Pink never goes out of style and the balletcore trend proves that. Yep, ballet is no longer just for those who practice the art, it’s become an everyday aesthetic for people of all genders, shapes, and sizes. The ultra-feminine fashion style that’s trending across our feeds and FYPs on social apps like Instagram and TikTok presents itself as an elevated version of athleisure.
Featuring mainly ballet flats, ribbons, endless tulle, hair bows, and cardigans, the allure of balletcore trend is easy to understand, it is both effortlessly chic and simple to obtain. But, where did it come from? Why are we suddenly seeing people embracing the trend all over social media? When Teen Vogue asked fashion historian Rachel Weingarten how balletcore twirled its way into the mainstream, the answer was easy: it never really left.
“Balletcore is a spin-off of trends that began with cottagecore and evolved to princesscore and beyond,” Weingarten explains. “During the pandemic, we fetishized athleisure wear as we stopped pretending to get dressed up for all our Zooms. While And Just Like That, the Sex and the City reboot, received incredibly mixed reviews, it did heavily tap into our nostalgia. It also reminded us of the iconic moment Sarah Jessica Parker had in her pink tutu. Balletcore feels almost like a security blanket in a way. We can hold onto the cute clothing we wore as [children] in a grown-up fashion.”
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Of course, aside from tulle and tutus, a key element of the trend is the color pink, which has always been political. But as gender binaries and sexist double standards are broken down in real-time, it also means a rebrand of what and who the color is for. The art of ballet has been traditionally dominated by thin white women, but in 2022, humans of all backgrounds are finding themselves represented in the sport and style. Victoria, a real-life ballerina who has adopted the balletcore aesthetic in her everyday style, says that she’s seeing people take up ballet after discovering their infatuation with ballet-inspired fashion.
“I think a lot of people wanted to be a dancer when they were young and with balletcore becoming so popular, they get a chance to live out their childhood dreams,” Victoria tells Teen Vogue. “People want to embody the elegance and grace that ballerinas embody. What I love about balletcore becoming so popular is that many people get inspired to start ballet even in their adult years. Dancing is such an amazing hobby and it’s truly never too late to start.”
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A fundamental rule of fashion is that it intimates other art forms, particularly media. Ballet as a media genre — whether it be an actual company like the Paris Opera Ballet, or a film or a television show — has always been massively popular and intriguing, so it was only a matter of time before it was all the rage.
“As long as there’s been performing arts, there’s been the urge to copy and emulate what you see represented,” Weingarten adds. “In movies like Black Swan and The Turning Point, the ballet dancers were less innocent and sometimes downright evil. The movie Fame is another interesting way of portraying the beauty of ballet with the grittiness of the process of becoming a young dancer. Sophie Ellis Bextor’s video for Murder on the Dancefloor embraced ideas and ideals of ballet along with high camp. Birds of Paradise added a Euphoria vibe to ballet; it’s beautiful, but also othering.”
Source by www.teenvogue.com
