Unicorn trend

A person wearing a unicorn onesie

The unicorn trend refers to a design and consumer culture phenomenon that gained prominence in the mid-2010s, characterized by the use of unicorn imagery combined with bright, pastel, or highly saturated color palettes, including pink, violet, yellow, blue, and green.[1] Coverage in popular media has associated the trend with social media marketing, influencer culture, and novelty-driven consumer branding, particularly on platforms such as Instagram.[2]

Background

The unicorn has been used as an aesthetic and symbolic motif for centuries and has also appeared in various commercial and decorative contexts.[3] The first written references to these animals date back to the 4th Century BCE. In medieval European folklore, the unicorn was associated with chastity and purity and was often depicted as a creature that could only be captured by a virgin.[4]

Ancient Greek authors described a one-horned animal resembling a horse, often interpreted in later tradition as a unicorn, with a single long, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead.[5] The unicorn briefly appears in the Old Testament of the Bible under the name of re’em (also reem, Hebrew: רְאֵם), making its way in the Western art and culture during the Medieval and Renaissance Ages.[6]

By the late 20th century, the unicorn had become a recurring motif in children’s toys and media, reflecting broader trends in the commercialization and design of toys during that period.[7]

Trend development

The contemporary unicorn trend emerged in the 2010s as unicorn-themed imagery and pastel or rainbow color palettes became prominent in consumer products and online visual culture.[2] In media coverage, the trend has been closely associated with the popularity of “unicorn food”—highly stylized, brightly colored foods designed for visual appeal and social sharing—which received heightened attention in 2016–2017, including through widely publicized branded products such as Starbucks’ limited-edition Unicorn Frappuccino.[8][9] Academic discussion of “unicorn food” has described it as part of social photography and Instagram-oriented food marketing in the same period.[10]

Contemporary culture

Cultural commentary has noted a significant transformation in the representation of unicorns in modern popular culture, shifting from earlier depictions emphasizing rarity, danger, or moral purity toward increasingly playful, infantilized, and highly colorful forms.[2]

According to The Guardian, this shift reflects a broader change in how the unicorn functions symbolically, moving away from its historical associations toward a visually driven, commercially adaptable icon within contemporary media and consumer culture.[2]

Such contrasting portrayals have been discussed in media analysis of the 2010s unicorn trend. Commentators have contrasted more traditional representations of unicorns in fantasy narratives, including the Harry Potter film series, with the brightly colored and stylized imagery popularized in franchises such as My Little Pony, which has been cited as influential in shaping contemporary unicorn aesthetics.[2][11]

The start of the trend

The emergence of the unicorn trend is generally traced to the mid-2010s, when unicorn-themed aesthetics began to appear across social media, food culture, and consumer branding. Rather than originating from a single source, the trend developed through the convergence of visually oriented online platforms, novelty-driven design, and the circulation of highly shareable imagery.

One of the earliest widely reported manifestations of the unicorn trend was the emergence of so-called “unicorn food.” In mid-2016, health food photographer and blogger Adeline Waugh began sharing images of brightly colored toast made using cream cheese tinted with natural pigments. These visually striking posts attracted significant attention on social media platforms and were commonly referred to in lifestyle media coverage as “unicorn toast.”[12] Following the popularity of Waugh’s posts, similar pastel-colored and decorative food items—including beverages, desserts, and hot chocolate—were widely shared on social media, contributing to the growing visibility of unicorn-themed food aesthetics during this period.

By 2017, the visual aesthetic associated with unicorn food had been adopted by major consumer brands, contributing to the mainstream visibility of the trend. One of the most widely reported examples was Starbucks’ limited-edition Unicorn Frappuccino, a brightly colored beverage that received extensive international media coverage and became closely associated with the broader unicorn food phenomenon.[9]

Media coverage has emphasized that interest in unicorn imagery did not originate with social media, but that digital platforms played a significant role in accelerating its dissemination during the 2010s. Journalistic and academic commentary has linked the rapid spread of unicorn-themed products to their high visual appeal, ease of replication, and suitability for circulation on image-based platforms, particularly Instagram and Pinterest.[2][10]

Scholarly literature has examined the popularity of unicorn imagery in contemporary culture in relation to themes of nostalgia, playful escapism, and digital aesthetics. Academic analyses have explored how brightly colored, fantasy-oriented visual styles function as affective markers within online environments, particularly on image-based platforms where visual novelty and emotional resonance are central to circulation and engagement.[13]

The animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, which premiered in 2010, contributed to the visibility of unicorn imagery in contemporary popular culture through its prominent use of fantasy aesthetics. The series drew on earlier iterations of the My Little Pony franchise dating back to the 1980s, which had already established unicorn characters within children’s media.[11]

The Unicorn Fad

Media coverage frequently cited online engagement metrics as evidence that unicorn-themed aesthetics reached peak popularity in 2017. According to Google Trends, global searches for the term “unicorn” spiked in April 2017, coinciding with the release of Starbucks’ Unicorn Frappuccino.[14][15] During the same period, Pinterest reported substantial increases in searches related to unicorn-themed food and beauty content, while Instagram hashtags associated with unicorn imagery accumulated millions of posts, reflecting the trend’s widespread visibility across social media platforms.[16]

