Aesthetics & -cores
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π· Topic challenge Β· Aesthetics & -cores edition
Have you seen it? Aesthetics & -cores only.
This is not the main game. Only Aesthetics & -cores records come up, and the desk hands out its own titles and badges, from No -Core Detected to The Vibe Itself. Your main-game file is left alone.
Start the Aesthetics & -cores challenge βΆRecords open on their real pages. Answer on each one.
Badges on offer5Five Β· very demure10Ten Β· cottagecore adjacent25Twenty-five Β· you are the aesthetic
From the blog Aesthetics & -cores
All posts β
From the dictionary Aesthetics & -cores
β Dyingn.β 3
Boom Boom Aesthetic
Pinstripes, power shoulders, cigars, gold, 'American Psycho' and a swaggering return of 1980s excess β the boom boom aesthetic β as trend forecaster Sean Monahan's January 2025 name for the mood after quiet luxury, coined in the same newsletter that had earlier called the vibe shift. The record's entry for the trend that was announced before it was worn.
βΈ 2025peak 2025still up
β Aliven.β 3
Boxers as Shorts
Boxer shorts worn as shorts, or peeking above the waistband on purpose β summer 2025's most-argued-about trend, in which underwear became outerwear and everyone's father had an opinion. The record's entry for the year the waistband moved.
βΈ 2025peak 2025still up
β Dyingn.β 3
Butter Yellow
A pale, soft yellow that was spring 2025's colour on every fashion account, in every shop window, and on a lot of people who did not suit it. Brat green's gentle successor, and the record's entry for a colour trend with a dairy name.
βΈ 2025peak 2025still up
β Dyingn.β 3
Castlecore
Tapestries, wrought iron, velvet, gothic arches, candlelight and a stone-floored bedroom in a rented flat β castlecore β as the 2025 interiors and fashion aesthetic that treated the medieval fortress as a mood, arriving in Pinterest's spring trend reports with a dagger-shaped hairpin. The record's entry for the drawbridge as dΓ©cor.
βΈ 2025peak 2025still up
β Aliven.β 2
Cloud Dancer
Pantone's colour of 2026 β an off-white β announced in December 2025 and received by the internet as 'white' with the fury of people who had wanted a colour. The record's entry for the year the colour of the year was, functionally, a wall.
βΈ 2025peak 2026still up
β Aliven.β 3
Don't Die
The slogan of a tech millionaire spending millions a year to age backwards, and the Netflix documentary in January 2025 that made him the internet's example of longevity as a religion. The record's entry for a man who eats dinner at 11 a.m.
βΈ 2025peak 2025still up
β Aliven.β 3
Fibermaxxing
Eating as much fibre as possible, on purpose, with a tracker β chia, beans, a specific bread β as 2025's answer to protein-maxxing. The record's entry for the year the -maxxing suffix reached the digestive system.
βΈ 2025peak 2025still up
β Dyingn.β 2
Fisherman Aesthetic
Cable knits, waxed jackets, beanies, oilskin, chunky sandals and a general suggestion that one has been near a boat β the fisherman aesthetic β as the early-2025 trend that Pinterest forecast, TikTok fulfilled and no fisherman was consulted on. The record's entry for the catch of the day, at a mid-range retailer.
βΈ 2025peak 2025still up
β Aliven.β 2
Fisherman Sandals
The closed-toe leather sandal with straps across the top β grandfather's holiday shoe β declared the shoe of summer 2025 and worn with socks, by choice. The record's entry for the year the ugly sandal won.
βΈ 2025peak 2025still up
β Aliven.β 3
Owala
The water bottle that replaced the Stanley cup as the one to have in 2025 β a flip lid, a straw, a colour with a name β and the record's entry for the fact that water bottles now have seasons like handbags.
βΈ 2025peak 2025still up
β Dyingn.β 3
2014 Tumblr Revival
American Apparel skirts, Arctic Monkeys, a flower crown, a grainy filter and the specific sadness of a teenager in 2014, revived in 2024 by people who were nine at the time. The record's entry for a decade-later nostalgia cycle arriving on schedule.
βΈ 2024peak 2024still up
β Aliven.β 3
Barrel Jeans
Jeans that curve out at the thigh and back in at the ankle, like a barrel or a horseshoe, which became the denim silhouette of 2024β25 and the subject of a thousand 'do these look stupid' videos. The record's entry for a jean shape as a debate.
βΈ 2024peak 2025still up
β Aliven.β 3
Blind Box
A sealed box with an unknown figure inside β a gacha for toys β which became the retail format of 2024β25 through Labubu, Sonny Angel and Smiski, and the reason unboxing videos returned. The record's entry for gambling with a bag charm.
βΈ 2024peak 2025still up
β Deadn.β 3
Bookshelf Wealth
A lived-in room full of well-read books, art leaning on the shelves and a general sense of having inherited a library β bookshelf wealth β as an interior designer's January 2024 TikTok coinage that was named, explained, mocked, sold by the yard and declared over within the same winter. The record's entry for the fastest trend cycle in the shelving category.
