My mother’s like this and always has been. Reads small children’s books in preference to adult novels. Has pics of children’s book characters all over her walls. Likes making crafts with them. Wears children’s plastic jewellery. And lots more.
Yes, it can seem harmless and certainly for years me and my siblings played along with it and bought her presents of that kind. But at some point we all just stopped doing so, I think when it because increasingly clear that she was using this little girl persona, and had done all her life, as a way of avoiding growing up and taking responsibility. She behaves like a child and expects everyone else to look after her in ways that are very manipulative and damaging.
I now see her ‘little girl’ interests as actually rather sinister and don’t indulge them. So I can see where the OP is coming from. I’m not into Disney and cutesy stuff for reasons of personal taste, but I don’t begrudge other women enjoying it if that’s their bag. However, when such interests become a way of manipulating others into seeing you as cute and small and needing looking after it becomes problematic, I think.
To be REALLY contentious for a moment, how would we feel about men who were only into children’s toys and stuff in the same way? I think we would feel uncomfortable and suspect an unhealthy arresting of their development, possible even as far as paedophilic interests.
My mother isn’t a paedophile. But she does enjoy the company of under-5s more than anyone else and she does have this interest in children’s toys, books and games that makes me uncomfortable, for all the reasons I gave above - it manifests as deep immaturity and selfishness.