See About for more details on the rating system.
I summarized the aesthetic on Twitter if you want the short version instead.
I don't think I knew the word aesthetic ~3 years ago. If you asked I probably would've guessed ‘medicine’. That's what it sounds like. Something that tastes bad, not a definition of your taste. Weird.
Recently, about ever since I started dabbling into art again, I've been kind of wondering what my aesthetic would/should be. I've known or recognized a cues here or there along the way, but I couldn't put them together.
Then I looked in the mirror. Literally.
I picked this shirt late last night, pulling it from the clean laundry pile (I can't put clothes away, we are in a pandemic!), just wanting something that wouldn't totally clash to have at the bedside in case of a quick wakeup to comfort a kid. No intentional thought.
Same for when I bought it. Or was gifted it, I'm not sure. It came from Woot, back before they started to suck. I used to ask for these shirts as gifts to avoid thinking of anything else. Let them pick a pun they like, and I'll wear it, at least when they are around.
This shirt quickly transcended that schedule. It's actually funny! It has food-as-people. And it hits a lot of my favorite color notes. But this elevation came at a cost. A different kind of wear. Cracks are showing more with every wash cycle, leaving the essence, of me, just waiting to peel off.
Today it suddenly looked different. Not really of course, it's still all of those things. But now I could see it as the perfect* embodiment of my aesthetic. And with the photo above I can freeze this version forever. Twill always be mine.
*It is missing peacock, thanks shorts!
Moving beyond the moment of æpiphany, I started to notice the same theme everywhere. My favorite (and overworn) pair of shoes, the quilt my mom made (at my rough creative direction), my cooking utensils crossed with cute animals. I even forced this aesthetic onto my children. I've been surrounded by these items for years, how did it take so long to piece them together?
What is Puncore?
Puncore is still under construction (like this whole substack), so bear with me. I'm mostly adhering to the format of Aesthetics Wiki.
Other Names: Millennial Dad, Thinks He's Funny Dad
Related Aesthetics: Midwest Emo, Vacation Dadcore, Normcore, Acid Pixie, Bio Punk
Meaning:
Puncore is a combination of ‘pun’ and ‘core’. Pun is a stand-in for any kind of humorous but non-ironic (i.e. non-Hipster) association in attire, consumer goods, and conversation style (i.e. dad jokes, see: Philosophy). Core comes from the tradition of Normcore, and brings a foundation that is equal parts Basic and Based. Together they are short and easy to pronounce, making for a functional-above-all-else handle, which is another tenant of Puncore.
Philosophy:
Puncore is built on two things, dad jokes and DIY morals. While the emblematic jokes get the headline, the root of the aesthetic actually lies in the latter. In this way it can be seen as the grown-up endpoint of Midwest Emo.
DIY is tightly associated with home improvement or arts and crafts. But it easily extends to all types of experimentation as well, anytime you see “n of 1” advice that is DIY too. The DIY spirit brings with it an aversion to buying goods and services that could ‘easily’ be recreated at home. The same frugality bleeds into fashion, causing the overuse of event-based, gag-gift, out otherwise free attire. These genres are far more likely to use puns than the average Normcore offering, allowing quick identification and separation of the Puncore brand. The clothing is also used and reused to its functional end, despite any signs of wear or changes in fit (see: Fashion).
Frugality rears its head again in media and the arts, where content is always created ‘on a budget’, if not outright free, with sub-standard tools. This confines the vast majority of original works to the digital realm, and lends the art a rough, sometimes abstract, 8-bit nature.
The dad jokes are the signature form of interaction, an attempt to add levity and deflect from deeper engagement when the subject matter is too foreign or uncomfortable. While the humor can take on many forms it is often rooted in irony.
However, the jokes are the beginning and end of ironic expression in Puncore. There is earnest effort behind every endeavor, and a heavy bias toward authenticity and function over likability or flair. In this way the puns themselves are a byproduct of the shirt and not a statement of values or signaling device on purpose. Many participate in Puncore but accident.
Being a parent is not a requirement for Puncore, it simply aligns well. One advantage for parents is the ability to dress children in the puns. This can obscure membership a bit, but when anyone under ~7 has a funny shirt or onesie you can assume it is the parent with a Puncore predilection and not the child.
Visuals:
Two-tone coloring with dark gray, black, navy, or sometimes even off-white and earth-tones as the base color, which are accented by high saturation (up to florescent) secondary colors. The bright end of the spectrum usually comes in orange/poppy, cyan/turquoise, chartreuse/kelly, violet, and magenta. The dark background/negative space allows the bright accent colors to act as visual punchlines, sometimes literally (see: Fashion, Gallery).
Popular imagery associated with Puncore includes cutesy anthropomorphization of foods, emotions, and common/household items, out-of-season seasonal decorations, technicolor toys, and of course, graphic tees.
The idealistic Puncore scene is bright palm trees on a black sand beach with a partly cloudy sunset filling the sky…in an unframed, home-printed image, taped on the wall.
Appearances stem from the tees most of all, usually paired with one or more of the following: running shoes, blurred tan lines, DIY haircuts, and 5-o’clock to 5-day shadows.
Pastimes include fundraising or awareness events (when shirts are provided), watching cooking and home-improvement tv shows, drinking+arts-and-crafts classes, and setting up elaborate pranks.
Other popular Puncore visuals include:
Punned home decor (pillows, blankets, etc.)
Art and nature television screen savers
Animal-themed cookware/utensils
Branded pint glass collections
DIY organizational furniture
Legos, Technic or Duplo
Humorous coffee mugs
Home gym accessories
(long-)Retired memes
Motivational posters
Tex Mex restaurants
Homemade art
Painted sheep
Custom quilts
Funny socks
Fanny packs
Loofahs
Fashion:
Printed pun graphic t-shirts and tanks are the default clothing, preferably on color with the aesthetic. An alternative signature is the rec league jersey with the player name acting as the source of pun. In the rarest of cases it may even come from ‘booty’ shorts and the like. The rest of the fashion is usually athletic casual or general ‘millennial dad’ attire.
The clothing is not bought worn (i.e. acid-wash), unless used from a Goodwill or similar, but shows many signs of wear. Fade, cracks, and peel are common in the designs while ‘blue-collar’ (dirt, oil, etc.), food, and/or pit stains adorn the base shirt. Starting at cheap or free and adding the frequent need for washing to the long lifecycles leads to less-than-ideal fit in most cases. This is an unintended side effect, so there is not a standard style of misfit (baggy, skinny, etc.).
Puncore Brands:
HomeGoods
SnorgTees
Old Navy
Lovevery
Jibabom
TJ Maxx
Adidas
Woot
Nike
Media:
Children's music, movie soundtracks, and radio-popular hits (from any genre/decade) are the only tunes you will hear from these folk. They are much more likely to be playing podcasts, which leaves little time to keep up with music scenes. The same generally applies to movies and TV shows.
Representative media/soundtracks:
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol I and II
Spiderman Into the Spider-verse
Trolls and Trolls World Tour
The Greatest Showman
Beauty and the Beast
Frozen and Frozen II
The Little Mermaid
Game of Thrones
Moana
Psych
Coco1
Gallery:
Yes all of these lists are ordered by character length