Have you ever stood on a grate in the street with a dress on, the steam blowing up to reveal your undergarments? What about the smoke from an Independence Day family BBQ billowing up your skirt? If not, don’t worry– Addison Rae has a few pointers for you. I fear over the last decade certain artists have fallen into a pattern of trying too hard to look cool and effortless, leading them to overcompensate by delivering drab performance aesthetics. This can be sensed through their makeup, hair, costume changes, and a general lack of opulence. Lately, however, there has been a palpable shift in female pop stardom towards a retro-pinup ambience with a shameless effort to dazzle. One prime example is Sabrina Carpenter and her “Espresso” music video being a 1950’s beach fantasy, and her recent “yoo-hoo boys!” looks. Chappell Roan has also been at the forefront of this, driving the art of drag and queer culture closer towards mainstream performance with her over-the-top persona. This pop-girl vintage style craze has been taking inspiration from burlesque and cabaret aesthetics, featuring feathers, booty shorts over nude tights, bright red lipstick, sequins, fishnets, leg fetishism, and Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls. Think youth jazz competition peppered with Christina Aguilera’s character in Burlesque. Addison has been a hardcore pioneer of this resurgence—with Vogue magazine recently cementing her legacy by publishing an article about Addisoncore.

There’s a certain kind of chill vibe that Addison is giving off. That, to me, is Addisoncore. Addisoncore is very healthy, fun, and energetic.” -Mel Ottenberg 

It’s hard to believe an ex-TikTok dancer could eat so hard, but feast your eyes on Addison’s new song and video “Diet Pepsi.” The Sweet East filmmaker Sean Price Williams was hand picked by Addison to direct the video. If you’ve seen the film or his other recent work directing Carpenter’s “Please Please Please” video, you know it was a match made in heaven. It starts in black and white, Addison is in a vintage car donning a white lace cone bra—a staple of ‘50s femme style. She gives a hot Britney-esque performance, using the backseat as her stage, and having the guy driving lick whipped cream off her toes. The props used are what you might find in Addison’s dance bag: a hairbrush, hairspray, vintage lingerie, makeup brushes. She conveys the youthful sense of play that is a key factor in pinup ethos—she cartwheels, does the splits, handstands, kicks her legs around, all with impeccable technique yet never taking herself too seriously. Some of the quick clips of Addison are reminiscent of your quirky childhood contemporary dance instructor mapping out choreo for a competition piece to Sia’s “Chandelier.” The video also nods to Lana Del Rey’s “Ride,” with Addison being wrapped in an American flag at one point, but rather than copying she pays homage. It’s derivative but authentic. Near the end, it cuts to her grabbing a Diet Pepsi from a corner store, and once she takes a sip, the video changes from black and white to technicolor as the key changes. Genius!

Mark my words: Addison is our Marilyn Monroe. She embodies the cheeky sexuality that Monroe was known for, both possessing untouchable star power and a magnetic presence. Marilyn was a formidable triple threat, she famously showcased her talent when performing “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Alongside her illustrious film career, Marilyn was a fashion icon for the ages—her hourglass shape was highly desired, putting women’s natural curves at the forefront. During Hollywood’s Golden Era, her beauty held immense power. She hypnotized both men and women with her radiant allure, keeping her sexual persona subtle yet elegant—a quality that made her unique. She popularized plunging necklines, corsets, and bold hues thanks to the introduction of Technicolor film. During a time where the average woman’s closet was full of prudish ankle-length skirts, Marilyn emanated raw, unapologetic femininity with class and a clever sense of humor. Unfortunately, yet unsurprisingly, Marilyn’s persona slipped from her grasp and fell into the hands of the Hollywood machine and men that surrounded her. She faced tremendous pressure to maintain her image, not only from the industry she worked in but from the culture at large. Similar to Judy Garland, she tried to remedy her woes with prescription pills and carving out a fake smile, but on the inside she was drowning in mental and physical turmoil. 

