Written by Abigail Marble
Art by Hadley-Rae Balmes
You heard it here first, the 1950s are back! Time to bust out your leather jackets, poodle skirts, and saddle shoes. Okay, I’m exaggerating because it is definitely not as fun as it may sound. Conservatism is on the rise in America; in politics, in ideologies, and in social media trends, but not the social media trends you may be thinking of. Social media nowadays is all about aesthetics. There is a new microtrend or popular aesthetic every month. Some recent popular aesthetics include coastal grandmother, old money, the rise of the tradwife, fisherman-core, and the general cosplay of blue collar workers. What do all of these aesthetics have in common? They all have roots in Americana, the upper class, and are external reflections of nostalgia of traditional American values in politics.
The “coastal grandmother” aesthetic takes its cues from the kind of upper class women who have beach houses in the Hamptons or on the New England coast, in apparel and home decoration. Think Diane Keaton’s character in Something’s Gotta Give (2003). A quintessential coastal grandmother outfit consists of white linen pants, a blue and white striped cotton shirt, sandals or tennis shoes, an L.L. Bean boat bag, a sun hat, and a cream colored cotton sweater for when the breeze picks up. The colors and materials of this aesthetic mimic the ocean, with all the natural materials (linen, baskets, and cotton), and light blue and cream colors to represent the water and sand. While I was researching this aesthetic, and when I say “research” I mean look up on Pinterest, I noticed that many interior design elements are reminiscent of the 80s. Floral and plaid/checkered couches, baskets, plain and white wicker, floral wallpaper, and light colored wood that will eventually turn orange.
The “old money” aesthetic also takes inspiration from established upper-class families with generational wealth. Think Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, Princess Diana, and Charlotte York from Sex and the City. Much of its look has Ralph Lauren to thank, the brand (and the man behind it) responsible for the preppy fashion of the 1980s. He made clothes inspired by garments that were made for horseback riding, both Western and English. His clothes were also inspired by college bound kids and Ivy League uniforms. Some essentials for this aesthetic are a pair of basic dark wash jeans, a Ralph Lauren sweater, a pair of leather boots, a collared button up, a tailored wool trench coat, and an expensive handbag, preferably Prada or Gucci, nothing flashy or heavily branded except for maybe a Burberry scarf. The colors for this aesthetic are somewhat neutral—cream, black, grey, white, brown khaki, with pops of red and navy blue. The favored materials are tweed, denim, plaid, wool, leather, chino, and sometimes houndstooth.
Coastal grandmother and old money are intertwined, as they are usually embodied by the same people. Both aesthetics are based on the kind of people who go to preparatory school or college, or work (probably something business or finance related) in the fall and winter, and then they summer in The Hamptons or on the New England coast at their family’s summer home. They are the only people who use summer as a verb, and the only people that the Reagan administration (and now Trump’s) prioritized. Some may also see the old money aesthetic as a fall and winter aesthetic as it takes inspiration from old Ivy League uniforms and coastal grandma as spring and summer for obvious reasons.
People idolize and take inspiration from these formulaic upper-class styles by replicating the two things that are attainable to them: their fashion and home decor. They buy second hand, find dupes of expensive pieces online, or find cheap clothes that look similar to these pictures they find on Pinterest and have added to their moodboards. It’s the trickle-down theory, but with fashion.
Reagan’s trickle down theory—aka Reaganomics, where he cut taxes for the upper class and corporations which would somehow help their wealth ‘trickle down’ to the lower class over time and stimulate economic growth—has affected more than just the economy, it has also affected fashion and social media trends forty years later. Political climate and fashion trends have always been synonymous. The trends that were popular in the 80s are coming back into style because of the nostalgia that Trump evokes in his campaign. Trump is highly influenced by Reagan’s political views and values, such as his slogan, “Make America Great Again” that he co-opted from Reagan’s “let’s make America great again.” Many of Reagan’s views and values come from the 1950s as well as favoring the upper class. These values were against the sexual liberation, women’s rights, and the right to abortion that were fought for in the 60s and 70s. So, Reagan is the one to blame for the 80s obsession with the 50s and the movie Grease (I hate Grease).
After the “progressive” efforts made by the Obama administration, the United States has been wanting to go back to the “good old days” thanks to Donald Trump. Right-wing politicians yearn for Reagan-era conservatism. Not only are politics longing for the past, so are fashion and social media trends which is why we are seeing subtle nods to the 80s, which is very similar to the 80s resurgence in the 2010s, when Trump was first in office.
