In our complicated modern world, we see bursts of expressions in people which reflect what can be understood as the “divine feminine.” According to The Good Trade, “the divine feminine is the spiritual concept that there exists a feminine counterpart to the patriarchal and masculine worship structures that have long dominated organized religions.” For example, the most well known being the Virgin Mary in Roman Catholicism. However, the idea goes beyond religious iconography.

This concept of the divine feminine also inhabits a space outside of religion and explores the idea of how feminine representations show up throughout cultural discourse. The term “divine feminine” is not a mainstream term quite yet, but I think it is approaching mainstream now. The idea of the divine feminine is not necessarily holding a religious connotation, but it holds the ideas around how femininity appears in its many forms, and not solely represented in the female sex. The ideas surrounding femininity and spirituality have a multi-faceted way of being understood and are subject to opinion and transcend any boundaries of gender norms or heteronormativity.

Divine femininity is a good thing for civil society as it enables people to achieve a full expression of their sense of self. As such, the ideas which underpin divine femininity is an inherently inclusive structure that enables the embracement of feminine concepts in fashion and beauty as a way of expressing oneself in any context. This has widespread implications for our idea of how we “show up,” in society – for example, how dress codes are perceived as appropriate in certain work environments as one example. This also extends to how comfortable women feel in their own bodies as well. According to Women.com, the idea of coquette style is being “unapologetically feminine.” This is a great description around embracing femininity without qualms. Byrdie.com described the style as “reclaiming hyper-femininity.” Across the range of ways that one can express their own style, the coquette aesthetic is one which gives ample freedom to embrace womanhood.

To clarify the expression of the divine feminine and its appearance in popular culture, it is important to note the intersection of social media and fast fashion due to the popularity that hashtags signify for the fashion industry. Within that space, there is an opportunity to identify particular styles which then take on trend based representations of what might be a response to popular culture events happening at that time. For example, most recently “Barbiecore” for the release of last year’s hit movie, Barbie, or “Mermaidcore,” for the Disney The Little Mermaid‘s release last year as well. For the divine feminine, all of these trends can be understood within the broader umbrella of femininity. However, I think the emergence of the style “Coquette Core,” is likely the most clear embodiment of the divine feminine as an aesthetic sensibility.

In summary, embrace your rosy style. Embrace it.

For example, Coquette Style can be described as including such through fashion:

• Pastel colors (especially light pink)
• Lace
• Bows
• Victorian Era style
• 1950s style
• Balletcore aesthetic
• Cottagecore aesthetic
• Princesscore aesthetic

As described on Wikipedia, “This aesthetic has been characterized as both a way to relive and express creativity… and a way to fully escape into femininity without feeling guilty about it.” This is a particularly fascinating description, because so much about contemporary fashion and style elevates the idea that successful women can look more “manly” and therefore be equated with being more “respectable.” This is deeply untrue. I strongly believe that self expression takes on many forms, but I also believe that trends do impact us more than we may admit, so the reality that women may shy away from their feminine style is something not to be ignored. I fully embrace the idea that women can be both very feminine, successful, intellectual, and career driven without compromising the integrity of the other.

Stay rosy.

xoxo

Bianca