The other day I decided to disconnect from social media because lately it seems like there is no escape colorful gems. They presented me with glasses, cream jars, legs and even covered food. And, even though I was about to kill myself as my millennial nostalgia drove me to order pebbles and cover my phone case, I resisted the temptation and started watching a series. The eyes that do not see…
Wrong. I started the new season of Ted Lasso and already in the first episode, the characters go to a store full of clothes personalized with colored stones. Even television did not help me survive this new trend. No matter where you look, any object can be susceptible to gloss coating; It’s true that not even your lipstick, not your coffee cup, not even your dog is safe.
Now even more
This rhetorical fever that drives us to cover any open surface and escape from the stillness has its own name: bedazzling. The term refers to nothing more than encrusting objects with rhinestones and gems. of bedazzled is nourished whimsymmaxxingWhich takes that playful aesthetic a step further, extra And that, consciously, escapes seriousness. he bedazzling It can be one of its manifestations, covering all kinds of objects with rhinestones; But photography is much broader: we want to fill the everyday with little glimpses of imagination.
What we aspire to with him whimsymmaxxing It is, in a way, to maximize the joy of everyday life and meet those girls who, like me, enjoy DIY, crafting and customizing everything they can get their hands on with glitter and pebbles. From phone cases to environmental knowledge notebook covers; Practicality doesn’t matter, what matters is that it burns as brightly as possible.
A turning point in this trend was Kylie Jenner and her Y2K party (2000’s inspiration) where her cake filled with glass created a buzz effect on social networks. This carousel of images can help achieve an aesthetic visibility and encourage users or brands to reproduce it. Of course, we cannot reduce whimsymmaxxing A mere viral picture.
That so many people have identified with this aesthetic, and decided to make it their own, is a symptom that its appeal is understood in a cultural context where we need to find a way to romanticize something of our own while also becoming a modicum of joy in the midst of economic uncertainty. This is a small proof of joy; one of a kind ars gratia artis (Art for Art) from Aliexpress.
For years the prevailing message was synonymous with prosperity: get up at five, train, work, be as productive as possible and, of course, take care of our image down to the smallest detail according to the canon of the moment. Contrasted with this idea of permanent efficiency is this extravagant, fun, colorful and apparently useless trend that offers an escapist and naïve fantasy in the face of a culture of optimization.
When moving was ideal
To understand this new need to decorate even our water glasses when simplicity reigned before, perhaps we need to go back to a time when, precisely, that aesthetic pleasure was based: on the removal and subtraction of all things. The famous “less is more”.
If we think about a good part of 2010, the most in It was minimalism: neutral colors, capsule wardrobes, natural makeup, beige spaces and the idea of sophistication closely linked to control. And no, it wasn’t that everyone loved the ocher tones or the beige environment, that was it The epitome of elegance and good taste. Social networks have helped consolidate this concept, favoring those monochromatic feeds and perfectly composed spaces. The curious thing is that when an aesthetic becomes integrated in this way and becomes, above all, a lifestyle or aesthetic to follow, everything that leaves those fringes starts to become interesting.
This controversial note was not born out of the recent resurgence of TikTok and sticky crystals. he kitsch For years he has been in that murky terrain where the ornamental, ornate or even grotesque can be both in bad taste and a source of aesthetic pleasure. Glamour, austerity, decor without practicality resonates with the idea that elegance requires restraint. Tackyness can be your personal brand.
Something similar happens with the campWhich carries as its flag the joy of artifice, theatricality and exaggeration. Many may remember its new look for the famous 2019 Met Gala, with a theme inspired by cultural critic Susan Sontag’s 1964 essay “Notes on Camp.” The uproar caused by the appearance of Jared Leto wearing a replica of his own head or Katy Perry in a chandelier dress proves how absurd an individual can occupy a place within a traditional institution and one of fashion’s most important events. Also aesthetics garbage Always played with the boundaries of good taste, claiming to be glamorous, vulgar or disgusting.
The resurgence of codes since the 2000s connects this questioning of authenticity and aesthetic conventions. The loss of this apparent return to maximalism the minimumWhere mixing, accumulation and superposition are the starting points to win whimsymmaxxing On a much more everyday scale. Because as much as we like cottagecore and romanticizing domestic life, or maximalism with an ornate dressing room and visual abundance, which requires specific spaces that most of the population today do not have; So whimsymaxxing is our grounding cable and to challenge restraint we settle for our hyaluronic acid facial mask filled with beads.
Gluing beads is also a business
Social networks and brands have once again found a market niche and a perfect marketing strategy. aesthetics old money the wave clean girl They’ve inspired a large portion of marketing campaigns in recent years, but it seems searches are now going in a different direction
On Google, the search term “whissy” has risen steadily since January, reaching an all-time high and achieving a top score of 100 in early July, while the keyword “bedazzling» Shows steady growth throughout the year. All of this suggests a growing curiosity surrounding one of the most visible behaviors associated with the trend.
The brand’s possibilities are endless, as the heart of whimsymaxing is not to limit itself to clothing or accessories, but to extend to any type of accessory. It allows you to transform bland into something interesting, colorful or personal in an unprecedented way. And social networks are the perfect showcase. We have a process that is very easily replicated and adapted, it goes beyond mindfulness, engages the consumer and invites them to try it at home and share their own version.
So this 2000s aesthetic nostalgia full of rhinestones and colorful glitter has been the field of work for many brands who didn’t miss the opportunity. Companies such as Laneige, Rhode, Sol de Janeiro or Clinique have released images or reels of cream bottles, face masks or lip balms with colored gems. The catwalks were also not excluded, such as Robert Un’s ode to rhinestones or, if we go to men’s fashion, clothes covered with crystals or with glitter in the collections of brands such as Dior or Louis Vuitton.
It’s clear that, like almost all trends, spontaneity can become commercialized and dilute the purpose of something as seemingly innocuous as sticky colored crystals. Once again, we must learn to live with conflict and find that haven of peace by turning off social media or the television and putting pebbles in our jam jars.
Picture | Ola Szkolda, Elena Mozhvilo
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