The quality, behavior, or ideology of being a fribble; excessive concern with fashion, appearance, and trivialities rather than serious matters.
Compound of 'fribble' and the suffix '-ism,' from Greek '-ismos,' used to create nouns describing ideologies, practices, or characteristics. The term was particularly used in 18th-century social commentary.
Words ending in '-ism' are political and social weapons—'fribbleism' was used to mock people (especially men) who cared too much about fashion and appearance. This shows how language reflects social values; what counts as an 'ism' worth naming tells us what a society considers important enough to criticize.
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