βΈ 2024peak 2024β 2024
β Deadn.β 2
Brat Green
A specific acid green β Pantone 3570 C, roughly β from an album cover, which became the colour of summer 2024 on nails, walls, a presidential campaign's socials, and everything that wanted to be brat. Dead by November, when the green was retired with the season.
βΈ 2024peak 2024β 2024
β Dyingn.β 3
Bubble Skirt
A skirt gathered at the hem into a puff β the 1980s bubble, returned in 2024 to a generation who had never seen it and did not know to be afraid. The record's entry for the annual return of a silhouette that has never once been forgiven.
βΈ 2024peak 2024still up
β Dyingn.β 3
Cherry Red
A dark, glossy red β cherry, not tomato β that autumn 2024 declared the colour of the season on bags, boots and lips. The record's entry for the annual autumn red, which is always a different fruit.
βΈ 2024peak 2024still up
β Dyingn.β 3
Corpcore
Pinstripes, a tie, loafers, a pencil skirt and a laptop bag, worn by people who work from home β corpcore β as the 2024 fashion label for office dress as a costume, the return-to-office wardrobe of a generation who had never been to one, and the cousin of the office siren without the siren. The record's entry for the suit as cosplay.
βΈ 2024peak 2024still up
β Dyingn.β 3
Cucumber Guy
'Sometimes you need to eat an entire cucumber' β a man slicing a whole cucumber into a deli container with a mandoline, adding a dressing, and shaking it, daily, all summer 2024. Cucumbers sold out in Iceland. The record's entry for a vegetable as a personality.
βΈ 2024peak 2024still up
β Aliven.β 3
Dirty Soda
A fizzy drink with syrup, cream and lime added β a Utah tradition β which went national in January 2024 through a pop star's order and a lot of TikToks about Diet Coke with coconut. The record's entry for a regional habit that became a menu.
βΈ 2024peak 2024still up
β Dyingn.β 2
Grounding
Standing barefoot on grass to absorb the earth's electrons, sold with a mat for indoors and a lot of certainty. The record's entry for going outside with a theory attached, and for the mat, which is the tell.
βΈ 2024peak 2024still up
β Dyingn.β 3
Jelly Sandals
Translucent plastic sandals from the 1990s, returned in 2024 to a lot of adults who remembered the blisters and bought them anyway. The record's entry for nostalgia that hurts.
βΈ 2024peak 2024still up
β Dyingn.β 2
Loud Budgeting
Saying no to plans because of money, out loud, as a principle β 'I can't come, I'm loud budgeting' β coined by a comedian in late 2023 and adopted as 2024's financial resolution by people who had been quiet about it. The record's entry for the joke that became advice.
βΈ 2024peak 2024still up
β Dyingn.β 3
Miu Miu Ballet Flats
A satin ballet flat with a bow, from an Italian house, that became the specific shoe every fashion account owned in 2024 and every dupe account copied. The record's entry for a single shoe as a trend, and the reason balletcore had a face.
βΈ 2024peak 2024still up
β Deadn.β 2
Mocha Mousse
Pantone's colour of 2025 β a warm brown β announced in December 2024 and immediately memed as 'beige with a marketing budget', the colour of a nice sofa, and a sign of the times. The record's entry for the annual colour as a punchline.
βΈ 2024peak 2025β 2025
β Aliven.β 3
Mouth Taping
Taping your mouth shut at night to force nose breathing, sold as a sleep hack and a jawline hack, and posted by people with a strip of tape and a lot of confidence in 2024. The record's entry for the wellness trend that looks most like a kidnapping.
βΈ 2024peak 2024still up
β Aliven.β 3
Onitsuka Tiger
A Japanese trainer with a thin sole and stripes, from the 1960s and Kill Bill, which took the Samba's place in 2024β25 as the shoe everyone suddenly had. The record's entry for the annual heritage-trainer rotation.
βΈ 2024peak 2025still up
β Aliven.β 3
Oura Ring
A ring that scores your sleep out of a hundred and tells you in the morning how you feel, which people then feel. The wearable of 2024β25, and the record's entry for the number that replaced the question 'did you sleep well'.
βΈ 2024peak 2025still up
β Aliven.β 2
Padel
Tennis in a glass box, with a smaller court and a bigger social life, which became the sport of 2024β25 across Europe and the thing every man in finance played on a Thursday. The record's entry for pickleball's European cousin.
βΈ 2024peak 2025still up
β Aliven.β 2
Red Light Mask
A hard plastic mask glowing red, worn for ten minutes a day for collagen and content, which became the skincare gadget of 2024β25 and the reason a lot of people looked like a horror film on FaceTime. The record's entry for the mask as a selfie.
βΈ 2024peak 2025still up
β Aliven.β 2
Run Club
A weekly group run that is also, by 2024, a social scene, a dating pool and a brand partnership. 'Run clubs are the new dating apps' was the headline; the record's entry is for the 5k as a singles night.