Cultural analysis and interpretation

Cultural commentators and scholars have situated the 2010s resurgence of unicorn imagery within broader developments in digital visual culture and consumer aesthetics. Writing in The Guardian, Alice Fisher described the transformation of the unicorn from a symbol historically associated with rarity, religious purity, and ferocity into a pastel-colored, commercially adaptable icon embedded in social media and consumer branding.[2]

Media analyses have linked the rapid spread of unicorn-themed products to image-based platforms such as Instagram, where highly stylized, brightly colored, and emotionally resonant visuals circulate widely.[11] Lev Manovich, in his study of Instagram and contemporary image culture, has argued that social media platforms privilege visually distinctive and affect-driven imagery, shaping patterns of aesthetic production and consumption in the digital era.[17]

Scholarly discussions of contemporary aesthetics have also examined the cultural logic of “cuteness” as a dominant category in late capitalist consumer culture. Sianne Ngai describes “cute” aesthetics as characterized by softness, vulnerability, and commodifiability, suggesting their strong compatibility with mass-market goods and digital circulation.[18] The widespread adoption of pastel unicorn imagery in food, beauty, fashion, and design has been interpreted within this broader context of digitally mediated nostalgia, playful escapism, and affective branding.

Cultural commentary has further characterized the unicorn as emblematic of the broader cultural mood of the 2010s. In The Guardian, Fisher suggested that the contemporary popularity of unicorn imagery reflects a shift toward symbols of optimism, fantasy, and emotional comfort within a period marked by political and social uncertainty.[2] In this interpretation, the unicorn functions less as a mythological creature than as a flexible cultural signifier adaptable to consumer branding, digital identity, and generational self-expression.

Unicorn imagery has also been discussed in relation to gender expression and LGBTQ symbolism. Scholars have noted the historical association between rainbow aesthetics and queer visibility, as well as the unicorn’s role as a symbol of rarity and difference within LGBTQ communities.[13] Cultural analyses have observed that the animal’s visual transformation into a brightly colored, playful figure has intersected with these symbolic uses, though interpretations vary across contexts.[2]

Subcategories of the trend

Unicorn food

Unicorn cookies

The term "unicorn food" has been used to describe foods characterized by pastel or rainbow color palettes and glitter-like decorations, and it does not necessarily involve depicting a unicorn itself.[10]

The Unicorn Frappuccino was a limited-edition, color-changing beverage featuring pastel hues and a sweet, fruity flavor profile, which gained widespread attention in 2017.[9] Following its release, the visual style associated with the drink was adopted more broadly, and foods ranging from sweet to savory were adapted to a pastel-colored, decorative aesthetic commonly described as “unicorn”. Media coverage documented the proliferation of unicorn-themed recipes and products produced by food bloggers, writers, online content creators, and commercial brands, primarily for circulation on social media platforms.[8] 

As the trend expanded, a wide range of food categories—including desserts, beverages, and some savory dishes—were adapted to this aesthetic, typically emphasizing pastel color palettes and decorative visual elements.

Unicorn beauty

The Unicorn beauty trend refers to the use of pastel color palettes, holographic shades, glitter elements, and fantasy-inspired motifs in cosmetics, nail art, and hairstyling.[19]

The adoption of unicorn-themed aesthetics in the beauty industry has been documented from the late 2000s onward, with some brands incorporating fantasy imagery and pastel color schemes into their visual identities. One frequently cited example is the cosmetics brand Lime Crime, founded in 2008, which used unicorn-related branding as part of its marketing strategy.[20]

The growing visibility of unicorn-inspired beauty aesthetics during the 2010s has also been linked to social media platforms. In 2014, hair colorist and YouTuber Guy Tang shared images of rainbow-colored hairstyles on Instagram, which were widely circulated and cited in lifestyle media as examples of fantasy-inspired beauty trends.[21]

By 2017, unicorn-themed aesthetics had become more visible within mainstream beauty culture, appearing in collaborations and limited-edition product lines. During this period, illustrator Lisa Frank collaborated with Glamour Dolls Makeup on a cosmetics collection featuring brightly colored packaging associated with 1990s visual styles.[22]

Celebrity-branded products also adopted unicorn-themed naming and imagery. In 2018, Paris Hilton released a skincare product marketed as “Unicorn Mist,” which was later reissued following online promotion tied to National Unicorn Day in the United States.[23][24]

In addition to specific products and brands, unicorn-themed naming conventions became common within the beauty industry. Terms such as “unicorn snot,” “unicorn tears,” and “unicorn essence” were used to describe cosmetics featuring holographic or iridescent visual effects rather than literal representations of unicorns. [25]

Unicorn design

Unicorn-themed design has been documented across a range of everyday consumer objects, incorporating pastel color palettes, playful forms, and fantasy-inspired imagery. Such designs have appeared on household items including textiles, drinkware, and novelty accessories.

