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Dad bod and dadcore: how to spot the zeitgeist looks Dad bod and dadcore: how to spot the zeitgeist looks
(about 1 hour later)
What’s the zeitgeisty look of 2015?What’s the zeitgeisty look of 2015?
Lifestyle magazines, in the newsagentLifestyle magazines, in the newsagent
People like to mock trend forecasters, those folk who make airy pronouncements such as: “This year is ALL ABOUT fuschia – and nothing else!” But I have an enormous amount of admiration for them. Figuring out what a year’s trends were in retrospect is an absolute doddle, but to spot them in the moment, well, I see that as akin to genius, really. I barely notice where I’m putting down the house keys, so having the awareness to ascertain what the look of an entire year is while still living in it is as astounding to me as those who can teach themselves a foreign language without their brains exploding. People like to mock trend forecasters, those folk who make airy pronouncements such as: “This year is ALL ABOUT fuchsia – and nothing else!” But I have an enormous amount of admiration for them. Figuring out what a year’s trends were in retrospect is an absolute doddle, but to spot them in the moment, well, I see that as akin to genius, really. I barely notice where I’m putting down the house keys, so having the awareness to ascertain what the look of an entire year is while still living in it is as astounding to me as those who can teach themselves a foreign language without their brains exploding.
And yet, here I am, instructing myself in the fundamentals of Finnish (metaphorically speaking, obviously – I might write about fashion but I’m not insane) and reading the runes of the current style trends. Swerving metaphors sharply, let us sift through the various valueless pebbles of trends around at the moment – cropped tops, midi skirts – to find that golden nugget. And a-ha! It is here, at last! And the shining gilded look of 2015 is … dads.And yet, here I am, instructing myself in the fundamentals of Finnish (metaphorically speaking, obviously – I might write about fashion but I’m not insane) and reading the runes of the current style trends. Swerving metaphors sharply, let us sift through the various valueless pebbles of trends around at the moment – cropped tops, midi skirts – to find that golden nugget. And a-ha! It is here, at last! And the shining gilded look of 2015 is … dads.
Chances are you have, by now, read about something called “dad bod”. To paraphrase the bible of fashion criticism, Zoolander, dad bod is so hot right now. Everyone seems to have an opinion on the dad bod, which, as far as I can ascertain, is any male body that doesn’t belong to Channing Tatum. Who knew such a thing needed a name? Thank God for the internet for providing handy nomenclature to things we once did not even notice. Amazing to think we managed to muddle through such dark ages for so long before the advent of fashion blogs.Chances are you have, by now, read about something called “dad bod”. To paraphrase the bible of fashion criticism, Zoolander, dad bod is so hot right now. Everyone seems to have an opinion on the dad bod, which, as far as I can ascertain, is any male body that doesn’t belong to Channing Tatum. Who knew such a thing needed a name? Thank God for the internet for providing handy nomenclature to things we once did not even notice. Amazing to think we managed to muddle through such dark ages for so long before the advent of fashion blogs.
The amount of coverage devoted to the dad bod is so out of proportion to the original blog defining the aforementioned Bod that it frankly boggles my mind. This blog, you see, which explains “why girls everywhere are going nuts over this body type” (and we are, literally all of us; I can’t even leave the house without having a physical meltdown over the thought) contains glittering insights such as that the dad bod is “better [for] cuddling”, and “the bigger the guy, the smaller and better we look next to you in a picture”. (Excuse me, my brain just melted and fell out of my ear.) And yet, despite the lobotomy-by-blog tone, the media have gone INSANE over this article, and I use that word in the loosest of senses. Sweetly, someone writing on the Huffington Post got in a right lather over how the original blog “missed a potential opportunity to challenge the societal stereotype that only tall, dreamy, beach gods are physically attractive”. Yes, it really is astonishing that a string of internet dribble about how women like to feel skinny next to their boyfriends did not seize the mantle “to challenge societal stereotypes”, isn’t it?The amount of coverage devoted to the dad bod is so out of proportion to the original blog defining the aforementioned Bod that it frankly boggles my mind. This blog, you see, which explains “why girls everywhere are going nuts over this body type” (and we are, literally all of us; I can’t even leave the house without having a physical meltdown over the thought) contains glittering insights such as that the dad bod is “better [for] cuddling”, and “the bigger the guy, the smaller and better we look next to you in a picture”. (Excuse me, my brain just melted and fell out of my ear.) And yet, despite the lobotomy-by-blog tone, the media have gone INSANE over this article, and I use that word in the loosest of senses. Sweetly, someone writing on the Huffington Post got in a right lather over how the original blog “missed a potential opportunity to challenge the societal stereotype that only tall, dreamy, beach gods are physically attractive”. Yes, it really is astonishing that a string of internet dribble about how women like to feel skinny next to their boyfriends did not seize the mantle “to challenge societal stereotypes”, isn’t it?
