{"id":7337,"date":"2023-07-26T12:27:33","date_gmt":"2023-07-26T16:27:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/?p=7337"},"modified":"2023-11-01T15:02:37","modified_gmt":"2023-11-01T19:02:37","slug":"barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/","title":{"rendered":"Barbiecore and the Language of Aesthetics"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a Barbie world, and we\u2019re just living in it. With the release of Greta Gerwig\u2019s Barbie<\/em> movie has come a resurgence in popularity for highly feminine aesthetics and all things pink in the Barbiecore<\/em> aesthetic<\/a>. Kelly Wright, Co-Editor of American Speech\u2019<\/em>s Among The New Words<\/em> quarterly dictionary, says it isn\u2019t surprising that Barbie and the Barbiecore<\/em> aesthetic are so popular. \u201cBarbieTM<\/sup> (the brand) has made art out of establishing iconicity. Barbie isn\u2019t just a brand or a toy \u2014 she\u2019s a dream, an ideal, an archetype, a memory one that comes complete with matching shoes, accessories, and an entire community of practice<\/a>…Most adults \u2014 and not only women, and not only Americans \u2014 possess knowledge of the Barbie aesthetic; they don\u2019t need any additional cues to understand what Barbiecore<\/em> represents, what it contains, and how one participates in or resists it.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Barbiecore<\/em> isn\u2018t an isolated phenomenon. The word and the trending aesthetic are part of a larger movement surrounding the libfix -core<\/em>\u00a0and a fascinating example of language change in action.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Celebrities embracing the Barbiecore trend. NY Post Photo Illustration. (Photo Credit: NY Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

Libfixes and -Core<\/em><\/h4>\n

As language users, we constantly look for new ways to express the world around us, and sometimes we need new words<\/a> to do so. In our Where Do Words Come From? gallery, our 22-foot-tall talking word wall explains how new words enter the English language, from neologisms and borrowings to onomatopoeia and portmanteaus. Sometimes, in the process of creating portmanteaus, certain parts of words take on lives of their own. The linguist Arnold Zwicky<\/a> named these libfixes, or \u201cliberated\u201d word parts that have become new word-forming elements.<\/p>\n

Perhaps one of the most iconic examples of this linguistic phenomenon is the libfix -gate<\/em><\/a>, which originally comes from Watergate<\/em>, the name of a building complex in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C., associated with the political scandal that led to President Richard Nixon\u2019s resignation from office. Other common libfixes include -athon<\/em> (as in walkathon<\/em>, telethon<\/em>, and hackathon<\/em>), -inator<\/em> (from The Terminator<\/em>), and -core<\/em> (from hardcore<\/em> music).<\/p>\n

Over the last decade, Among the New Words<\/em> has chronicled -core<\/em>\u2019s surge in prominence and changing scope, first in a 2012 installment on music<\/a> and more recently in 2022<\/a>. While the libfix was originally restricted to music genres (like\u00a0deathcore<\/em>, crunkcore<\/em>, and even bardcore<\/em>) dating back to speedcore<\/em> in 1985, it has since been separated from music. According to Wright, \u201cits current function as a combining form is to mark \u2014 or perhaps even bind \u2014 an aesthetic. This binding is sometimes so informal that it necessitates a Pinterest board to illustrate what types of styles and behaviors belong within and without the aesthetic (see normcore<\/em><\/a>).\u201d Barbiecore<\/em> marks a shift from other -core<\/em> aesthetics because of its recognizability. \u201cLiterally everything users need to know about Barbiecore <\/i>is prepackaged in pretty pink plastic.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Lasting Impact of Barbiecore<\/em><\/h4>\n

