In Defense of Pinterest's 2025 Predictions
Bring on the (K)nightmare fuel.
How often do you fantasize about power and control? Be honest…
As we enter a new era of uncertainty—marked by an American regime change, the looming economic instability brought by its hell-bent tariff policies, and cultural and class tensions rising—protection becomes more than a necessity; it becomes a statement. The way we dress, the tools we carry, and the digital footprints we leave behind all reflect a growing desire to shield ourselves from forces beyond our control. In this climate, armor—literal and metaphorical—is poised to become a dominant cultural aesthetic. Modesty is likely to reveal itself as one of its forms.
After “quiet luxury”’s long, tiresome, and often misappropriated run, boho and maximalism is on the rise in response and as a byproduct of the personal style obsession that’s grown online in the last year. The lost art of layering will be at the forefront of its resurgence and the more layers you wear, the more you’re bound to cover or lose sight of the lines of one’s body. Though I think some modesty will be a by-product of more-is-more styling, I’ve not lost sight of it as a tool women have used for centuries to fend off unwanted male attention and the violence it can be accompanied by. While traditionally modesty is adopted by the religiously devout (where some view it as part of their direct relationship with god, others more so under the context of helping men stay “pure”), I do believe that the level of fear we are going to experience socially and financially in the next two years is going to drive mass adoption.
While modest clothing may not prevent harm, the choice to dress modestly can feel like a form of control in an unpredictable environment. Take for example, when taking the subway, I wear booty shorts under short skirts and Kelly Heyer went viral for her “subway shirt” that she wears over revealing tops when going out, only to take off once she’s arrived at her destination. Many women grew fearful after Nick Fuentes' viral tweet “Your my body, my choice. Forever”, which permeated the minds of an alarming amount of men and boys, emboldening them to threaten women and girls on the internet and in person. And our obsession with personal protection doesn’t end there.
, hot on the heels of the 2024 election result predicted a rise in self-defense and embracing the 2nd amendment - by both the left and the right. Think stylish accessories for your pistol, taser, or pepper spray. Given that women are largest growing demographic of gun owners, they’ll have a growing slew of options to personalize the heat they’re packing, the same way an entire market of products emerged to tailor their Stanley Cups, and what’s inside them to their taste (pun intended).And where there are weapons, armor is likely to follow suit. This year's hottest accessory will be a tin-foil hat. No, seriously; Mandy just dropped her list of predictions for 2025 which includes anti-surveillance fashion which will be mostly unintentional, but I’d prefer to call it pro-privacy fashion. Foiled again by sitting on this thought too long and letting one of my inspirations get to the punch first. I guess I should learn to write faster (as if her reach isn’t also exponentially higher than my six friends who read this anyway.)
Some are afraid of government surveillance (red pill Reddit and Bethany Frankel) and some are just exhausted by the constant surveillance of online activity to be advertised to (me), but both just want to be left alone. Eh, maybe not Bethany. She wants your attention (Wait, does SkinnyGirl margarita mix still exist?), and so do the social media companies who understand that data is the new oil. In a world of algorithm fatigue and data leaks, I foresee an uptick in data literacy content and the adoption of services like Aura and DeleteMe. The VPN (virtual private network) industry was valued at $44.6 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $75.59 billion by 2027, and encrypted messenger use is on the rise (users of Signal have at least doubled in users year over year since 2020, growing from half a million users to twelve million between 2019 and 2020 alone. But some might start small, by taking the time to “reject all cookies” or integrate the ever popular, Meta-owned WhatsApp first. This protective behavior can also be seen in viral consumer content trends like #projectpan (which at year's end had the same amount of TikTok tags as it has three days into this year,) and large-scale adoption of a “No-Buy” or “Low-Buy” year, both popularized by Elysia Berman. To double down on their efforts, many will try to reduce temptations to shop by unsubscribing from brand email lists, unfollowing brands on socials, searching on incognito browsers, and generally setting goals of reducing screen time to avoid exposure and to prioritize living ones life.
Beyond shielding oneself from the male gaze, government drones, marketing departments, and birds, armor is posed to take on a more literal iteration through predicted medieval aesthetics, aka “Castlecore” (Pinterest) , “Medieval Modern” (Allie Sutterer/@starpower.home) , or “The Metallic Maiden” (
/@hannahejo) . One of Pinterest’s other trend predictions is for “Moto Boho” after all and I think it’s not entirely independent from medieval inspiration. As Allie defines the woman she imagines to have a Medieval Modern home, they’re “a little brat, a little Gabriette, but with a little more lace”, and goes on to define the aesthetic as something that blends minimal arrangements of gothic and brutalist elements, along with soft textures, whites, and creams. It sounds familiar, like Chemena Kamali’s debut collection for Chloé this year, whose opening look paired a black leather mini-cape over a buttery-sheer minidress with floor length bell sleeves. There’s no greater example of an intersection of protection and medieval aesthetics in the past year than watching Chappell Roan call out dehumanizing behavior of red-carpet paparazzi in a gauzy Y/Project (RIP) chemise, wielding a massive broadsword, followed by a pyro-heavy performance clad in full-body painted leather armor by Zana Bain. Some people think Dior’s Mary Queen of Scots inspired Cruise/25 collection was out of touch and out of the blue - but I think it was one of the most fun collections of the year; where it’s obvious medieval and punk elements, somehow felt bohemian thanks to her inclusion of sheer crochet and floral elements. Or maybe it just reminded me of McQueen’s Widows of Culloden.