Politics and fashion are connected by the “hemline index,” which according to InStyle, means that if the economy is doing well then the hemline of skirts and dresses goes up and when the economy falls, so does the hemline. Fashion has also been a way to push for societal change and challenge the status quo, for example the peace and love movement of the 60s during the height of the Vietnam War. Fashion can also indicate what is going on in current events, like the high fashion of the roaring 20s celebrating the end of the Great War, to the minimalist clothing from the wartime rationing in 40s, along with the consumerism of the 50s to celebrate the end of the rationing with multi-piece suits and dresses with full skirts, to the powerful protest fashion of the 60s with tie dye and bell bottoms.
The fashion in the 1950s was particularly interesting because America was still recovering from war when Christian Dior came out with “The New Look” in 1947 that set the tone for 50s fashion. This new look had longer and fuller skirts with cinched waists and opted for more feminine sloping shoulders rather than the boxy shoulders that were popular in the 40s. Nostalgia plays a big role in 1950s culture, specifically for women. After women had been in the workplace because men were off at war, men wanted women to stay at home and be traditional wives, like the “good old days” before the war. Women would stay home and perform their “wifely duties” such as cook, clean, watch after their children all while maintaining their pristine look; their long full skirt, small heels, and their makeup done and hair done up short or in pinups to keep it out of their way while working around the house. This act then caused the sexual revolution and brought on the issue of women’s rights in the 1960s.
Another popular trend on social media is tradwives. According to Parents.com they define tradwives as “A married woman who embraces traditional gender roles, particularly focusing on homemaking and supporting her husband by raising the kids, cooking, and keeping the house clean, while he serves as the primary breadwinner.” (West-Rosenthal) With the rise of influences Nara Smith and Ballerina Farm aka Hannah Neeleman there is not a shortage of tradwife content. Smith, who does not claim to be a tradwife, cooks and bakes everything from scratch while wearing elegant dresses and her hair and makeup done in her pristine kitchen. This return to hyper-femininity and conformity is indicative to a larger societal shift which is coming with Trump being in office.
Reagan focused his campaign on gaining blue collar votes while prioritizing the upper class and their wealth, the same strategy Trump used in his 2016 and 2024 campaign. They both pushed nostalgia in their politics saying they are going to “make America great Again” which they mean bringing back the heteronormative “traditional family values” that would persuade voters, especially independents that would fall into his nostalgia scam. This is why we are seeing a rise in tradwife influencers. This nostalgia to the 50s could be a reason why we are seeing a rise in 50s pop culture such as the multiple Elvis movies, Johnny Cash-esque country music, and possibly even the Bob Dylan movie. Also, since Trump has focused his campaign on gaining blue collar votes is why we are seeing the trend of the camo print, cowboy boots, Carhartt, and other garments, brands, and prints related to blue collar workers. Trump prioritizing the upper class’s wealth is why we are seeing trends such as old money or quiet luxury and coastal grandmother.
Politics and fashion have a constant push-and-shove or cause-and-effect. The push for more traditional values in the 80s was caused by the sexual revolution of the 60s and 70s, but women didn’t conform. They pushed back with a huge fashion trend with big shoulders in women’s clothing such as the blazers, pants suits, and dresses, think Tess McGill in Working Girl, which is symbolic of the 80s. This was because women were taking over the workplace, taking higher positions, and would not conform to Reagan’s sexist, antifeminist, and push for gender inequality campaign. There is a similar trend at the moment that takes inspiration from this push, that trend is “office siren.” This trend takes more fashion inspiration from the 90s and 2000s corporate look, but has roots in 80s feminism, women dominating the workplace.
Many people on social media try not to fit themselves into a box with aesthetics, they value self expression rather than wearing what’s trending. Ironically, this could inadvertently be a trend as a significant number of people are trying to follow this mindset of not fitting into a box. All over social media people are exploring and experimenting more and more with fashion. Fashion is always a form of self-expression, social signaling, and alignment with different subcultures, but fashion is also political. Knowing where a trend has come from and why it is popular can help determine the state of society. So, when these types of aesthetics are popular they can help indicate what is happening in politics, the economy, current events, and a larger societal shift caused by the political climate.
Do not think I am high and mighty because I am criticizing social media trends; I have definitely fallen victim, but to none of these in particular—not my vibe. I tend to fall for more whimsy and fun, rather than the clean lines and neutral colors of these trends. They’re no fun! My favorite social media aesthetics are the weird, quirky, and slightly obscure ones such as Whimsigoth, Frazzled English Woman, and Grandmacore. Liking the quirky, less mainstream trends is what middle school me would’ve wanted and I’m practically her with more wisdom and a bank account.
Additional Sources!