In recent years, there has been a surprising resurgence of hyper-feminine aesthetics in the media. This represents a break with a previous era, which emphasised that good women, feminists, don’t wear pink. It celebrated the androgyny of pantsuits, baggy clothing and short hair, popularised by celebrities such as Billie Eilish, Willow Smith and Demi Lovato. Now, it’s out with the power suits and in with corsets, frilly dresses, and vibrant pink ensembles.
From the Y2K aesthetic, hyper-feminine TikTok beauty trends, and the resurgence of unapologetically girly pop music from Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo, could this be a return to more traditional gender roles, with women finally turning on the sexual revolution? Hardly.
Although both hit movies in recent years, Barbie and Wicked, emphasise hyper-femininity, they ultimately present a surface-level portrayal of femininity, with underlying messages rooted in the liberal feminism that ultimately undermines these ideals. In the former, Barbie recognises her individuality and breaks up with Ken, and the final scene cuts to her visiting the gynaecologist. Similarly, the movie adaptation of Wicked shifts focus away from the love triangle between the three main characters, placing greater emphasis on female friendship and empowerment — so much so that the male lead, Fiyero, could be removed entirely without significantly affecting the story. While playing into more stereotypically gendered roles, the films still patronise and degrade the male leads.
The recent wave of femininity is at best wallowing in the phase of teenage girlhood and at worst subverting the values behind what it means to be feminine. It idolises the feminine aesthetic, not for the sake of idolising beauty as a symbol of the divine or the values of purity and grace, but as a way to express female narcissism.
This can be seen by the behaviour and lyrics of the biggest female celebrities who have embraced femininity. Last year, Ariana Grande, Disney child turned pop star, was slammed as a “homewrecker” after her relationship with her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater was made public. It was reported that Slater was dating Grande while he was still married, with a one-year-old child, and with his wife. Slater’s now ex-wife, Lilly Jay, commented that Grande was “Not a girl’s girl. My family is just collateral damage.”
The media and fans were outraged over the new relationship. Though the responsibility chiefly lies on Slater for breaking up his marriage, it was still wrong of Grande to date a man with a child and wife. In response to the backlash, Grande released the song yes, and?, featuring the lyrics: “Your business is yours, and mine is mine … Why do you care so much whose d–k I ride?” Critics have noticed a pattern in Grande romanticising unethical relationships. Even back in 2019, before she started dating Slater, Grande also released the song Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored. However, the controversy around Grande has lessened since Wicked was released and received praise from fans, causing much of the previous criticism to be overlooked.
Another Disney Channel alumni, Sabrina Carpenter, who came to fame from the TV show Girl Meets World, popped off last year with her hot summer single Espresso. The song features the profound lyrics: “Now he’s thinkin’ ‘bout me every night, oh. Is it that sweet? I guess so. Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know. That’s that me espresso.” Carpenter completely distorts and redefines the classic definition of love song to solely mean self love. It’s the equivalent of telling your partner that you love them and in return, they reply, “I love the way you love me.”
Like Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter has also had a messy relationship. Only months after the actor Barry Keoghan broke up with the mother of his infant child, he started dating Carpenter. The couple soon became the topic of celebrity drama, from their appearance at the Met Gala together to Keoghan appearing in Carpenter’s videos. Like Grande, of course Carpenter can’t be held responsible for her partner’s actions. But it’s interesting how recent “it couples” have been based on a man leaving his normal wife and child and finding an A-List celebrity once they get a hit of fame. (Keoghan and Carpenter soon broke up.)
One music video features a montage of Carpenter murdering men who objectify her, from catcalling her on the street to mansplaining in the gym. In another video, Carpenter and Barry Keoghan, act as criminals. In the video, she appears disappointed with his mistakes during the crimes. It ends with her taping his mouth, handcuffing him, and then leaving. One of the few times Sabrina Carpenter depicts men in a positive light is when she dresses up as one in her music video and flirts with herself.
A bad idea sprayed pink is still a bad idea
While Carpenter’s songs are often explicitly sexual and crude, they are crafted to appeal to the female gaze, as seen by her aesthetic of vintage hyper-femininity with corsets, garter belts and fuzzy robes. It’s cute and fun. A central feature on her Short n Sweet Tour that has caused outrage is that during her song “Juno”, she would perform a different sex act on stage each performance. Her use of camp, a blend of humour, exaggeration, and dramatic flair, provides a vibe that makes it less like a raunchy strip club and more like a girls’ slumber party.
Women idolise female celebrities like Ariana Grande or Sabrina Carpenter. Yet while they uphold conventional standards of beauty and femininity, the messaging is subversive. Their songs and actions wrap solipsism and narcissism in a big pink bow.
Modern women clearly have an appetite for femininity. Still, what they’re getting is as artificial and plastic as the packaging it comes in — shiny on the surface, but superficial. A bad idea sprayed pink is still a bad idea.
