Turning Ballet into a Micro-Trend: Ballet-core as an Aesthetic By Trinity Oros

Turning Ballet into a Micro-Trend: Ballet-core as an Aesthetic

By Trinity Oros

There are currently a lot of buzzwords for different aesthetics that go through constant trend cycles. Aesthetics and trends are nothing new, fashion trends have been followed from medieval society, it is how fashion evolves. But in modern social media, they are often called “micro-trends”. 

I am hardly exempt from this. From cottagecore, coquette, Sanrio, and to hyper-fem. These are all parts of girly, feminine aesthetics. And ballet-core was one of these microtrends. However, currently there are more and more celebrities popping up with big bows, little dresses, doll-like makeup and of course, models doing ballet for large fashion houses. 

But how did ballet get involved in this? Well, the Ballet-core aesthetic is a romanticization and glorification of ballet from the outsider’s perspective. And it is far from the reality of what a ballet dancer actually does, but it is not entirely wrong if you are only taking in the knowledge that is publicly shown. With adult ballet, ballet barre classes and Pilates, ballet has become more accessible as an exercise routine from its exclusive nature.

The “Hyper-feminine” aesthetic is best described to look young, and innocent, with a lot of adolescent charm. And considering ballet is something that starts in a girl’s life at a young age, it makes sense that the ideas are retained even as they grow into adults. 

Ballet Core:

Ballet core is a micro-trend that takes the elements of ballet and turns it into something that anyone can achieve the ‘look’ with just a few fashion items. Most of them involve pastel colors -mainly pink- using soft fabrics and aspects that are highly decorative rather than functional. Ribbons, wrap skirts, tights, and leotards. Some of them are in ballet yes, but the excessive use would get in the way for dancers if they used them in rehearsal. 

The reality is that yes, ballet dancers wear some of these things, but there are functions behind it. Tutus are part of costumes, to show the legs better for different performances. Tights and leotards are so tight because dancers need to wear something that moves with them and shows the alignment of their hips, knees, waist and shoulders. The shoes? The shoes. Pointe shoes are not laced up the leg, and any dancer that has the ties of the ribbons would not only get a lecture from their teacher but also would be very annoyed with having to work around the end of a ribbon when dancing. Also pointe shoes are meant to mold to the shape of a dancer’s foot. There are not wooden, they are more like a paper-mache material that soften over time. Which is why you hear about “dead shoes”. 

Ballet-core is just another word decorative exercise gear that is cute and feminine, since exercise is seen as male-dominated. Why workout in all black when you can wear an all-pink Pilates outfit that costs $80? It is marketing. It is not to say that no one should be wearing these things, many ballet dancers are happy to have the shoulder shrugs on sale, but it is mainly to meet an aesthetic that is trending now, while ballet dancers have been doing it for decades and are more annoyed that untrained models are put into dangerous photo shoots when dancers are trained to do what is in the vision for a photographer or a brand. 

Is Ballet-Core Bad?

Short answer: No. It is innocent. Someone who likes the appeal of ballet but is unable to take classes or is in beginner classes as adults can absolutely enjoy these things. The main problem is the promotion of these brands participating in these trends. Models will be expected to mimic ballet without the literal decades of training that dancers will do in order to execute the same things in a safe, technical way. 

The ultimate take is that ballet-core is another niche of hyperfeminine fashion that has the child-like and doll-like fashion choices that are performative and again, decorative. People have a lot to say about micro-trends. But ultimately, it is about choosing what designs and silhouettes that make you feel confident.