While Mattel has spared no expense<\/a> in promoting both the\u00a0Barbie<\/em> movie and the Barbie brand this year with copious brand deals, news articles, and influencers spreading Barbiecore<\/em> to the masses, Wright says Barbiecore<\/em>\u2019s current success is due to individual people. \u201cCorporate propaganda, while effective, does not seem to have the same types of long term consequences for language use as the utterances individuals choose to produce themselves do. What makes Barbiecore<\/em> prominent is the uptake individual users have exhibited, producing the term and performing all it marks (unironically or not) in their daily lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will Barbiecore<\/em> stand the test of time? Or will hype for the trend fade once Barbie<\/em> leaves theaters? It would be easy to declare Barbiecore<\/em> just a passing fad, but Barbie has a way of surprising naysayers. After all, there was similar skepticism<\/a> about the doll\u2019s popularity when it first appeared on the scene. Linguists and lexicographers like Wright document new words and the changing usage of existing ones, but they can\u2019t predict the future. \u201cPredicting what language is going to do in the future is the most difficult task of any linguist because of the pesky interaction of linguistic structure and the human will…There\u2019s so much about how an individual feels, what they\u2019ve experienced in their past, where they are physically located in the moment, etc. which determines what they do with language, which over time determines how languages move and change.\u201d At the moment, though, it is fun to watch the world turn pink.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a Barbie world, and we\u2019re just living in it. With the release of Greta Gerwig\u2019s Barbie movie has come a resurgence in popularity for highly feminine aesthetics and all…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":7357,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[22,35],"class_list":["post-7337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-words-language","tag-fun-with-words","tag-lexicography"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBarbiecore and the Language of Aesthetics — Planet Word Museum<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Barbiecore and the Language of Aesthetics — Planet Word Museum\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s a Barbie world, and we\u2019re just living in it. With the release of Greta Gerwig\u2019s Barbie movie has come a resurgence in popularity for highly feminine aesthetics and all…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Planet Word Museum\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PlanetWordDC\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-07-26T16:27:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-11-01T19:02:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/barbie-blog-social.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1388\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"781\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Planet Word\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/barbie-blog-social.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@PlanetWordDC\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@PlanetWordDC\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Planet Word\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Planet Word\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/#\/schema\/person\/3255359721db3f02adbfaa758decac79\"},\"headline\":\"Barbiecore and the Language of Aesthetics\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-07-26T16:27:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-01T19:02:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/\"},\"wordCount\":756,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/barbie-blog-header.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"Fun with Words\",\"Lexicography\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Words & Language\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/\",\"name\":\"Barbiecore and the Language of Aesthetics — Planet Word Museum\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/barbie-blog-header.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-07-26T16:27:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-01T19:02:37+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/barbie-blog-header.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/barbie-blog-header.jpeg\",\"width\":1798,\"height\":781},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Barbiecore and the Language of Aesthetics\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/\",\"name\":\"Planet Word Museum\",\"description\":\"The museum where language comes to life\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Planet Word\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/cropped-PW_Logo_BLUE_circle-2-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/cropped-PW_Logo_BLUE_circle-2-1.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Planet Word\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PlanetWordDC\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/PlanetWordDC\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/planetworddc\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/planetworddc\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/PlanetWordDC\/\",\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Planet_Word\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/#\/schema\/person\/3255359721db3f02adbfaa758decac79\",\"name\":\"Planet Word\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dfdb27aeaa7da4e97a7ba163e849286e28479fbcadffe32af019a470073287e0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dfdb27aeaa7da4e97a7ba163e849286e28479fbcadffe32af019a470073287e0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Planet Word\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Barbiecore and the Language of Aesthetics — Planet Word Museum","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Barbiecore and the Language of Aesthetics — Planet Word Museum","og_description":"It\u2019s a Barbie world, and we\u2019re just living in it. With the release of Greta Gerwig\u2019s Barbie movie has come a resurgence in popularity for highly feminine aesthetics and all…","og_url":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/","og_site_name":"Planet Word Museum","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PlanetWordDC\/","article_published_time":"2023-07-26T16:27:33+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-11-01T19:02:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1388,"height":781,"url":"http:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/barbie-blog-social.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Planet Word","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/barbie-blog-social.jpg","twitter_creator":"@PlanetWordDC","twitter_site":"@PlanetWordDC","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Planet Word","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/"},"author":{"name":"Planet Word","@id":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/#\/schema\/person\/3255359721db3f02adbfaa758decac79"},"headline":"Barbiecore and the Language of Aesthetics","datePublished":"2023-07-26T16:27:33+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-01T19:02:37+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/"},"wordCount":756,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/barbie-blog-header.jpeg","keywords":["Fun with Words","Lexicography"],"articleSection":["Words & Language"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/","url":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/","name":"Barbiecore and the Language of Aesthetics — Planet Word Museum","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/barbie-blog-header.jpeg","datePublished":"2023-07-26T16:27:33+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-01T19:02:37+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/barbie-blog-header.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/barbie-blog-header.jpeg","width":1798,"height":781},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/barbiecore-and-the-language-of-aesthetics\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Barbiecore and the Language of Aesthetics"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/","name":"Planet Word Museum","description":"The museum where language comes to life","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/#organization","name":"Planet Word","url":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/cropped-PW_Logo_BLUE_circle-2-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/cropped-PW_Logo_BLUE_circle-2-1.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Planet Word"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PlanetWordDC\/","https:\/\/x.com\/PlanetWordDC","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/planetworddc\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/planetworddc\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/PlanetWordDC\/","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Planet_Word"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/#\/schema\/person\/3255359721db3f02adbfaa758decac79","name":"Planet Word","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dfdb27aeaa7da4e97a7ba163e849286e28479fbcadffe32af019a470073287e0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dfdb27aeaa7da4e97a7ba163e849286e28479fbcadffe32af019a470073287e0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Planet Word"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7337"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7337\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwordmuseum.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}