Overview
Fashion trend romanticizing ballet aesthetics - leg warmers, wrap cardigans, ballet flats, bun hairstyles, pink everything.
TikTok Explosion
2021-2022: #Balletcore garnered 300M+ views as users shared “day in the life” videos styled like dancers - Pilates classes, matcha lattes, and discipline aesthetics.
Key Pieces
- Ballet flats (Repetto, Chanel)
- Wrap cardigans and shrugs
- Leg warmers over jeans
- Ribbon-laced anything
- Hair slicked back in buns
Cultural Drivers
Sandy Liang’s 2019 collections, Miu Miu ballet flats comeback (2022), and TikTok’s romanticization of rigorous discipline and graceful femininity.
Criticism
Accused of glamorizing eating disorders and toxic ballet culture while ignoring the sport’s physical demands and diversity issues.