Live Laugh Love

Live Laugh Love is an aesthetics that centers around a combination of a specific kind of feel-good slogans (usually presented as word art wall signs or decals) and brushy, frequently chunky script fonts. It is found both in a basic, cheerfully oblivious and straightforward form, and in a more ironic format that centres around "wine mom" imagery.

History[]

Slogan merchandise (known as "word art" or "sentiments" in home decor retail parlance), have long been part of the range of options for homes. In the early 2000s, consumers began to gravitate toward particularly saccharine sayings, including the iconic Live Love Laugh, which dates back to the early 20th century. At the same time, the pre-bubble rise of the McMansion promoted a heavy-handed use of beige-based, unremarkable decor to maximize resale values. Rae Dunn also began to spread widely after Dunn entered into a licensing agreement in 2003. Another three-word slogan was promoted by Eat Pray Love, with the memoir coming out in 2003 and the movie in 2010.

The proclamation of these kind of values became a sort of psychological refuge in the dreariness of the post-2008 real estate crash. Following the crash, the Aesthetic also found a niche amongst certain home renovation show. Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper (2013-2018) was fond of metal wall art with sentiments or presentation typical of Live Laugh Love. Over time ironic takes on the aesthetic began to raise, powered by millennials and others wishing to mock the aesthetic.

While the phrase Live Laugh Love itself had its peak of popularity in the 2007-2012 period, the home decor aesthetic itself has never really gone away, despite the backlash going so far as to call it a "red flag". It now features in various graphic design where the feel-good angle is desired for whatever reason.