If you’ve spent any time on TikTok or scrolling through high-fashion runways lately, you’ve seen the "babushka" look. Rappers like A$AP Rocky have rocked it. Grandmothers in rural Ukraine have worn it for centuries. But if you walk up to a Russian speaker and use the word wrong, you might get a very confused look—or a lecture.
The word is everywhere. Yet, most people outside of Eastern Europe are actually using it to describe an object, when in reality, it describes a person. It’s a linguistic quirk that has traveled across borders, picking up new meanings like lint on a wool sweater.
So, let's get into what a babushka actually is, why the fashion world stole the name, and why your grandma might be one (even if she’s never seen a headscarf in her life).
The Human Element: It's a Person, Not a Hat
At its most basic, literal level in Russian (бабушка), a babushka is a grandmother. That’s it. It’s the woman who gives you too much soup and asks why you aren't wearing a jacket when it’s 60 degrees out.
The word comes from "baba," an older, sometimes slightly archaic term for a woman or a peasant wife. Add the suffix "-ushka" and it becomes an endearing diminutive. It's warm. It’s familial. In many Slavic cultures, the babushka is the pillar of the household. She is the keeper of recipes, the disciplinarian, and the one who survived the hardest winters of the 20th century.
However, in the West, we’ve done this weird thing where we’ve turned the person into the accessory. If you buy a floral scarf and tie it under your chin, people will say, "Oh, you’re wearing a babushka." To a native speaker, that sounds as ridiculous as pointing at someone’s shoes and saying, "Nice grandfather you have there."
The scarf itself? That’s a kosynka or a platok.
📖 Related: Closet Under Stairs Storage: Why Most Homeowners Waste This Space
Why the World Started Calling Scarves Babushkas
Language is messy. It doesn’t follow rules when it travels. The reason Americans and Brits started calling the headscarf a "babushka" is likely due to visual association. During the Cold War and the decades of immigration that followed, the most iconic image of an Eastern European woman was an elderly lady with a triangular scarf tied firmly under her chin to keep the wind out of her ears.
The image became so synonymous with the word that the object and the person merged into one in the English-speaking brain.
By the 1960s, even high-society women in the West were adopting the look. Queen Elizabeth II was perhaps the most famous non-Slavic "babushka" style icon. She wore her silk Hermès scarves tied under the chin for decades while at Balmoral or the Royal Windsor Horse Show. For her, it was practical—keeping her hair set while out in the Scottish mist. But the name stuck.
The A$AP Rocky Effect
Fast forward to 2018. A$AP Rocky shows up to the LACMA Art + Film Gala wearing a silk Gucci scarf tied exactly like a Russian grandmother. He didn't just wear it; he leaned into it. He released a song called "Babushka Boi." Suddenly, Gen Z was obsessed.
This wasn't about being a grandmother anymore. It was about "babushka chic." It was a flex. It was about taking something traditionally coded as "elderly" and "modest" and making it ironic and expensive.
The Cultural Weight of the Real Babushka
Beyond the fashion, we need to talk about the actual role these women play. In countries like Russia, Ukraine, Poland, and Belarus, the "Babushka" is a cultural force.
They are the ones you see sitting on benches outside apartment blocks. In the West, we sometimes dismiss the elderly. In the East, you do not mess with the babushkas on the bench. They know everything. They are the neighborhood security system. They know who came home late, who’s dating whom, and whose curtains are dirty.
There is a specific resilience associated with them. Think about the women born in the 1930s and 40s. They lived through the collapse of the Soviet Union, extreme poverty, and massive social upheaval. When you see a woman in a floral platok selling home-grown radishes outside a subway station in Kyiv, you aren't just looking at a "trend." You’re looking at a survivalist.
Common Misconceptions and How to Not Sound Silly
Let’s clear up some of the most annoying mistakes people make.
First off, the dolls. You know the wooden nesting dolls that fit inside each other? People constantly call them "babushka dolls."
✨ Don't miss: Why Jordan 10 Red and Black Still Matters
They are Matryoshka dolls.
While they often depict a stylized version of a motherly figure, they have their own specific name. Calling them babushka dolls is sort of like calling a Barbie a "human doll." Technically true in theme, but wrong in name.
Second, the pronunciation. In English, people tend to say "ba-BOOSH-ka," putting the stress on the middle syllable. In the original Russian, the stress is actually on the first syllable: BA-bush-ka. It’s shorter, punchier, and sounds a bit less like a cartoon character.
How to Pull Off the Style Without Disrespecting the Culture
If you're going to lean into the aesthetic, it's worth doing it with a bit of knowledge. The "Babushka style" is essentially a masterclass in utility.
- The Knot: A true babushka tie is under the chin. If you tie it behind the neck, that’s more of a "pirate" or 1950s "Hollywood starlet" look (think Audrey Hepburn in a convertible). The under-the-chin knot is what defines the babushka aesthetic.
- The Fabric: Traditionally, these were wool for warmth or cheap cotton for work. Modern fashion uses silk. If you want the authentic look, look for "Pavlovo Posad" shawls. These are the real deal—intricate floral patterns on high-quality wool with silk fringe.
- The Attitude: The look is about being unbothered. It’s about comfort over the male gaze. It’s cozy.
The Modern Evolution
Today, the term has been reclaimed by younger generations in the diaspora. You’ll see "Babushka’s Kitchen" pop-up restaurants in Brooklyn or London. It’s used as a badge of honor. It represents a connection to a heritage that felt "uncool" for a long time but now feels like a grounding force in a digital world.
Even in the world of skincare, "babushka secrets" like using potato slices for under-eye bags or rinsing hair with vinegar have made a comeback. It turns out, the old ladies knew what they were doing.
Moving Forward With Your New Knowledge
Now that you know a babushka is a person and a platok is the scarf, you can navigate the world of Eastern European culture (or just high-fashion TikTok) without looking like a tourist.
If you want to actually incorporate this into your life beyond just a fashion statement, start by looking into the real history of the women who inspired the term. Read about the "Night Witches" of WWII or the "Babushkas of Chernobyl" who refused to leave their homes after the nuclear disaster.
🔗 Read more: Finding Guy Names Unique Enough to Actually Stand Out
If you're planning on buying a scarf, try to source an authentic one from Eastern European artisans rather than a fast-fashion knockoff. It supports the actual culture the look comes from. And next time you see someone rocking a silk scarf tied under their chin, you can tell them, "Cool platok," and watch them wonder how you got so cultured.
Check your labels. Learn the stress on the first syllable. Respect the grandmas.