the rise of the cottagecore aesthetic

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Taking a deep dive into the aesthetic of cottagecore, discussing it's cultural and historical influences, eco-consciousness, consumerism, individualism, classism and the future of humanity.

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[dialiaga]

Although I'm not that into cottagecore, I have been teaching myself to sew and repair clothes so that when society collapses I can exchange that service for pain killers.

[ImmyLucas]

I loveeed this video, and I loooove watching cottagecore videos. Where there is something good, Capitalism will come and claim it. That intro though...I'd watch your cottagecore alt channel

[KristenLeo]

y'all better like this video cause I haven't had a moment of rest for the past two weeks trying to make this

[ChrisBrooks]

I freely admit to adoring the cottagecore asethetic and light academy. It just it hits something inside of me that I love and I just love to see all the girls dress up and do their thing and find cute vintage style pieces.

[marleyhernandez]

I love Kristen because she posts videos on topics that I have never seen anywhere else, rather than repeating everyone else's thoughts

[michellechiperi]

I think that people who aim to look cottagecore by buying from Shein and Amazon aren't thinking about the ideology behind it, and might not even be aware of it honestly

[Randomstuffs]

I actually live in a British cottage and so I absolutely get why cottagecore is a thing. My life is so much more insular, which usually would be a bad thing, but right now with all the terrible things going on in the world, it's really nice. Covid has barely changed my life at all, I hope everyone else can experience this kind of peace at some point, at least just to see what it's like to not have to worry about things that are outside of their control and be absorbed in what surrounds them instead.
And Jiji is queen

[HanonSama]

Pretty sure cottage core is on the rise because of modern overstimulation and the lack of "nature" around us, when none of us really, REALLY want to do any of the work associated with cottage core besides cooking, flower arranging, and maybe- just maybe- herb gardening.

But, we're not the ones who started this trend- it was Marie Antoinette 😂

[hugol]

My favourite joke of the month is "Cottagecore is just a fancy way to say that you want to be a hobbit".

[sunflowers]

wow interesting points. personally, what draws me to “cottage core” is coziness, beauty, coziness, gardening, sanctuary, coziness, coziness, homeyness, coziness, & coziness

[rainbow_lorelei]

As someone who lives in an English cottage in the New Forest, cottagecore is a natural fit. However there are so many issues with it: the fashion is honestly so hard to thrift (now it's mainstream) and people put so much into the aesthetic and nothing into the lifestyle. For me cottagecore is growing as much as my own food as I can, altering thrifted finds to make them work and sewing what I can't thrift, foriging, buying from small businesses when I can afford it and not giving a shit when it goes out of fashion again.

[JustAHorrorShow]

Most of my "cottagecore" clothes are actually vintage from the 70s.

Thanks for mentioning how this aesthetic is likely to appeal to neurodivegent people. I am neurodivergent and from the city. This aesthetic has always appealed to me. I've never stuck to one aesthetic with my clothes but when it comes to the lifestyle I want and the type of home I want to live in, it's always that peaceful and quiet cottage life I want.

Also as an artist I find the idea of being able to live off the land and grow my own food to be very appealing.

[SarahEsmaeWolfe]

As much as I understand the appeal, I am someone who actually grew up in the countryside. I think most of cottagecore is just people glamorizing the lifestyle without wanting to do any of the work that goes along with it. How many "cottagecore" people actually grow their own food and cook from scratch and can for the winter and keep chickens at the very least? Also, where I grew up was not at all tolerant or open-minded. It's a very secluded lifestyle in reality which leads to ignorance.

[strawberryfrog]

Cottagecore for me was about discovering slow living. Yes, the style finally put the name on the type of clothes I always loved, but what drew me in was making things with your own hands... making stuff from scratch, cooking, baking, taking care of others and yourself, not getting sucked into working so much I don't leave my house (which I still do, it's a process), reconnecting with my family... I grew up in a multigenerational home and living in a big city abroad in the middle of the Panini made me ACHE for making pasta with my grandma, picking elderflowers for cordial with my mum, the local milk we get from the lady with cows, homegrown produce... And when the internet offers it back and wraps it up in a progressive, accepting and inclusive society, what more could I possibly ask for?

[hollyexley]

"An unconscious preparation for collapse" - That's it, that's totally it.

[olgaw]

When I first heard about cottagecore I totally missed the fashion aspect of it idk I just thought it centered around gardening, cooking. Still when I think of cottagecore I see vegetable garden, dirty nails, big boots, lots of bugs and stuff like that 😅 that's what's in my fantasy

[sveme]

As someone active on tumblr when cottage core as subculture started it is absolutely wild to see it become mainstream and commodified in real time

[preranajoshi]

I'm from india and I related so hard when you said that people in your country throw away old things or don't really have an appreciation for vintage. india used to have huge communities where things would get reused over and over and everything was essentially zero waste but due to the competition from the west, mass production and mass consumption began gaining traction. now people are slowly going back to their roots and supporting the gazillion indeginius crafts that we had left behind for years and i have only the cottage core, vintage core, sustainability movement and the pandemic to thank for that.

[ameliab]

Loved the video Kristen! I'm from Scotland and in the last 10 years, we could really see the prices of cottage houses in the highlands and islands going through the roof. It is pretty much impossible for the younger generation to buy a house as we have people from England selling their properties to move up to Scotland. For the price of the London flat you can buy a mansion in the highlands. You can really see the difference on the islands like Islay, Harris, Skye etc. where communities simply cannot afford to buy a house and if you can't afford the house, you have no place to stay, if you have no place to stay you can't get a job. They just end up leaving and the island is replaced with pensioners and houses turned into very expensive Airbnb's. I think particularly last year, when the pandemic hit people realised that they could live slower life and the idea of living somewhere rural for a lot cheaper in Scotland became a legit idea (which I don't blame them for, as Scottish landscape is amazing!) but unfortunately it is already doing a real damage to Scottish communities.

[SherrainePhillips]

It’s interesting how your race determines what you see on social media. As a black girl I’ve literally mostly seen black girls in cottage core. Good old algorithms separating us 😕