Among the more visible examples of unicorn-themed design during the 2010s were large inflatable pool float shaped as unicorns, which attracted attention in popular media as part of broader novelty design trends.[26]

Unicorn fashion

Unicorn-themed imagery also appeared within the fashion industry during the 2010s, particularly through the use of pastel color palettes, playful motifs, and references to fantasy and childhood culture. Apparel, footwear, accessories, and related items such as phone cases and tattoos incorporated unicorn imagery alongside materials including sheer fabrics and fake fur, often emphasizing bright or iridescent visual effects.

Several high-profile fashion events featured unicorn-related imagery as part of runway presentations. In 2016, actress Margot Robbie wore an Alexander McQueen gown adorned with a gold sequin unicorn to the premiere of the film Suicide Squad. In 2017, during Milan Fashion Week, the fashion house Moschino presented a capsule collection developed in collaboration with the toy brand My Little Pony, drawing on the franchise’s visual style and color palette.[27] Models were parading on the runway clothed with bubble-gum pink and baby blue looks displaying the toys' graphic.

Unicorn imagery also appeared in more conceptual runway presentations. At Paris Fashion Week in 2018, designer Thom Browne concluded his show with a staged appearance featuring a unicorn figure, interpreted through an elaborate costume worn by two models, which was widely discussed in fashion media as part of the broader trend toward theatrical and symbolic runway elements.[28]

See also

References

  1. ^ Abad-Santos, Alex (17 May 2017). "The Inescapable Unicorn Trend, Explained". Vox. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Fisher, Alice (15 October 2017). "Why the unicorn has become the emblem of our times". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
  3. ^ Pastoureau, Michel (2011). The Bear: History of a Fallen King. Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674047822.
  4. ^ Barber, Richard (1999). The Holy Grail: Imagination and Belief. Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674013902.
  5. ^ Shepard, Odell (1979). The Lore of the Unicorn. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780060907211.
  6. ^ "Unicorn". Encyclopædia Britannica (Academic ed.). 17 December 2010.
  7. ^ Cross, Gary (1997). Kids' Stuff: Toys and the Changing World of American Childhood. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674898303.
  8. ^ a b "'Unicorn food' is colourful, sparkly and everywhere". The New York Times. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  9. ^ a b c "Starbucks joins 'unicorn food' craze with new drink". BBC News. 19 April 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  10. ^ a b c Truman, Emily (2022). "Picturing Digital Tastes: #unicornlatte, Social Photography, and Instagram Food Marketing". Food Instagram: Identity, Influence, and Negotiation. University of Illinois Press. pp. 115–131. doi:10.5622/illinois/9780252044465.001.0001.
  11. ^ a b c Zuckerman, Esther (17 May 2017). "The unicorn trend, explained". Vox. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  12. ^ Davis, Arianna (8 May 2017). "What's Really Behind Unicorn Fever". Refinery29. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  13. ^ a b Balirano, Giuseppe (2020). "Of Rainbow Unicorns: The Role of Bonding Queer Icons in Contemporary LGBTIQ+ Re-Positionings". Journal of Language and Sexuality. 9 (1). doi:10.12977/ocula2020-7.
  14. ^ Thompson, Rachel (7 July 2017). "The Unicorn Trend Is No Longer a Rarity. Can We Please Call Time on It?". Mashable. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  15. ^ "Google Trends: unicorn". Google Trends. Google. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  16. ^ Jensen, Erin (22 August 2017). "Unicorns: We've Officially Reached Peak Unicorn Trend. But Is It Here to Stay?". USA Today. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  17. ^ Manovich, Lev (2017). Instagram and Contemporary Image. Manovich.net. ISBN 9785990865525.
  18. ^ Ngai, Sianne (2012). Our Aesthetic Categories: Zany, Cute, Interesting. Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674046580.
  19. ^ "What's Really Behind Unicorn Fever". Refinery29. 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  20. ^ "Lime Crime: Leveraging the Crowds for Makeup for Unicorns". Harvard Business School Digital Initiative. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  21. ^ Allure (15 July 2017). "Guy Tang Reveals the Secrets Behind His Rainbow-Colored Dye Jobs". Allure. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  22. ^ Sciarretto, Amy (3 November 2017). "What's in Glamour Dolls' Lisa Frank Makeup Collection? Your Inner '90s Kid Will Be Stoked". Bustle. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  23. ^ Mandell, Janna (30 November 2017). "Paris Hilton Launches Skincare Line with Unicorn Mist; Cue Shocked Face". Forbes. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  24. ^ Trivedi, Sachin (2 October 2019). "Paris Hilton Celebrates National Unicorn Day by Re-Releasing Sold Out Product". International Business Times. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  25. ^ Wischhover, Cheryl (20 March 2017). "How Did 'Unicorn' Become Beauty's Goal Aesthetic?". Racked. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  26. ^ Mason, Melissa (13 March 2018). "These Extremely Portly 6-Person Pool Floats Are Demonic & Must Be Eliminated". Pedestrian. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  27. ^ "Moschino Launches Nostalgic My Little Pony Collection". Harper’s Bazaar UK. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  28. ^ Muller, Marissa G. (3 October 2017). "Thom Browne Takes the Unicorn Trend to a New Peak with His Spring 2018 Show in Paris". W Magazine. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
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