• Newsletters
  • Subscribe
/
1x
Advertisement
SNP's word of the day: Iconoplast
Illustration by Lewis Mirrett
Celebrity

SNP’s word of the day: Iconoplast

By Sarah Nicole Prickett
Copy link

SNP's word of the day: Iconoplast
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!”

Advertisement

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.

Copy link
Advertisement
Advertisement

Fashion FWD:

The next best thing to being a fashion editor - BTS access to trends, products & news.

By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Subscribe to FASHION!

Subscribe to FASHION!

FASHION magazine inspires and empowers with fashion and style trends, aimed at all sizes, ages, ethnicities, genders, and sexual orientations.

  • In This Issue
  • Style
  • Beauty
  • Wellness
  • Travel
  • The Drop
© 2026 SJC.Privacy PolicyTerms of Use