The marketing aesthetic of the Cowgirl Valentine this year is one that embodies both feminine style, and a new, future forward idea around cowgirl style. As people tap into what their connection to “country” might be in this current historical moment (and in a much larger schematic now – whether that be from a Grammy award to a way of life), there is definitely room for the style to embolden girls and young women to be their own cowgirl valentine. The costume of the “Space Cowgirl” has long been one that is fascinating to me. It is the idea that girls can bring forth retro style with a futuristic idea of femininity where the past meets the future. It likely originated from the Sci-Fi film genre of the Space Western.
The Space Western film genre touches on tropes of how women are “out of this world” – which can be perceived in empowering ways – and there are elements throughout the Space Western that incorporates how women are perceived, unfortunately, in classically misogynist ways at times, and other times in forward-focused inclusionary ways. I think merging together the tropes of the Sci-Fi Space Western films, obvious examples such as Star Wars to more niche ones like the 1956 film Forbidden Planet, to include these feminist elements with the main characters is especially fascinating. I remember fondly watching the movie Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century in 1999. I know that film was an instant Disney Channel classic, yet it’s rarely mentioned in popular culture now. I hope the messaging of belonging and kindness as a global attitude for the 21st century is one that continues to be elevated. Ideally, in ways that are truly focused on embracing themes of women supporting women, and men being allies in supporting women and ensuring the holistic nature of this occurring.
While we know Valentine’s Day is a holiday geared specifically towards embracing our loved ones and appreciating them in individual ways, there is a broader marketing opportunity for positive and inspiring messaging in merchandise and marketing that will occur, which is undoubtedly a huge component of how we perceive what is “trending” during a particular year. This year, I hope the Cowgirl Valentine is one that makes us continue moving forward with values of women embracing their feminine style, whilst being mindful of a broader messaging that ties together themes with identifiers of country, past and present.
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