Some have gone online to critique Pinterest’s 2025 prediction related to medieval aesthetics, as if there is no way anyone would possibly adopt or experiment with them en masse. To that I say, “just because you won’t be participating doesn’t mean others aren’t willing to.” Personally, I’ve been waiting years for this. Then I’ll play the Devil Wears Prada monologue that was ahead of its time, and warn you to “never say never” because I’ll probably catch you wearing something derivative of this trend in a year and a half. Regarding privacy aesthetics mentioned earlier, I think billowy hoods, hood scarves (you may call this a Balaclava, but my Russian boyfriend says that’s wrong), snoods, giant cowls, Olsen-twin sized/shield-style sunglasses all fall in this category. Mandy, I swear I was writing this before you published! On a more fun note, metallic open knits are like chainmail and doublet style quilted jackets are definitely not out of the question ! And leather, after all, predates metal as armor.
I mean, have you ever worn a moto jacket? Probably, almost definitely is my guess. Consider yourself co-opting the aesthetic of a modern day knight on a steed. While yours may not be for riding choppers down the highway, the original style was developed to prevent skid rash in case of accident and block wind. They entered the mainstream through greaser aesthetics popularized by James Dean and Marlon Brando’s cinematic rebels of the 50s. They were symbolic protection in acts of social rebellion by the punks who personalized them (chaotic customization is not new, obviously) with studs and spikes in the 70s and 80s, weaponizing the garment practically and aesthetically. What about combat boots? Or curb chains? Guilty! Punk’s British roots also showed irreverence for historic symbols and aesthetics of institutional powers like religion and royalty (sound medieval to you?) through subverting their meaning by appropriating crosses, crowns, orbs, and elements of Victorian dress. Punk’s DIY styling practices and aesthetics are rooted in anarchy, anti-capitalism, and rejection of conformity. Something tells me that based on “the internets” reaction to the assassination of Brian Thompson and the NYT predictions of Tartan’s rise (and Chopova Lowena skirts, which happen to be featured on Pinterest’s Castlecore board) gaining traction, punk is due for a comeback and so is… the French Revolution?
Every trend has its counter. After influencer Haley Kalil(aka @hayleybaylee)’s disastrously viral “Let Them Eat Cake” video at last year’s Met Gala sparked a celebrity-blocking campaign, who would’ve thought Marie Antoinette’s Rococo aesthetic would see a resurgence rather than fall into obscurity? Opulence and wealth are not the same—opulence often masks itself as a caricature of real status and power. In a world still reeling from the quiet luxury movement’s understated rebellion against overexposure, the pendulum swinging toward Rococo feels less like subversion and more like a confused nostalgia for indulgence. The online backlash against Kalil—aptly nicknamed the “digitine”(like guillotine)—illustrates just how precarious overt displays of wealth remain. Yet here we are, watching ourselves tip into the temptation of excess once more, despite huge online movements to curb it, with frills, ruffles, and pastels creeping back into cultural consciousness.
Still, I find it hard to believe that those gravitating toward Rococo-inspired aesthetics are doing so with any intention of reclaiming it in a subversive, punk-like way in the fashion of queer Ballroom community’s explorations of ostentation. Maximalism? Absolutely. But Rococo? That’s something else entirely. Have we forgotten that stealth wealth emerged as a way to avoid the wrath of the masses during periods of class violence? Why, then, are some eager to perform a fantasy of indulgence beyond necessity, in a world where “little treats” and basic unprocessed food are luxury signifiers? This trend seems destined to be embraced by a demographic less versed in class consciousness: conservative-leaning Gen Z and Gen Alpha women who romanticize the trad-wife ideal and idolize soft-living. The Zimmerman and LoveShackFancy set, already enchanted by coquette aesthetics and Sprinkle Sprinkle ideology, will adopt Rococo not as rebellion, but as fantasy—the final evolution of performative femininity.
For this group, Rococo represents the dream of effortless privilege: being a well-kept woman with hired help, leisure time, and no need to armor up because someone else is doing it for you. It’s the ultimate illusion of safety, power, and wealth— class warfare be damned if you can be a maiden locked in your own prison instead of someone else's. In contrast to the layered, armored, and guarded maximalism of those seeking to shield themselves from a volatile world, this emerging Rococo revival offers a kind delusion to our modern pilates princess. And in an era defined by fear, escapism might be the most tempting armor of all . And Rococo isn’t thinly sign of this, other notable Pinterest predictions like “Sea Witchery”, “Dolled up”, “Surreal Soireés”, and “Goddess Complex” play into the fantasy of fun and rejection of doom. At least pop music is about to get really good again if that’s the case, as foreshadowed by brat summer feat. Chappell and Sabrina.
Whether we layer ourselves in fabric, data barriers, or fantasies of indulgence, these trends reveal our collective longing for something deeper: a sense of safety in a world where so little feels certain. Despite the rumblings of doom lurking in our algorithms or inboxes - it’s my fantasy that we learn to look through the lens of hope and let it guide us instead of our fears - sartorially or otherwise.