An Analysis of Ballet-Core on Pinterest

Enjoy this photo from 2015 where I thought I was so edgy for wearing combat boots with my pointe shoes, haha.

Since 2010, Pinterest has been a major influencer in fashion due to its ability to curate a variety of aesthetics and outfit inspirations. The "Ballet-core" trend that arose in early 2022 found its prominence on Pinterest because of its aspiration of femininity with the wearability of athleisure. However, its origins and its application today are very controversial.

In the early years in the mainstream, ballet was a male-dominated art form popular in the courts of Louis XIV, who created the Ballet de la Nuit in France. In the 1830s, it became more associated with femininity, as many girls opted for the security of a ballet company over being subjected to prostitution on the streets. Often male patrons of the opera houses "befriended" the dancers and influenced the trajectory of their careers. While, uh, questionable, this is where the costuming and leisure outerwear originated to create the now "ballet-core" aesthetic seen on Pinterest.

Artists, like Edgar Degas, were fascinated by the backstage environment, as exhibited in many of his paintings, like "Before the Ballet."The imagery on Pinterest often mimics his paintings, as the idea of being imperfectly perfect manifests in the mirror selfies in the dance room. Today, the Ballet-core aesthetic has two major categories: the dancer and the dancewear. The latter is more self-explanatory: garments like sweaters, leg warmers, tights, leotards, bows, etc. created that on-the-way-to-class appearance. Its main color palettes are nude, white, black, and pink. While not exclusive to dancers, these garments' and colors' close association with ballet is what distinguishes this aesthetic from regular athleisure. The former, however, is where the controversy lies.

Ballet has especially racist, misogynistic, and fat-phobic origins. While not inherently intentional, this affects the imagery seen on Pinterest. The repetition of white, petite, and frail bodies on the most popular pins excludes a large population of ballet dancers, reinforcing the idea that ballet is meant for only one type of person. Hopefully, over time, the Ballet-core aesthetic on Pinterest and other social media platforms rewrite this narrative and empower everyone interested in ballet to pursue their passion and appreciation of the aesthetic. (Mina Le).

Works Cited

Edgar Degas. Before the Ballet, 1890/1892. National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

Le, Mina. "Explaining the Ballet Trend in Fashion || Balletcore." YouTube. Video. 6 February 2022. Retrieved on 5 November 2022 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srEzEeB63fY.