03 January 2022

Word for the day: normcore


Not a new word; I first mentioned it in a linkfest in 2014 when I saw the word in The New York Times.
1. A fashion movement, c. 2014, in which scruffy young urbanites swear off the tired street-style clichés of the last decade — skinny jeans, wallet chains, flannel shirts — in favor of a less-ironic (but still pretty ironic) embrace of bland, suburban anti-fashion attire. (See Jeans, mom. Sneakers, white.)

2. A sociocultural concept, c. 2013, having nothing to do with fashion, that concerns hipster types learning to get over themselves, sometimes even enough to enjoy mainstream pleasures like football along with the rest of the crowd.
That article is a longread, with conclusions that may or may not be relevant to a world 8 years later.  I mention the word today because it appeared in a Dec 30 Atlantic crossword puzzle clued as “Style characterized by extreme blandness.”  Seems to characterize my wardrobe, if not my life.

1 comment:

  1. How can your life be described as bland, when you have people like me reading your words ?

    ReplyDelete