‘Female gaze,’ ‘flex office’: Words predicted to be in vogue for 2021

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A new year means new perspectives. Here are some words which ETX Studio would like to see to officially appear in the dictionary, and which they expect people to be using more in everyday life in the coming months.

Audio story: At ETX Studio, the year 2021 means audio. And they hope to share this passion with you. In every language, a platform can turn any text into an audio version illustrated with images, just like “stories” on social media.

Cyberminimalism: This term, popularized by French author Karine Mauvilly, refers to a pared-down approach to technology. After all, now that we’ve managed to turn our homes into minimalist havens thanks to Marie Kondo, why not do the same with our digital habits? Let’s ditch our smartphones, put away our tablets, turn off our computers and try to resist the tyranny of the digital. We’ve already heard this piece of advice a thousand times, but in 2021, it’s time to implement it.

Detourism: Every crisis provides an opportunity to think about our ways of living. The first on the list is the way we travel, which often borders on the frenetic. We can no longer continue to explore the world just to post beautiful pictures on social media. Detourism is the willingness to travel differently, favoring local getaways and letting ourselves be carried away by the unknown. So put on your best walking shoes and set off on an adventure.

Earthing: Walking barefoot in the cool grass or on the warm sand of the beach. While the idea is as old as the world, the need to reconnect to our natural environment has never been stronger than in 2020, after long weeks of lockdown. That’s why “earthing” (also known as grounding), the practice of putting your body in physical contact with the earth, may be the key wellness trend to integrate into our daily lives in 2021.

Eco-gastronomy: Have you heard of the famous “slow food” movement? Eco-gastronomy takes up the same principles and advocates reconciling gustatory pleasure with respect for the environment and local products. It might be tempting to eat strawberries in winter, but why not choose more seasonal fruits such as clementines or apples? For the New Year, let’s strive to become informed eco-gastronomes.

Female gaze: Even if you have never heard of “the male gaze,” you have undoubtedly encountered it many times in your life. The male point of view is everywhere, in the films that you watch, in the books that you read, in the commercials that you watch on TV. How about trying to favor “the female gaze” rather than the masculine perspective? In 2021, let’s choose more works created by women.

Flex office: A kind of best of all worlds of work, which we dream of. The ability to choose an office desk on Monday and swap it for a coworking space on Tuesday. Or even better, to work from home on Thursday, at your parents’ house on Friday and from abroad the following week. The pandemic introduced us to a more flexible way to work, and the flex office fits both current restrictions and our wants, making us truly nomadic workers.

Skin fasting: We trust our skin to regenerate itself without the dozens of products we’ve become accustomed to applying in recent years. In 2021, we will favor intense but less frequent skin routines over a slew of unnecessary and expensive products that are often bad for the planet. After this unsettling year, let’s get back to basics.

Vorfreude: This German word from across the Rhine is one of the hard-to-translate terms included in the Positive Lexicography Project. The noun refers to “the joyful anticipation derived from imagining future pleasures.” Like the idea of having a drink with your friends or not having to wear a mask all the time. These are simple sources of “vorfreude” that we all want to experience again in 2021. JB