βΈ 2024peak 2025still up
β Aliven.β 3
Smiski
Small green glow-in-the-dark figures caught in mundane poses β hiding, sitting, peering β from the Sonny Angel company, which became the desk-toy of 2024β25 and the record's example of a collectable with a personality problem.
βΈ 2024peak 2025still up
β Aliven.β 2
Underconsumption Core
Posting the things you already own β the old phone, the one pair of trainers, the half-used lipstick β as an aesthetic, in the summer of 2024. Frugality with a filter, and the record's entry for not buying things as content.
βΈ 2024peak 2024still up
β Dyingn.β 3
Whimsigoth
Celestial prints, velvet, a dark red lip, and the interior design of a 1990s witch β the goth who is also whimsical, revived in 2024 from Practical Magic and a decade of Stevie Nicks. The record's entry for an aesthetic with a spelling problem.
βΈ 2024peak 2024still up
β Dyingn.β 2
Adidas Samba
A 1950s football trainer that became the shoe of 2023β24 β on every street, every influencer and, in April 2024, on a British prime minister, which many declared the end. The record's entry for a shoe killed by a politician.
βΈ 2023peak 2024still up
β Aliven.β 3
Arc'teryx
A Canadian technical-jacket brand with a bird logo, which became a status symbol in 2023 β first in China, then everywhere β worn in cities by people whose most technical activity was the coffee queue. The record's entry for the shell as a suit.
βΈ 2023peak 2024still up
β Dyingn.β 2
Balletcore
Wrap cardigans, leg warmers, ribbons, and a ballet flat with a satin bow, worn by people who had not danced since they were six. The 2023β24 aesthetic that made the ballet flat the shoe of the decade, briefly.
βΈ 2023peak 2024still up
β Deadn.β 2
Blokette
Blokecore with a ribbon: a football shirt, a pleated skirt, a bow in the hair. The 2023 fusion of two aesthetics that had no business together, and the record's example of a portmanteau doing the work of a trend.
βΈ 2023peak 2023β 2024
β Deadn.β 3
Blueberry Milk Nails
A pale, milky blue nail colour, named like a dessert, that was the manicure of summer 2023 for exactly one summer. The record's entry for the year nail colours got names like drinks and the internet followed each one for six weeks.
βΈ 2023peak 2023β 2023
β Aliven.β 3
Carnivore Diet
Eating only meat β steak, eggs, butter, nothing green β as a diet and a personality, popular in 2023β24 with men who posted their breakfasts and their bloodwork. The record's entry for the diet as a masculinity.
βΈ 2023peak 2024still up
β Deadn.β 2
Chamoy Pickle
A large pickle coated in chamoy, wrapped in a fruit roll, with a lollipop inside β a Texan and Mexican snack tradition that TikTok turned into a kit and a dare in 2023. The record's entry for a food that was a video first.
βΈ 2023peak 2023β 2024
β Deadn.β 3
Coastal Cowgirl
Cowboy boots on a beach, a straw hat, a bandana, denim shorts β the coastal grandmother's granddaughter, and 2023's summer aesthetic before the tomato girl arrived. The record's entry for the year the cowgirl went to the seaside.
βΈ 2023peak 2023β 2023
β Aliven.β 3
Cold Plunge
Getting into very cold water on purpose, filming your face, and describing the benefits afterwards β the wellness ritual of 2023β24, with a tub in every influencer's garden and a podcast about dopamine behind it. The record's entry for the bath as a discipline.
βΈ 2023peak 2024still up
β Dyingn.β 3
Cottage Cheese
The 2023 rehabilitation of cottage cheese from a diet-food punchline to a protein-rich ingredient blended into everything: ice cream, flatbread, a cookie dough that should not exist. The record's entry for a dairy product's second chance.
βΈ 2023peak 2023still up
β Dyingn.β 3
Crumbl Review
Weekly videos reviewing a cookie chain's rotating menu, with a scoring system and a specific facial expression, which became a genre in 2023 and the reason a lot of people knew the flavour rotation of a shop they had never visited. The record's entry for a bakery as a serial.
βΈ 2023peak 2023still up
β Dyingn.β 3
De-influencing
Influencers telling you what not to buy β the Stanley, the Dyson, the blush β which was, for a month in early 2023, the most-watched genre of shopping content and then, inevitably, a way of selling the alternative. The record's entry for anti-marketing as marketing.
βΈ 2023peak 2023still up
β Dyingn.β 2
Doom Spending
Buying things to feel better about the news β the retail form of doomscrolling β named in late 2023 and adopted immediately by everyone who had bought a candle after reading a headline. The record's entry for the economy as a coping mechanism.
βΈ 2023peak 2024still up
β Aliven.β 3
Dupe
A cheaper copy of an expensive thing, bought proudly β the dupe β which went from a secret to a genre of content in 2023, when 'dupe' stopped being a warning and became a search term. The record's entry for the knockoff's rebrand.
βΈ 2023peak 2024still up