Pridecore is an internet aesthetic and practice that centers on the creation of art, moodboards, and other digital content using the colors and symbols of various LGBTQ+ pride flags. Originating on Tumblr in the 2010s, the aesthetic is a form of self-expression and community-building, allowing young people to celebrate and explore their specific identities in a creative way.
The main element of the aesthetic is not just the display of pride flags, but their transformative application: using the distinct color palettes of flags like the bisexual, transgender, or asexual flags as the basis for new, aestheticized content. This can range from character art and icons to abstract moodboards and glittery GIF sets ("stimboards").
It is important to note that the aesthetic is created by and for the LGBTQ+ community, and participation by those who do not identify as such is widely discouraged as it can trivialize the identities the aesthetic seeks to celebrate.
History[]
The Pridecore aesthetic has its roots in the visual culture of Tumblr in the 2010s. As a wide variety of new pride flags were designed and popularized online to represent more specific identities beyond the original rainbow flag, users began to use these new color palettes as inspiration for creative works.
This practice evolved into a distinct aesthetic where the goal was not just to post a flag, but to create original content that was imbued with the flag's colors and symbolic meaning. This included making moodboards, "stimboards" (collections of stimulating GIFs), creating personalized variations of existing flags (e.g., the "moon lesbian" flag, often for the purpose of self-expression), and applying pride flag color schemes to fan art of popular characters, a practice that remains common in online fandom spaces.
Visuals[]
The defining characteristic of Pridecore is the transformative application of a pride flag's color palette to other visual forms, creating new, aestheticized content that celebrates a specific identity. This is most commonly expressed through the creation of moodboards and stimboards, which are curated collections of images and GIFs that all share the distinct color scheme of a chosen flag. The aesthetic is also central to online fandom communities, where it manifests as fan art and character edits in which a character's clothing or background is recolored to match a pride flag, often as a form of "headcanon" expression. The style also includes original digital art, pixel graphics, and custom flag designs for more niche identities, all using the same principle of color palette adoption.
Resources[]
- Posts tagged "Pridecore" (Tumblr)
Gallery[]
