"It is totally possible to be hyper feminine and also strong, expressing yourself avidly when necessary - actually, that’s as feminine as it gets"
I made it my personal goal to go over all the cores and aesthetics from TikTok - or at least most of them as I discover a new one everyday. And today’s topic is the Coquette Girl, not brand new, but I thought the hype would eventually pass so I skipped it - but guess I was wrong. Coquette is a charming woman with a flirty personality, she’s hyper feminine and gets a lot of male attention as a consequence of her confidence. The term ‘coquette’ comes from France and defines ‘a woman who seduces men to get what she wants’ but it’s apparently a good thing now. Also, we can not forget the fact that it walks side by side with terms like ‘lolita’ and ‘nymphet’, those which are completely problematic and shouldn’t be glamoured. But turning away from the origin of the word and focusing on the aesthetic alone, there’s still a lot to talk about - and that's our main topic here, but we can’t just ignore something so potentially dangerous.
Before we go into the coquette aesthetic, let’s go back a little and talk about another one that’s like a big sister to that: lolita aesthetic. It became popular during the Tublr era back in 2014, and was mainly based on the aspects of a very young woman having a relationship with an older man. The inspiration came from Lana Del Rey’s album ‘Born To Die’ that also came out in the same period of time, but the trend eventually disappeared as people started to see how problematic and dangerous it could be for young girls. But it has now reemerged in a fancier suit and a new name: coquette or dollette aesthetic. And the majority of the adopters of the trend are still Lana’s fans, but now the foundation of the trend is not an age inappropriate relationship, but pink, brown and neutral tones, old French style and hyper feminine minimalism-ish.
Talking practical examples, let’s take one that I’m pretty sure most of us are familiar with: Cassie from Euphoria. Apart from all the trauma and character development she had - which we’re not mentioning here today - she sure had a very girlie, feminine style. And these are the vibes for wearing coquette outfits and presenting a coquette look - just add the confidence she lacked. Being a coquette girl is about being feminine, but feminine does not equal fragile or even delicate. I know many of the things said here sound like delicacy and gave the idea of a naive, clueless woman, but that’s not completely true. It is totally possible to be hyper feminine and also strong, expressing yourself avidly when necessary - actually, that’s as feminine as it gets.
If you made up your mind about being a coquette girl and met the condition of being confidently feminine, the next step is to go through your closet and find all things pink and pastel. And once you find those tones, now go for pleats, floral patterns, and ribbons. Also, keep an eye for ruffle trim tops, lace blouses, frilly dresses, miniskirts, knee-high socks, gloves and/or leg warmers. All of these are perfect garments to create a very coquette outfit. To really tie it all together, the accessories would be a shiny pearl set, hair clips, and a corset and a baguette bag should always be considered. For the makeup, keep it simple and close to what we know: pastel eyeshadow, nude and soft lipstick, glitter and highlight. Blush should always be present, of course, and to create the soft, girlie look, it should come in pale pink. Also, cat-eye glasses and hats are also a thing for the hardcore coquette girls, so if you’re willing to go there a traditional beret hat or knitted options are a great choice.
And there are also some ideas and inspirations to be considered for the hairstyle of coquettes. Of course we have to factor in the different kinds of hair types and textures, but in general a layered cut should be a go-to option. But if that’s not possible for you for any reason, all fluffy, ruffle haircuts can work fine with the aesthetic - think any balloon shaped cut and adapt it to whatever looks better on you. Highlights, bangs and blonde hair - golden or platinum blonde - also suit the style very well. There are options for all personal preferences and needs! If you like your hair short, think of a Marylin Monroe look, very doll-like and fluffy. If you want to keep it long, go for the curtain bangs, wolf cut, 90s blowout and natural looking waves. Really all things soft and feminine work here, so there’s no way you’re not going to find the perfect one for you.
Each new style and TikTok aesthetic is very unique and has specific aspects to define the - even now when there are so many. And the most important thing for them is probably what we call ‘key pieces’, the ones that are indispensable to get the look. For the coquette/dollette aesthetic, anything cute, girly and feminine can be used to create an outfit and recreate the style, but it should also be luxurious and even sexy at the same time. So to get there, less is more and sweetness must come with simplicity. The key pieces to look stylish without trying too hard and exaggerating would be cute dresses, cat eye or transparent glasses, mary jane shoes, a neutral baguette bag and accessories such as the ones listed before. And there you have it, an easy way to create a perfect coquette outfit! Just keep in mind the right colours, tones and patterns to create the right, needed harmony.