SNP’s word of the day: Iconoplast

By Sarah Nicole Prickett | January 10th, 2012 | 12:30 pm

Illustration by Lewis Mirrett

Word: Iconoplast

Meaning: One who chooses to age naturally (or at least, who appears to age naturally).

Usage: “I love what Julianne Moore hasn’t done with her face; she’s such an iconoplast!”

You should know it because: Sometimes—or perhaps always, and I only sometimes notice—New York Times Magazine puts up neologisms for adoption. I love reading these, duh, although sometimes they should most definitely not be used as words. “Skinjecture,” for example, as in to speculate about who has had plastic surgery? Grossssss. “Iconoplast,” though, is great. It’s a hybrid of “iconoclast,” which in turn is taken from iconoclasm, and “plastic,” as in plastic surgery.

To wit, it means someone who rebels against the institution of artificial aging, and perfectly describes Meryl Streep—soon to be seen as Maggie Thatcher in The Iron Lady. If you want more Streep, gaze at her through the lenses of various decades on LVMH superblog NOWNESS; it’s clear she never gets less real or less remarkable-looking. The word also describes Julianne Moore, who sure showed Nicole Kidman, hey? It describes advanced style heroes like Iris Apfel and Grace Coddington and Helen Mirren, who’s even more a favourite of the red carpet than she was in her thirties. All these women can say that their faces are real—and they are spectacular.

Join the discussion

Neither the author nor FASHION Magazine necessarily agrees with the comments posted here. Editors will not correct spelling or grammar. FASHION Magazine reserves the right to edit or delete comments entirely.