When you amalgamate ‘core’ with any vague aesthetic-driven word that’s been plucked out of thin air (or as per the OG core “normcore”, entirely invented by a trend-forecast agency), at any given time there will be a something-core that is supposedly trending.
That’s because we the people are eagerly trying to partake in our frantic core-led keyword searches — something my profession insists upon alas. On a weekly basis I get sent lively email updates on the movements of these ‘-core’ words. ‘Cottage-core’, the pandemic-fuelled romanticisation of bucolic The Good Life lifestyle is OUT. Too curated and dependent on suspiciously clean-looking cheesecloth blouses. ‘Regencycore’ is IN for obvious reasons, despite the second season of Bridgerton losing a bit of its sezzy sizzle. ‘Goblincore’ is the grittier, earthier evolution of cottagecore, where instead of pristine cheesecloth one might wear funghi-dyed cotton smeared with mud, snail slime and chaos.
