TikTokers look to Bob Dylan for fashion inspo

Between his numerous musical awards, his Oscar for best song written for a movie, his Golden Globe, his Legion of Honor and his Nobel Prize for Literature, few musicians have had as much impact on their times as Bob Dylan. His influence is such that it has now given rise to a new aesthetic trend on TikTok, dubbed Bob Dylan Core. 

The associated hashtag (#bobdylancore) totals almost 12 million views on the social network, proving that it has struck a chord with TikTokers. The videos show young adults imitating the style and postures of the American singer. In particular, there’s a craze for reproducing the stance he adopts on the cover of his second studio album, The Freewheelin‘ Bob Dylan from 1963.

This picture shows him walking through a snowy New York street with his then-girlfriend Suze Rotolo on his arm. In this shot, Bob Dylan is wearing a brown suede jacket, which looks far too lightweight for the harsh New York winter. This, no doubt, explains why he appears hunched over himself, his hands hidden deep in the pockets of his jeans. 

This image, taken by photographer Don Hunstein, has helped build the Dylan legend over the years. It has even been reproduced in several films and series, including Cameron Crowe’s Vanilla Sky and Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There. But Andrew Clark, a TikToker better known as @stringbeanboy13, saw it above all as an opportunity to launch a new viral trend on the app. 

A singular style

According to Rolling Stone magazine, the 25-year-old American appears to be behind the Bob Dylan Core trend, thanks to a video in which he strolls the streets of New York in a jacket as light as the one worn by the legendary musician on the cover of his second album. This humorous post, set to the soundtrack of Dylan’s Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright, has been viewed over 2.1 million times in just a few months. 

But above all, it has spawned a slew of parody videos in which TikTok users film themselves wearing jackets that are far too thin for the season. Some opt for suede jackets in keeping with Dylan, while others turn to denim, leather or any other unsuitably lightweight material. 

The aim is above all to wear something that is too cold for the fall weather.

“I had someone in my comment section ask me where he could get a Bob Dylan style jacket, which I thought was just hilarious ’cause there’s just no such thing. A jacket that isn’t warm enough is a Bob Dylan type jacket,” Bob Dylan Core adopter, Aidan Hull, told Rolling Stone. 

While this aesthetic trend remains a niche one, it shows the extent to which young people are seizing on creations and artists as legendary as Bob Dylan in a variety of offbeat ways. They talk less of him for his musical and literary achievements than for his surprising sense of style.

This humorous appropriation of Bob Dylan’s look may seem surprising, but it has the merit of bringing the artist’s work to a new audience.

“Even if there’s someone who does it and doesn’t really know much about him, at least they now know Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” Andrew Clarke told Rolling Stone.

“And maybe they’re going to look at ‘This is Bob Dylan’ on Spotify. Or maybe next time they’re at a record shop, they’ll see one of his albums and pick it up.”