French Bulldog became the most popular dog in the US in 2022, according to the American Kennel Club. Rowena Parker, lecturer at the Royal Veterinary College in the UK, believes this is partly driven by social media influencers. “The ugly-cute thing is very fashionable,” she says. Despite the growing love for these dogs, there are ethical concerns. Many flat-faced breeds suffer from breathing difficulties and skin infections.

美国养犬俱乐部（AKC）数据显示，法国斗牛犬在2022年成为美国最受欢迎的犬种。英国皇家兽医学院讲师罗文娜·帕克认为，这一趋势部分是由网红推动的。“丑萌真的很流行，”她说道。然而，尽管人们对这些狗狗的喜爱日益增加，但其中也存在一些伦理问题。许多扁脸犬种容易出现呼吸困难和皮肤感染等健康问题。

A testament to the pet paradigm shift is the World‘s Ugliest Dog Contest, held in California since the 1970s. In a line-up of pooches with lopsided ears, snaggled teeth and patchy fur, who will be the loveable underdog that tugs on our heartstrings this year?  

宠物审美转变的一个有力证明是自20世纪70年代以来在加利福尼亚举办的“世界最丑狗狗大赛”。在一群耳朵歪斜、牙齿参差、毛发斑驳的狗狗中，今年谁会成为那个触动我们心弦的丑萌小狗呢？

【词汇】

1. fawn v. 奉承，讨好

2. goofy-looking adj. 看起来傻乎乎的

3. droopy adj. 下垂的，耷拉的

4. schema n. 略图，概要

5. infantile adj. 婴儿的，幼稚的

6. snout n. （动物的）口鼻部

7. bulldog n. 牛头犬

8. pug n. 哈巴狗

9. beholder n. 观看者，旁观者

10. kennel n. 狗窝，犬舍

11. testament n. 证明，证据

12. pooch n. 狗

13. lopsided adj. 不平衡的，倾斜的

14. patchy adj. 分布不均的

15. underdog n. 弱者，处于劣势的一方

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