Blokette: The TikTok Aesthetic That Accidentally Solved Your Identity Crisis

Wait, why is everyone talking about blokette?

What do a playful coquette, vintage football jerseys, and American model-influencer Bella Hadid share? They're part of the exciting "blokette" or "bloke-core + ballet-core" trend. 

"Bloke core" celebrates stereotypical British male culture with a casual, streetwear influence. "Coquette" adds a hyper-feminine vibe to clothes rooted in the elegance of the Victorian and Regency eras.

The blokette phenomenon has been winning over TikTok users since late 2022, much like how futuristic Year 2000 or Y2K fashion was in the late 1990s and early 2000s. This movement challenges 21st-century fashion canons by supporting unlimited self-expression among millennials, Gen Z, Gen A, and youth in general.

With its hashtag #blokettecore accumulating over 19 million views in its first year, the trend has drawn the attention of millions of creators and viewers. Let's take a chance and join them, starting by asking ourselves a deeply personal question: What if your aesthetic could explain the parts of yourself you've always struggled to name?

So, what's the blockette aesthetic?

Blokette is a trending TikTok aesthetic that fuses the rugged charm of blokecore masculine clothing with the softness of feminine coquette style. 

Picture a bold, masculine vibe beautifully paired with delicate, feminine touches — it's a striking balance that creates a unique and engaging fashion statement. This is how the blokecore-coquette or blokette fashion aesthetic concept first appeared at the Nymphet Alumni podcast. 

Just like in Alison Freer's 'How to Get Dressed: A Costume Designer's Secrets for Making Your Clothes Look, Fit, and Feel Amazing,' blokette's philosophical perspective promotes choosing outfits that fit our bodies and radiate our self-respect to everyone who passes by:

"Good clothes open all doors. But I'm of the belief that it's not so much what you wear that makes people sit up and take notice — it's how you wear it."

This way, you'll naturally attract acceptance and respect while keeping stress levels low.

⚽Bloke core: The sporty, British edge

Bloke core is a nod to the football terraces and vintage finds. Let's see what its key pieces and influences are.

🎀Coquette: The hyper-feminine, romantic flair

Coquette aims to give your look a touch of delicate, innocent charm. These are the suggestions on accents to mix and match in your outfit:

Blokette daringly intertwines gender norms and redefines your fashion boundaries. It frees you from the need to conform to what makes you feel like you betray yourself just to be accepted by society.  

Let's unpack the blokette look: Sporty vibes and charming sweetness

The blokette TikTok trend encourages using vintage and unique items to create contrast with fast, mass-produced products. Here is a quick visual guide to styling a sporty-and-sweet blokette outfit.

Mixing sporty and feminine details will help you create a fresh blokette look, while vintage elements add character to outfits and reflect your true self.

Choose your first blokette outfit 🥾👒

Are you ready to put on your unique blokette aesthetic outfit? Check out this guide, which will help you design a stylish, trendy look tailored to your personality.

When you blend the blokecore street style with the coquette aesthetic, make sure each detail of the clothes and accessories you wrap yourself in evokes light emotions in you. Add a touch of flirtation to give your outfit an "effortless elegance" vibe.

Pairing a loose, oversized t-shirt with a tiered mini skirt can give you an artistic, deeply personal aura. To finish the look, add chunky sneakers and delicate jewelry. 

Being creative with your wardrobe can do wonders for your look and mental state. Your wardrobe is a canvas for self-expression; let your feelings and emotions shine through your style, allowing it to articulate what words might fail to capture. 

Why blokette works so well: The psychology behind the aesthetic

The blokette aesthetic continues to drive in young men and women as they explore their identities, often distorting their view through the lens of social media outlets. This trend is more than just clothing; it visually expresses the complex emotions and experiences that shape our lives today. 

In "Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook," Gary Vaynerchuk encourages readers to practice patience and self-control instead of sharing literally everything about themselves with the rest of the world. 

"We love displays and symbols and stuff that quickly and silently tell the world who we are. Better yet, we love visual reminders of who we want to be."

The author advocates ingenuity and novelty if you want to invest in an impactful online (and offline, too) presence. 

Blokette and the rise of contradictory girlhood

The blokette aesthetic merges the existing gender standards, making the coexistence of softness and edginess look seamless. This is a whole new perspective on the tomboy phase of "girlhood," and a "customized" way to discover yourself. This approach turns challenges into strengths, allowing you to redefine femininity on your own terms.  

In '# GIRLBOSS,' Sophia Amoruso, a former Nasty Gal CEO, shares her rebellious "Cinderella of tech" personal story, illustrating how turning failures into new beginnings keeps you afloat and helps you achieve more.

"It's cool to be kind. It's cool to be weird. It's cool to be honest and to be secure with yourself."

The #GIRLBOSS mindset will help you focus on self-made success and stay true to yourself, which lies at the very core of the blokette aesthetic. 

The search for identity in a hyper-online world: Can you be strong and soft at the same time?

Yes, you absolutely can! Nowadays, many find it hard to stay unique while keeping up with all the trends. That's where Blokette comes in, showing that you don't have to be entirely logical or rational. In 'Man's Search for Meaning,' a renowned neurologist, Viktor E. Frankl, demonstrates how life's contradictions don't have to define you:

"For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue… as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself."

Just be as imaginative as you want. Express your "shy" and "mischievous" sides. Fantasize and mix any features and styles, even if they look confusing to outsiders. Look up the "45 Best Books about Identity" for a heartfelt reminder that softness is a natural part of who we are.

How to be blokette without just dressing the part

The blokette charisma is so much more than fashion. Above all else, it's about your unique self and dynamic mindset, which form and control how you see yourself and how others see you. The best thing about this trend is that you don't need to spend lavishly to feel proud and confident on the inside. 

