The rise of the internet and social media has significantly altered the landscape of fashion and personal identity. In recent years, there has been an explosion of micro-trends, each seemingly more fleeting than the last. Among these are the Coquette Girl, Dior Girl, Girlhood, and Soft Girl —labels that transform the concept of “girlhood” into commodifiable styles.
But beneath these trends lies a troubling pattern: the commercialization and exploitation of girlhood, driving overconsumption and shaping identities around ephemeral aesthetics. Historically, fashion trends would take years to evolve, influenced by cultural shifts, historical events, and technological advancements. Today, the trend cycle emerges and fades within weeks or months.
This rapid turnover is largely fuelled by the Internet, where platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest serve as breeding grounds for new aesthetics. The Coquette Girl, with her delicate, frilly dresses and vintage-inspired looks, draws heavily from the aestheticization of femininity and youth. This trend’s problematic origins lie in its ties to the infantilization of women and the romanticization of the “Lolita” archetype, a controversial symbol due to its association with the sexualization of young girls.
Similarly, the Heroine Chic trend from the 1990s glorified extreme thinness, perpetuating harmful beauty standards that pressured women to starve themselves to achieve a gaunt, ‘heroin chic’ appearance. Lily Watkin.