There are two things the public cannot escape on TikTok right now, edits of Jacob Elordi and the coquette style. Coquette fashion has dominated the internet in the past couple of months, and as of right now, it looks like it’s not going anywhere.
Lengthy bows to tie back hair, pink and white lace clothing, and having a Lana Del Rey song on hand are key assets to becoming “modern-day coquette,” but what many coquette enthusiasts may not know is that the style has a long historical context to it.
Coquette fashion initially dates back to the 1500s by the frilliness and hyper-feminization finding its way into Elizabethan and Spanish clothing items.
A coquette is defined by Merriam-Webster as, “A woman who endeavors without sincere affection to gain the attention and admiration of men.” There is a small percentage of people on social media who take this to the extreme and promote a toxic lifestyle by encouraging eating disorders and exclusion to fit into a Lolita-esuqe, cookie-cutter look.
“It’s something that’s both feminine and a part of display of honorariums like badges of honor or coats of honor with the bow, with the pearls, with gems,” said Leticia Delgado, Head of Costume Design. “And then it kind of evolves, and in every century, you see it kind of come up again.”
The style continued to evolve and reappear in a different way each century with a twist.
As always, fashion trends come and go with Gen Z, and that is no exception for coquette.
Following the release of Lana Del Rey’s ninth studio album “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd” in March 2023, the trend was elevated to a different level with viral coquette themed TikTok’s being made based off a song on the album called “Let The Light In.”
“Lana overall is very ‘coquette’ if you want to put it in those words,” said UTEP junior Frida Acuna. “I feel like it does have an influence with Lana being really big on TikTok now.”
For Acuna, she sees a sense of nostalgia with dressing up in coquette.
“It reminds me of growing up and dressing with bows and pink,” Acuna said. “It just makes you feel very in touch with your feminine side and that’s what I like about it. I say it’s pretty cool that everybody’s trying it out now.”
People may see bows, lace fabrics and a vision of femininity and youth, but there is also the side of the lighthearted appearance that people do not see.
“When we start looking at some of those TikTokers who promote the pale, frail, thin look, that’s where it starts getting problematic,” Delgado said. “So many young girls are looking at those and think ‘that is the look I need to have,’ and that’s not healthy.”
While the encouragement of this toxic behavior is unfortunate, it has not stopped the obsession Gen Z has had with being able to express themselves and put their personal spins on this refreshing and exciting fashion trend.
“Wear whatever you want, whatever makes you feel comfortable, whatever makes you feel pretty,” Acuna said. “Those comments shouldn’t be relevant in (anybody’s) lives. As long as you’re happy with yourselves and love yourselves, I don’t see why not you wouldn’t be able to try those trends.”
Iziah Moreno is a contributor/photographer and may be reached at [email protected]
