Beauty Sub-cultures with an expiry date

Sub-cultural beauty has always been about expressing an aesthetic adapted by the youth in order to define its identity. We all love the idea of showing beauty in unexpected ways. It is that expression which has seen a considerable shift wherein in the 20th century, the groupie would follow the icon until their driver’s license would highlight changes not only in their make-up but also the features identification like piercing, hair, eye color etc. But don’t fret. The logic of late capitalism holds that the late 20th century’s subculture from a beauty lens has been off the fashion radar for long enough to make a humble, postmodern comeback. GenZers today are eager to experiment and have entered into a temporary beauty phase with it which makes us question - Can a sub-culture come with an expiry date?

Youth identity, more satisfying to a teenager, is much more than a parent’s cry of you are not stepping out the door wearing this as they leave the house. Instead of being about teenage angst, lately, it permeates the feeling of being suspended in the ever changing and newly acclaimed hybrid environment. Beauty has molded itself to fit the improved mindset the consumers have with their way of life and it is accepted to get positively noticed for the hair-style, tattoos, bold lips, statement eyes or even nails irrespective of whether it ticks the micro trend bracket or not.

Micro trends are identified with cores these days. Confused? Allow me to take you through it. Over the years we have heard the terms - Normcore, Cowboycore, Gothcore, Bubblegumbitchcore (softly transitioned to Barbiecore now), Cottagecore, Regencycore, Cabincore which brings us to the year of 2023 which is celebrating Nothingcore (same way that fashion celebrated its post pandemic phase of being seasonless). When we break some of the beauty looks of the above-mentioned micro-trend led subcultures, we display Normcore as worn-down nail polish, everyday hairdos, bare skin, unkempt brows. This is why it was celebrated as an ordinary look back in 2014. However in 2023, we are experiencing tired consumers who have lived the 10 step skincare routine and are happy with any brand that is providing them with ingredient based oils or moisturizers which add to their hybrid living and reduces the frequency of application.

Does The Ordinary or Minimalist ring a bell? Bubblegumbitchcore or rather Barbiecore swears by sun kissed skin, platinum blonde or bubblegum pink hair and hot pink eyes and lips. No brainer but yet we have Plastik magazine that has celebrated this look with finesse giving hyper-realism a standing ovation for over a decade now. Cottagecore resides in a fantasy of escaping capitalism and living in a cottage far far away where the beauty aesthetic is nothing more than creating a sense girl appeal. It used to be a beauty fantasy that highlights cheekbones with homemade rouge and braided hair. Now it is walking hand in hand with home-proud everything but going a tad dramatic. Earthy floral nails, strawberry stamp cheekbones, floral printed eyes, well tinted lips with an addition of a checkered scarf and ringlets in the hair. KYDA launched a freckle pen which has become Cottagecore’s go-to to show rawness and Glossier skin tint and ultra lip being cruelty free is already a win win.

Until now we have spoken about ‘good’ beauty. In the world we are living in right now, calling something ‘Ugly’ is also beautiful because Vanity is about the level of awareness and acceptance. Bad beauty in a simple way highlights the un-flattery, unblended foundation treating the area beyond the jaw like a third cousin, eye with mascara goop but applied with untethered dedication. All in all, something that highlights tackiness but can be looked at from a naive lens. On the other hand, it can be authentic, an artistic choice or even a first attempt. Beauty that goes beyond skill and makeup brand awareness yet chooses self-expression. Can rules even apply here? I came across a text by Alex Peters which proves my ‘liberal’ thoughts on vanity. Bikini Kill debuted her first beauty video showing a mix of Clowncore, Barbie pink and drag make-up. Now now, if she were to go by the books, who would ‘allow’ her to mix it up. But that's the thing, beauty is freedom of thought and has the ability to create its own micro trend without caring about the rulebook of subcultures we used to tend to live by. She created a monochromatic look which shows no blending of shades of pink whatsoever, no pointed wing and even dragged the pink towards her lower lashline and left it abruptly and AGAIN without blending. What matters is that she exudes confidence.

This now brings us to a safe space. Beauty has taken upon itself to create a world where they are building communities (as we call subcultures) wherein brands are creating an environment of engaging with the consumers while taking care of them on a more personal level. Being cruelty-free or taking any kind of sustainable measure is the need of the hour so selling it as a luxury would be saying that the brand is living in the past. I recently came across INSBAHA who is selling products by talking in secret codes with its consumers. They are hoping to manage the wave-length of the consumer interested by using colour as their code.

The only thing beauty actually is looking for are the golden words - I THINK THAT IS BEAUTIFUL and that's free in their identity. So Nothingcore is out for a win…. or, we lift up that boundary even.

Akanksha Rohra

Creative director & Trend forecaster

Credits - Kristen McMenamy , Jovana Reisinger, Erwin Blumenfeld, Shaya, Rabanne Jamsandekar Victor, Puja, Palki Kanaya, Pretika Menon, Raj Dobriyal