Now trending: The resurgence of Barbiecore
The Hindu
Barbiecore is back in the limelight, putting the spotlight on hyperfemininity. Is this a reclamation of a new era of pink?
Unless you live under a rock, you’ve heard of the upcoming Barbie movie. Even if you do live under a rock, you’ve heard of the upcoming Barbie movie.
The first-ever, live-action adaptation of Mattel, Inc.’s iconic doll, Greta Gerwig’s upcoming movie is expected to be a satirical take on the conventional interpretation of Barbie. Barbie’s seemingly perfect utopia falls apart and she is castaway into the real world where she discovers the ugly truth about her life in plastic.
The movie has sparked a fashion mania identified by hot pink, kitschy prints, glitter and vibrant bursts of colour, including bubblegum, raspberry, cerulean, and sunshine yellow. According to the Lyst 2022 Year in Fashion review, ever since Warner Bros. released paparazzi shots of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling dolled up in their peak Barbiecore ensemble, “searches for all things pink skyrocketed 416%.” Barbiecore emerged as the top trend of the year, as the internet geared up with their fly-est fits and bombastic memes.
Barbiecore is all about championing vibrant hues, unapologetically embracing Barbie’s signature hot pink and adapting it to your everyday life. The trend’s nostalgic tone is a reminder of the doll’s popularity since its launch in 1959.
Although at an all-time high now, Barbiecore rose to prominence in the early aughts, with OG influencers like Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and Lindsay Lohan becoming the flagbearers of the trend with their long, poker-straight, heavily bleached blonde hair. Teen coming-of-age dramas like Clueless, Legally Blonde, and Mean Girls, featuring dainty blondes heavily costumed in Barbiecore-esque pink attires, added to the trend’s popularity.
Given its strong affiliation with hyper-femininity, the style quickly became synonymous with ‘Bimbocore,’ with the The New York Post and Daily Mail calling it “giddy, and dim-witted”. This notion is further reiterated in Aqua’s popular 1997 pop song ‘I’m a Barbie Girl’, the lyrics of which are: “I’m a blonde bimbo girl in a fantasy world”.
People of colour, diverse bodies, and male counterparts could not fathom fitting into the narrative that was deemed outdated and shallow.
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