It is not surprising that dad bod has received so much attention. Men, who make up a large proportion of newspaper and magazine editors, are generally happy to run articles about how much women fancy guys who won’t ever run the risk of being confused with Adonis. And lord knows there are plenty of female journalists around, myself very much included, who are happy to write about subjects such as sexism and body image, both of which can be dragged into the dad bod debate – although, again, “debate” seems like something of a grand word for a term that was popularised by a blog about how women choose their boyfriends according to who makes them look good in a photo.It is not surprising that dad bod has received so much attention. Men, who make up a large proportion of newspaper and magazine editors, are generally happy to run articles about how much women fancy guys who won’t ever run the risk of being confused with Adonis. And lord knows there are plenty of female journalists around, myself very much included, who are happy to write about subjects such as sexism and body image, both of which can be dragged into the dad bod debate – although, again, “debate” seems like something of a grand word for a term that was popularised by a blog about how women choose their boyfriends according to who makes them look good in a photo.
But this is not just about dad bod. There is also “dadcore”! That’s right, after last year’s seminal fashion trend normcore, there is now dadcore, which is, put simply, Normcore, but just for men. Jerry Seinfeld, for example, is very dadcore. Anything from Marks & Spencer’s Blue Harbour range is dadcore. You might think that these are just clothes, in the way that dad bod is just a body, but such scepticism merely betrays your own ignorance. Honestly, how will YOU respond when your grandchildren ask in several decades’ time how you marked 2015, the year of dad-ness? That really puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?But this is not just about dad bod. There is also “dadcore”! That’s right, after last year’s seminal fashion trend normcore, there is now dadcore, which is, put simply, Normcore, but just for men. Jerry Seinfeld, for example, is very dadcore. Anything from Marks & Spencer’s Blue Harbour range is dadcore. You might think that these are just clothes, in the way that dad bod is just a body, but such scepticism merely betrays your own ignorance. Honestly, how will YOU respond when your grandchildren ask in several decades’ time how you marked 2015, the year of dad-ness? That really puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?
One thing I don’t understand, however, is where the dad comes into all this dad-ness, if you see what I mean (and, to be fair, it would be understandable if you did not). Going back to the dad bod for just a moment, the blog makes it very clear that this body does not involve actual dads, but rather “fraternity boys skipping gym for a few brews last Thursday”. So in other words, this is “frat bod”, not dad bod. Similarly, dadcore seems to refer to clothes worn by any male other than Kanye West.One thing I don’t understand, however, is where the dad comes into all this dad-ness, if you see what I mean (and, to be fair, it would be understandable if you did not). Going back to the dad bod for just a moment, the blog makes it very clear that this body does not involve actual dads, but rather “fraternity boys skipping gym for a few brews last Thursday”. So in other words, this is “frat bod”, not dad bod. Similarly, dadcore seems to refer to clothes worn by any male other than Kanye West.
Now, I could work myself up into some kind of outrage about the insistent universalising of parenthood, and the grating assumption that any adult over 30 is either a mother or father and how absolutely outrageous and patronising it is. I could, for extra mileage, throw in some comment about the depersonalising of parents, by referring to them only as parents and not as individuals. But do you know, I think I’ll save those twinkling nuggets for another day and perhaps a more worthy subject. Because right now, I’m off to revel in the zeitgeist of 2015, by which I mean find a boyfriend who makes me look thin. And a blogpost to get outraged by. Oh, what a time to be alive!Now, I could work myself up into some kind of outrage about the insistent universalising of parenthood, and the grating assumption that any adult over 30 is either a mother or father and how absolutely outrageous and patronising it is. I could, for extra mileage, throw in some comment about the depersonalising of parents, by referring to them only as parents and not as individuals. But do you know, I think I’ll save those twinkling nuggets for another day and perhaps a more worthy subject. Because right now, I’m off to revel in the zeitgeist of 2015, by which I mean find a boyfriend who makes me look thin. And a blogpost to get outraged by. Oh, what a time to be alive!
Post your questions to Hadley Freeman, Ask Hadley, The Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Email ask.hadley@theguardian.com.Post your questions to Hadley Freeman, Ask Hadley, The Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Email ask.hadley@theguardian.com.