camp

"Camp" isn't just about pitching a tent in the woods! While it can mean setting up a temporary home outdoors—think tents, campfires, and s'mores—it also has a wonderfully quirky second life. In the world of style and culture, "camp" describes something that is intentionally exaggerated, theatrical, and often humorous. Think over-the-top fashion, dramatic gestures, or anything delightfully artificial.

You might go camping in Yosemite National Park, but you might describe a flamboyant outfit or a dramatic performance as being "very camp." In conversation, you may also hear camp used to mean a side or faction—being “in the pro-tech camp,” for example. The aesthetic sense gained popularity in the 20th century, celebrated for its irony and rejection of conventional norms. Susan Sontag famously explored this in her 1964 essay, defining it as a "love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration." So next time you see something wonderfully ridiculous and fabulous, remember—it might just be camp!

The word "camp" possesses a fascinating duality. At its most literal, a camp refers to a place where people stay temporarily in tents, cabins, or simple shelters, typically for recreation, military training, or as a place of refuge. This is the root of common phrases like "camping trip," "summer camp," and "base camp." It is a word that evokes images of sleeping bags, hiking boots, and starlit nights.

As a verb, to camp means to live or stay somewhere temporarily, especially outdoors (“We camped by the lake”), and it can also be used more casually for settling in a spot for a while (“She camped out in front of the TV”). Related forms include camp out and encamp (to set up a camp, often for a longer stay).

However, "camp" also describes a distinct aesthetic sensibility—a style that is intentionally artificial, exaggerated, and often ironic. As a creative mode, camp revels in the theatrical and the over-the-top. It is about embracing artifice and celebrating things often considered to be in "bad taste" with a knowing wink. It transforms the serious into the frivolous and the mundane into the spectacular.

This second meaning has nothing to do with nature; instead, it is about performance and a playful subversion of cultural norms. It thrives on bright colors, bold patterns, and flamboyant costumes. Cult classics like the film Pink Flamingos or the extravagant costumes seen at the Met Gala are often cited as prime examples of the camp aesthetic.

The concept was brought into the mainstream by Susan Sontag's influential 1964 essay, "Notes on 'Camp,'" where she famously described it as a "love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration." It is about finding beauty in the unexpected and celebrating things that are "so bad, they're good." So, whether you are building a campfire in the wilderness or admiring a particularly outrageous piece of pop culture, remember that "camp" bridges the gap between a rugged outdoor stay and a fabulous, performative extravagance.

One more common extension is camp meaning a group with a shared position or identity (“the skeptical camp,” “the conservative camp”). In this sense, the word points not to tents or theater, but to where someone “stands” in a debate.