by Kailee Parsons

Over the summer, it took twenty minutes for my cousin to explain the word ‘aesthetic’ to our parents, and I’m still not sure they understand. She doesn’t mean it in the adjective sense, she explained, but rather the noun: she’s talking about the attributes of a particular fashion or lifestyle. It’s about who you are as a person, how you dress, what sort of hobbies you enjoy, and how you reflect this. For lack of a better word, your aesthetic is your vibe; it’s how you express yourself to the world.

She’s clearly exasperated by their confusion, and I understand why. The term has been part of her vocabulary ever since she’s had any interest in personal expression, and it’s a term that crops up daily in casual conversation with friends. But while people have always expressed themselves through their clothing, hobbies, and the kind of groups they belong to, the concept of aesthetic subcultures seems to be relatively new.

Practically, it comes from the internet. Aesthetic mood boards have been springing up on Pinterest and Instagram for years now, while a quick search on YouTube yields instructional videos for living one’s best ‘dark academia’ or ‘cottagecore’ life. Over the past year in particular, these subcultures have risen in popularity due to their presence on TikTok.

For the uninitiated, ‘dark academia’ imagines and romanticises the gothic side of university life, often setting its characters in old, esteemed universities or boarding schools and dressing them in dark colours, tweeds, and plaids. It is inspired by novels such as The Secret History and If We Were Villains and films such as Kill Your Darlings and Dead Poets Society. Meanwhile, ‘cottagecore’ idealises the simple life, picturing its subjects in breezy summer dresses and linens, living in peace in a cottage deep in the woods or countryside. Someone with an ‘art hoe/art mom’ aesthetic can be recognised by her bright yellow Fjallraven Kånken backpack, paint-splattered dungarees, and love of all things Van Gogh. Other terms such as ‘VSCO girl’ and ‘soft boi’ are less specific, perhaps, but nevertheless recognisable.

While these are among the most popular, aesthetics are no means limited by these categories. In fact, it seems there is no such thing as too niche. Want to dress like a pirate? Sure, there’s an aesthetic for that. Dream of becoming a lighthouse keeper? There are several existing mood boards on Pinterest. Frankly, it’s a little ridiculous how many there are, but in a positive, somewhat amusing way. It’s also wildly fascinating from a cultural standpoint, and I wanted to know what exactly inspired this way of thinking, so I took to Instagram to ask.

“I think these kinds of aesthetics have always existed, but the increased connectedness of the internet allows subcultures to grow very rapidly,” said Ferdia McKeough. “People generally like finding communities to be a part of, as sort of a tribal nature thing.”

Kas Schroeder thinks the specifics may have something to do with Generation Z’s childhood. “If you look at a lot of things that we grew up watching and reading, it maps with those aesthetics. Harry Potter, Howl's Moving Castle… any Disney film really is either major cottagecore or dark academia.”

Fashion has always been a means of self-expression. We aren’t defined by what we wear, but it does provide some information to others about our identity: whether we are shy or flamboyant, for example, what kind of circles we move in, how wealthy we are, which era we live in, or at least, how we wish to be seen. Adopting a dark academic aesthetic might mean you wish to be seen as mysterious, elegant, or studious, while cottagecore might imply that you’d like to be thought of as soft, gentle, and just a bit ethereal. Celebrities and influencers inspire trends, which we then try to emulate or disregard to the end that we end up conveying something else about ourselves, such as the desire to be unique and nonconformist.

While self-expression is by no means a negative thing, it can seem discouraging to think of our tendency to brand and label ourselves in an era already inundated with branding. But aesthetics don’t seem to be as dramatic as all that, as long as one isn’t bound by the limits of a particular lifestyle. Most of the people I spoke to agreed that they were often inspired by aesthetic subcultures, but could not (and wouldn’t want to) commit to just one.

But aesthetics evoke a whole world beyond clothing and accessories, so the desire to draw inspiration from one or several must have some appeal beyond expressions of identity. I wondered if aesthetics are an evolved form of escapism — a chance to play pretend, dress up, and imagine a world that is more appealing than reality. The yearning for cottagecore, for example, might be born out of a desire to escape an increasingly complicated, capitalist, and fast-paced society where worries of climate change abound.

“It feels to me like a return to romanticism and the idea of returning to nature when we feel like we are overwhelmed by technology and the issues that arise from modernity,” said Kas.

I asked Molly Luckhurst what she thought about it. “I think there is a facet of escapism. I think it’s almost more about romanticising what is often a very mundane and unromantic everyday life — wandering around town and going into a coffee shop feels more dramatic if you feel as though you have dressed for the occasion.”

Given that escapism seems to play a major role in aestheticism, then, I wondered if it could be a coincidence that they’ve taken off during 2020. It seems as though the pandemic has played a vital role, especially when it comes to dark academia, as university students were sent home in March and many incoming freshers’ plans were put on hold.

“I think it definitely has something to do with escapism, especially right now,” said Kiah Lassinger. “Why not escape into the world of Harry Potter if it makes you happy? Everything here right now sucks.”

I would argue that aesthetics go beyond escapism in a way that is largely positive. By drawing inspiration from a certain aesthetic, you aren’t just trying to escape, you’re actively shaping your life to better reflect the way you want it to be in a way that is harmless and relatively easy. Ferdia noted that, because a lot of the aesthetics are inspired by vintage styles, it might lead to the increase in popularity of buying second-hand clothing and moving away from fast fashion, which is good for the environment. Of course, as with anything, it is going to be more difficult to find certain pieces in charity shops if they are more in demand. Matthew Grey expressed these concerns: “I also imagine that different brands are springing up and hopping on this trend and selling coats for £100 that previously you could have got for £3 in a charity shop... I also think charity shops are getting more expensive.”

If it is sometimes difficult to acquire certain pieces or attain certain attributes, then, can aesthetic subcultures be exclusive?

“There’s definitely an aspect of irony to some of these aesthetics — if you take my previous example of The Secret History and dark academia, it’s funny that a theme of that novel is opposing the idea of adhering strongly to an aesthetic or a stylistic ideal, yet it has inspired an entire branch of internet fashion. The presentation of aesthetics on the internet is very Eurocentric and often elitist — people need to be careful not to become so wedded to the supposed rules of a fashion style that they end up gatekeeping and excluding people. They are, after all, just clothes,” said Molly.

But what may have started as exclusivity in texts such as The Secret History has been expanded to include a more diverse group of people. I would argue that one of the greatest attributes of Generation Z, broadly speaking, is the desire for inclusivity and ability to alter existing concepts to better fit the current era.

“I would like to think they're inclusive, yeah,” said Kas. “Cottagecore in particular is incredibly LGBT+ friendly and a lot of dark academia has definitely been about addressing the issues of the current canon of media in that aesthetic being elitist and Eurocentric. I definitely see a trend towards inclusivity with a lot of subcultures, from all the goth and punk subcultures to vintage, retro, cottagecore, dark academia, etc.”

And, as long as they are inclusive, Matthew doesn’t mind where the inspiration comes from. “I think most of the clothes I wear were shaped by European design history,” Matthew said. “I wouldn’t really feel comfortable wearing a masaiare or something clearly trying to be an achkan.”

ST.ART does not own the rights to any images used in this article.