- core
Possibly the definitive early-21st Century suffix. (The Bus 5.7)
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The Stop
Used by newspapers, magazines and social media to ‘describe a particular type of style in clothes, music, furniture, etc.’, the -core suffix was an American Dialect Society nominee for the most creative word of 2021, largely because it has enabled names to be coined for ‘hundreds of music genres and aesthetic styles’. In an age where individuality is a premium on social media platforms, the suffix allows for the creation of labels which ‘enable algorithms … to discern similarities to show users other posts they might like.’ Not to mention that it feeds into the younger generation’s obsession with labelling … everything.1
The suffix -core is thought to have originated in the mid-19th century as hard core, the ‘broken bricks or stones that formed the hard substratum of roads and foundations’. By the early 20th century, hard core had become an adjective describing the ‘base’ or ‘core’ of political parties before the phrase evolved in the 1960s into a description of adult films featuring graphically explicit sex and changing again in the 1970s to describe a specific type of punk rock. Currently, hard core contains all of these connotations, though it is generally used to describe someone with a very strong belief or interest - the connotation that gives the suffix its contemporary meaning.
Using the suffix is simple: if one’s ‘music or style is focused on X, then it’s Xcore’. However, this is where the simplicity ends (and the generational attraction to the suffix begins), as it’s not always easy for outsiders to comprehend what the X is referring to. For example, unless you’re a hiker you may not know that gorp is a name for trail mix formed from the acronym for ‘good old raisins and peanuts’.2 Consequently, you may not know that gorpcore is an aesthetic based around its adherents wearing functional outdoor gear in an urban, trendy style.
Other uses of the suffix can be found in the aesthetic known as cottagecore,3 a style defined by an appreciation for ‘idyllic rural or woodsy settings, shabby-chic interiors, cozy cardigans and prairie dresses’; craftcore, an aesthetic based on an appreciation for clothing which implies you ‘either made it yourself (even if you didn't) or spend much of your time crafting’; normcore, a ‘preference for unassuming … clothing that eschews trends’ while, of course, being a trend; and royalcore,4 an aesthetic embracing ‘all things European royalty’ fuelled by costume dramas such as The Crown and Bridgerton who’s adherents wear ‘opulent colours and materials and frilly, pre-20th century silhouettes: nipped-in waists and full skirts featuring ruffles, bows and other romantic details.’
The total number of -core aesthetics is unknown, for the very nature of such aesthetic trends is fluid and thus ever-changing. Nevertheless, music might give an indication as to the direction micro-classifications might be heading. For instance, in 2016, there were 1,482 genres on Spotify, but at the end of 2023 over 6,000 different genres and micro-genres were available - a rich selection allowing for individual users to personalise tailored playlists based around micro-genres they can share with like-minded individuals. Until, of course, there are too many adherents and another -core appears.
The Detour
Today’s Detour is to What Earth in 2050 Could Look Like, a TED-Ed animated documentary (4:59) which explores what could happen to the Earth if climate change isn’t addressed as a matter of urgency. It’s a bleak outlook, but not entirely hopeless or unavoidable - if something is done now.
What Earth in 2050 Could Look Like
The Recommendation
Today’s Recommendation, in honour of last Saturday’s designation as Star Wars Day, is The Empire Strikes Back (1980). It’s probably the best of the Star Wars films, as from the opening sequence on Hoth to the despair at the end when we’re left to wonder the fate of Han Solo, there isn’t a dull moment - or a character deserving a smack.5 Plus, it contains one of cinema’s greatest reveals in the form of Vader’s confession re Luke’s paternity. If you’ve not seen it in some time, give it a watch. Just try to put yourself back in a time when this was the only sequel - and the story was still getting going.
The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Trailer
The Sounds
Today’s playlist is a selection of five great tracks from the slowcore genre:6 ‘Strange’ (Galaxie 500, 1989), ‘Cigarette Machine’ (Codeine, 1990), ‘If I Had A Hammer’ (American Music Club, 1993), ‘Dinosaur Act’ (Low, 2001) and ‘I Say That I Will Go’ (Nina Nastasia, 2003). Enjoy!
The Thought
Today’s Thought is from the English novelist, critic and philosopher Aldous Huxley:7
‘Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.’
If you have a thought on this Thought - or any part of today’s issue - please leave a comment below:
And that’s the end of this Stop - I hope you enjoyed the diversion!
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Until the next Stop …
And by everything, I mean everything. I’ve been teaching teenagers since 1992 and I have never known a time when this group has been so desperate to identify themselves through a label. And the -core suffix phenomenon is indicative. While, for example, music has always been a way to self-identify, it’s no longer good enough to like Rock or Indie or Alternative or Rap … to self-identify, one must like a particular micro-genre (say, bardcore - in which popular songs are remade in a medieval style). And that’s just the beginning. Sources for today’s Stop include: Core (Cambridge Dictionary), Christian Science Monitor, Hardcore (Cambridge Dictionary) and -Core Aesthetics (Fashionista).
Acronym or not, I detest raisins and believe any decent gorp should include M&Ms in their place. So, gomp it is.
Also known as ‘countrycore, farmcore, cabincore, campcore [or] Vermontcore’ amongst others, the number of synonymous aesthetics hopefully conveys how niche these trends can be.
Also known as Regencycore and Victoriancore, there are also numerous sub-categories of this aesthetic including princesscore, queencore and knightcore - the last one featuring an interest in ‘tougher details like chainmail and armour-like shapes’.
In other words, no Ewoks, Jar Jar, Watto, Young Anakin, etc. Empire contains none of the later characters who are so crap they make Luke Skywalker’s whine look positively Shakespearean in its delivery.
Largely stemming from 1990s indie rock, slowcore (also known as sadcore) is a subgenre ‘characterised by subdued tempos with typically minimalist instrumentation alongside solemn and melancholic lyrical performances’. For more information, see: Slowcore (Wikipedia)
For more about Huxley, see: The Bus 2.2 (6 October 2022) or Huxley (Britannica)
Love the deep dive on “core.” Could it be that this is an example of ‘Stackcore?
This was a very fun stop. Thanks for sharing!