The resurgence of the 2010 Tumblr coquette aesthetic, characterized as soft, romantic and playful, is one of the most influential fashion trends in 2023. The trend itself and consumers’ rapid adaptation of it show how far our perceptions of feminism and inclusivity have come. The classic portrait of a coquette is of a master seductress who uses psychology to manipulate their victim—a sort of maneater trope.
Robert Greene describes a coquette’s power in his book “The Art of Seduction.” According to Greene, “coquettes seem totally self-sufficient; they do not need you, they seem to say, and their narcissism proves devilishly attractive. You want to conquer them, but they hold the cards,” he wrote. The Oxford dictionary has redefined the French term “a woman who flirts,” and this reflects the more modern style by providing a sense of confidence through taking care of one’s appearance.
The overwhelming popularity of “coquette core” is due to the viral bow trend on social media platforms. The videos feature users ironically romanticizing practically everything with bows—dogs, ice cubes, breakup texts and even fried chicken—over the audio of “Let the Light In” by Lana Del Ray. According to Buzzfeed, searches for “bow outfit” have increased 190% in January. On TikTok, the hashtag #coquetteaethetic has 291.6k posts and almost five billion views.
Bows are not the only way to feel coquettish. Anything that symbolizes romance and soft femininity will do. Think of kitten heels, dresses, tights, ruffles and lace. The style takes inspiration from the Victorian Regency or the Rococo Era. Japan also popularized it before reaching the U.S. Last year, Barbie, Taylor Swift, “Girl Math” and Priscilla set the tone for feminine empowerment in the media. The National Public Radio named 2023 the “Year of the Girl” due to the several displays of society proudly celebrating girlhood culture.
Historically, the feminine ideal expresses itself through fashion, like in the 1980s, when power suits and shoulder pads were the staple. In the early 2000s, being a ‘girly girl’ was cool; wearing pink was cool and we can probably thank Paris Hilton for this. The Y2K style, while iconic, was problematic in many ways. The desirable girl portrayed in the media was unhealthily small and eating disorders were widespread. Girly girls were perceived as ditzy and brainless. Modern feminists pushed back hard on this stereotype and misogyny turned into internalized misogyny.
In response to this movement, the ideal girl was the “girl boss,” who did not care about putting on make-up or trying to be girly in any way. The phrase “I’m not like other girls” was painfully used against women, implying there was something wrong with them. Although this was an empowering time to be an independent career woman, there was an undertone of pressure to lose one’s feminine side to fit in with the men in the workforce.
The counter-reaction started in November 2021, when “coquette” searches on Pinterest began to surge three times higher than normal. The COVID-19 pandemic most likely launched the coquette style into the mainstream media because most people were no longer going to work and the atmospheric pressure to be a girl boss was gone.
Now, the message behind hyper femininity is found in sharing in the collective experience of being feminine. Gen Z’s willingness to discourse gender roles in society has led to more discernment on stereotyping genders by physical traits. This led to creating the hyperfeminine coquette: a combination of the unapologetic demonstration of early 2000’s ‘girly-ness’ but more inclusive with different body types, races and gender identifications.
“I think that the Y2K and girly-girl aesthetic in 2022 is all about taking the best and most fun aspects of 2000s fashion and making it inclusive for everyone in a way it wasn’t back then, which, as a woman of color myself, is really great and encouraging to see,” said Amira Mohamed, a fashion filmmaker, in an article with Nylon. Some users on TikTok have critiqued the trend, arguing that women are infantilizing themselves and sexualizing the style of young girls. But the inspiration for modern coquettes is based more on historical fashion and Y2K than childhood nostalgia.
It’s important to add that men never seem to be criticized for this. “Men are allowed to keep loving seemingly frivolous and childish things well into adulthood, like Star Wars, comic books, video games, but grown women who admit to still enjoying Barbie films or loving rom-coms are mocked,” wrote Nylon. The power of coquetry is the freedom from comprising oneself to please others. It is unapologetically loving to be feminine after years of misogyny.
Another problem is that people are annoyed by the aesthetic because so many people have participated in it. Once everyone does something, people get tired of seeing it. This is why some fashion enthusiasts predict the irrelevance of the coquette style in 2024 due to its mainstream adaptation last year. “I think we’re all going to have to untie our bows on Dec. 31. It’s a great trend. I’ve loved every second. We’re all bowing out,” said an interviewee on the Tik Tok account @iluvurfit.
However, the fashion industry is not indicating that the inevitable fallout of these trends will occur anytime soon. During the latest Spring 2024 Haute Couture Week in Paris, several fashion powerhouses used coquette elements in their collections. Chanel, Dior and Giambattista Valli all used bows as accessories to tie the models’ hair.
According to Vogue Runway, Maison Margiela was inspired for its collection by portraits of Parisian nightlife in the 1920s and 30s. The romanticism and corset silhouettes of the collection emulate the historically accurate idea of a modern coquette. Ready-to-wear brands like Reformation, Kimchi Blue, For Love and Lemons and Motel Rocks have recently listed more coquettish pieces on their websites. The trend’s role in the industry is still at its peak and will likely persist in 2024.
The coquette style is based more on an idea of an attitude than the style itself and it can be expressed differently through clothing as we continue to grow. The main lesson the coquette can teach us is that women are still fighting against societal expectations. Whether it’s cool at the time to be a girl boss, a ‘girly girl’ or both at the same time, women want to enjoy the things they like freely.
Jacey Coleman can be reached at [email protected]