On Labubu and the Hyperreal (opens in new tab)

Sometime last year I saw a man in his young to mid-twenties with a fluffy toy grinning cheekily out at the world from a clip on his belt. The contrast between his masculine-expressing clothing and the plushie jarred. It was some sort of statement, but I didn't know how to interpret it and I couldn’t forget it. That was my introduction to Labubu.