I’ve noticed many people who seem to take pleasure in poorly made or the lowest quality things. There’s a certain level of humor to it, but is there a word that would specifically describe this kind of person?
As in:
I can believe he bought that painting everyone agreed was awful. He's a real ____.
I can believe he bought that painting everyone agreed was awful. He really is a ____.
The term kitschy refers to
something that appeals to popular or lowbrow taste and is often of poor quality
This defines the object, not the person, but may suffice.
Someone who likes things specifically because they are bad or poorly made can be called a "a bad taste enthusiast". This would be a person who has an interest or enjoyment in things that are considered to be in poor taste or offensive by most people.
There are other terms that could be used to describe such a person too depending on context and tone:
These terms are not necessarily always expressed with disapproval, as some people might have a genuine interest in things that are considered to be in bad taste. Also, the word "enthusiast" may not be suitable for all contexts, for example in a formal or professional setting, in that case, it's better to use a more neutral term such as "person interested in" or "person with a taste for".
Be mindful that some of these terms might have a negative implication, so you should use them carefully, strategically, and in the appropriate context.
Perhaps an inverted snob. Although primarily about class, it is sometimes used more generally.
Usage from Urban Dictionary
Don't expect to find Mary in one of the better pubs. She's an inverted snob. She'd rather have cheap beer and mould any day of the week.
a person who makes it known that they do not like things related to high social position but approve of things related to low social position
and Educalingo cites the Dictionary of Americanisms, Briticisms, Canadianisms and Australianisms with
person who makes a show of disliking grand things and admiring things typical of low social class
finally Chambers Dictionary has
someone who makes a point of practising, approving, etc things that a snobbish person would find objectionable.
A philistine (n., can also be adj.) is someone who has poor artistic or aesthetic taste. Oxford English Dictionary:
- In extended use (now usually philistine). An uneducated or unenlightened person; one perceived to be indifferent or hostile to art or culture, or whose interests and tastes are commonplace or material; a person who is not a connoisseur.
Frequently the word is used to express someone's ignorance of finer things. Sometimes, philistines specifically prefer more kitschy, base, or mundane things. For example:
Why don't I just go drop you back off with Isaac and his boys. Because I don't feel like getting stoned and playing foosball. You philistine. (We'll Never Have Paris, film, 2014. Found via Corpus of Contemporary American English)
Do I really need to choose from 17 small-batch bourbons every time I order a manhattan? Am a I philistine for sometimes craving a Yuengling? (Alexander Nazaryan, "Where Nobody Knows Your Name." Newsweek, 15 July 2015.)
AS IT TURNS OUT, ARTHUR MILLER'S ever-popular play "The Crucible" makes a good movie--but what a,great bad movie the making of "The Crucible" would make. It would be one of those let's-put-on-a-show pictures, with Miller's son Bob, a novice producer, shouting, "Hey! We can use Dad's old play!" Then Dad himself gamely sitting down to write the script. Then Bob pitching this screenplay about the witch hunt in 17th-century Salem; Mass. to philistine movie moguls who want an upbeat ending. (David Gates, "One Devil of a Time." Newsweek, 1 Dec 1996.)