Just like Marilyn, Addison’s talent is multifaceted—she’s also acted in classic movies like Thanksgiving, and of course shook up the internet with her scream performance in Charli XCX’s “Von Dutch.” Countless parallels can be drawn between the two women, however there is one striking way in which they differ. Addison is in control of the persona she has crafted—her autonomy over her iconography grants her the power to shift away from the “look at me boys!” energy whenever she wants. If Marilyn were to be photographed smoking a cigarette with her toes, it might not go over the same way as when Addison does it—not only because of the obvious historical differences, but also because Marilyn was heavily puppeteered by industry scumbags. Holding two Diet Pepsi cans over her nipples for an Instagram post may seem distasteful to some but for Addison, it just proves that she’s a force to be reckoned with. She channels her musehood towards artists such as Petra Collins and Charli XCX—people that (hopefully) respect her independence and allow her creative visions to flourish. Sadly, Marilyn did not get the same opportunity. Despite being an icon to the masses, her life turned into tragedy. Her status as a muse backfired in the most unjust way—her death in 1962 remains shrouded in mystery, fans are still left theorize between suicide or accident. Addison is actively seizing the opportunity that Marilyn did not have, and that is a beautiful thing to witness unfold.

There are countless crucial moving parts to the roots of Addisoncore—dancer, model, and all around talent-packed showgirl Lexee Smith is a huge part of this lore. Smith’s credits include music videos for FKA Twigs, Billie Eilish, Ava Max, and Snow Strippers. She can also be seen on Dance Moms as a kid, and in countless Millenium Dance Complex videos. As a seasoned performer, she demonstrates impeccable contortion, control, and ankle mobility (often while wearing stilettos). Addison and Lexee are a dreamy dynamic duo, they are the epitome of girls just want to have fun. Smith was also on the set of Diet Pepsi, and the movement in the video is a result of their amazing creative minds merging. Addison’s comment on Lexee’s recent post says, “a banana split in the splits would’ve never happened without you.” Other artists should be taking notes, gathering wisdom from Addison and adding it to their repertoires.

Nymphet Alumni released a whole podcast episode on this very topic around the same time I was preparing this essay—great minds think alike. The Nymphet girls focus mostly on Carpenter and Katy Perry as exemplars of the rockabilly style and its continuing influence on today’s fashion world. The amalgamation of all of this really points to hauntology, as the quick-witted Alexi Alario pointed out in the podcast, coining the phrase “rockabilly hauntology”. The spirit of past cultural trends still find their places in contemporary society—rehashing iconography over and over again until it exists in perfect limbo. RIP Mark Fisher, you would have loved Addisoncore. Addison’s cheeky ear-to-ear Devon Lee Carlson smile is an ode to Marilyn’s fun-loving character, and we are seeing more and more earnest joy as we become disillusioned with the lobotomized Yeezy stare that has infected the internet. The rather melancholy reality to this is that Addison is truly happy, while it is likely that Marilyn was not. Biz Sherbert sums this up perfectly in the pinup popstar episode: “It’s like, you can be happy and hot at the same time. You don’t have to suffer for beauty.”

I know that Marilyn Monroe would be proud of Addison for honoring her legacy. There have been many attempts in the past, but this one just feels so right. Addison could have easily turned 18, draped her bedroom in plastic vines from Temu, and started up an OnlyFans career. Her level of self-respect offers a glimmer of hope for the future generation of young women. The past will always come back, for culture is no neutral force—it’s potent, ever-present, never vanishing into thin air. I’m excited to see what Addison will do next, personally I hope it’s a one woman burlesque show featuring her singing “happy birthday… mister President…”. Whatever she does, if I go to war, I will have her photograph in my helmet. 

 “That’s the ethos of Addisoncore: Dig deeper.” –Addison, Vogue

Check out my Addisoncore Pinterest moodboard here!