How to style a blokette-inspired look without spending $200 on Pinterest recommendations

A stylish blokette-inspired look is very DIY and thrift-friendly. Here is a quick guide on how to stay within your budget when experimenting with blokette combos and what your body and style want to tell:

Here are some examples of how to combine and shop for your fashion choices:

As you can see, thrift shopping is a great way to find unique items at low prices, such as football shirts or top-tier Adidas sneakers. Wear what's affordable and makes you confident.

Living the blokette life: Celebrate softness with confidence

The blokette aesthetic appeared as a natural continuation of work-life balance, showing tropes of how you can be both ambitious and vulnerable. This approach is the exact opposite of what we know to be "hustle culture" dominating the market today. 

Blokette may cause you to "romanticize your daily life" and simple things like morning coffee or putting together an outfit for your special evening.

Self-acceptance and "softness without shame," which define this trend, allow you to express what feels true to you personally. Dressing then becomes a meaningful self-care act that can put you in the right mood for work or studies.

Books that capture the blokette state of mind

Having a blokette mindset means accepting contradictions and a unique mix of identities. Our Headway Team has curated an expert collection of literature, complete with concise summaries of these books, to help readers navigate modern life's complexities and our identities.

📚For the girl who's done being small

This curated "tool kit" of books is designed to guide women of the digital age through the challenges of discovering their true voice while they pursue self-improvement.

Book 1: 'Untamed: Stop Pleasing, Start Living' by Glennon Doyle

In 'Untamed: Stop Pleasing, Start Living,' Glennon Doyle passionately encourages women to break free from societal norms and expectations and trust their intuition.

"Discontent is the nagging of the imagination. Discontent is evidence that your imagination has not given up on you. It is still pressing, swelling, trying to get your attention by whispering: 'Not this."

'Untamed' inspires you to prioritize your joy and peace over people's approval when going blokette and mixing styles, giving more room for playfulness and self-expression.  

Book 2: 'The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery' by Brianna Wiest

In 'The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery,' Brianna Wiest presents emotional intelligence as a means to recalibrate your self-sabotaging behaviors.  

"You're going to build a new comfort zone around the things that actually move you forward… Instead of being understood, you're going to be seen."

The author offers tools to fight self-doubt and fear of other people's opinions that may smooth the process of adopting the blokette's authentic self-expression.

📚For the girl who's over the hustle

These readings will help you build self-awareness amid the constant rush to earn a living and provide for loved ones, which sometimes downplays your vital needs.

Book 3: 'Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less' by Greg McKeown

'Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less' by Greg McKeown is about doing less but better and making sure your way of life matches your values.

"The way of the Essentialist means living by design, not by default."

Here, the writer levels up a "blokette" enthusiast's style by picking quality over quantity, motivating his readers to self-focus instead of following someone else's schedule. 

📚For the girl who needs boundaries, not burnout

Here are a few expert reads on one of the most urgent problems we all face today. Yes, it's about setting and maintaining personal boundaries… just to stay sane.

Book 4: 'Set Boundaries, Find Peace' by Nedra Tawwab

In 'Set Boundaries, Find Peace,' Nedra Tawwab explains that communicating our limits is self-care that prevents burnout and resentment.  

"People don't know what you want. It's your job to make it clear. Clarity saves relationships."

In the context of the "blokette" trend, personal style boundaries mean wearing what resonates with you and freeing up your character.

Book 5: 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck' by Mark Manson 

Reading Mark Manson's 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck' every day for the next few weeks will reveal an obvious (one would think) truth: You don't owe the world constant likability.

"You and everyone you know are going to be dead soon. And in the short amount of time between here and there, you have a limited amount of fucks to give. Very few, in fact. And if you go around giving a fuck about everything and everyone without conscious thought or choice — well, then you're going to get fucked."

Manson's motto, "joy of unexpected combinations," is in tune with the trendy blokette's "wear what you love without explaining it, even if asked."

These are just some of the titles you can explore on Headway — where key ideas from bestselling nonfiction books are ready to help you connect with your true self.

What we can learn from blokette (even if you'd never wear the jersey)

The blokette style motivates us to accept our contradictions instead of clinging to the fashion tastes of the majority, whether in online settings or real-life environments.

Key takeaways from the blokette trend

• You can be both soft and strong: The blokette aesthetic shows that masculine and feminine traits, strength and vulnerability, coexist harmoniously.

• Style is a powerful healing tool: Dressing to reflect our authentic selves supports our well-being. Giving a space for our unique identities should be a daily practice.

• To become more yourself, wear what makes you feel alive: This blokette encourages you to try new styles (instead of fleeting trends) to match your identity.

• Blokette's aesthetic reminds us that contradictions are part of being human: Dualities within us help us accept our full, contradictory selves without shame.

• Being real matters more than being perfect: Blokette champions raw self-expression over a flawless appearance in a world of polished online images. 

Blokette turns fashion into a dynamic force for empowerment, making it more than just a clothing-fitting exercise. This special trend celebrates individuality and can potentially become a political force for good to oppose the spread of communist ideas.

Discover more about self-identities and style with Headway  

The blokette aesthetic trend invites you to look at the mix of traits that you usually think of as masculine or feminine and ask yourself and your friends: 

What if changing the way I dress also changes how I see myself?

Headway can become your perfect partner for this self-discovery adventure. Explore our "Short Inspirational Work Quotes: Ignite Your Daily Motivation" and  "8 Best iOS Book Apps to Help You Crush Your Reading Goals" posts for additional resources to navigate all the "beautiful contradictions" and turn fleeting trends into the progress that matters.