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(The song isn’t a happy cottagecore song, it’s about poc oppression. Using this song the wrong way can be offensive)
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*Dreams by The Cranberries
  
*Dreams by The Cranberries
 
*Choking on Flowers by Fox Academy
  
*Choking on Flowers by Fox Academy
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*Strawberry Blond by Mitski
  
 
*Strawberry Fields Forever by the Beatles
  
*Strawberry Fields Forever by the Beatles
 
*Yellow by Coldplay
  
*Yellow by Coldplay

Revision as of 21:50, 14 July 2021

TW: This page includes documentation of politics and political controversy, and includes mentions of fascism and white supremacy.


Cottagecore, also known as farmcore and countrycore, is inspired by a romanticized interpretation of western agricultural life. It is centered on ideas of simple living and harmony with nature. Themes associated with cottagecore include self-sufficiency, baking, and caring for people. While the aesthetic is prevalent on several social media sites, such as on Instagram and more recently TikTok, the community notably prospers on Tumblr. It is particularly popular within lesbian and woman-loving-woman (WLW) communities.

Despite a number of its followers taking a progressive and subversive outlook on life, Cottagecore has been also criticized for its romanticism of eurocentric farming life. It has also been criticized in the context of North American and Australian settings, an inadvertent celebration of the aesthetics of colonialism, as well as the ways it often simplifies and underestimates the labor of farmers. It is due to these connotations that the use of Cottagecore aesthetics has been adopted by the TradWives community and members of the far-right as forms of propaganda. This has led to media criticism despite their opposition to LGBTQ+ and anti-capitalist adherents of Cottagecore.

Cottagecore is often compared to aesthetics such as Grandparentcore, which seek to evoke a similar sense of nostalgia. It is also related to Naturecore and Warmcore.

History

This section is under construction

Cottagecore is a continuation of ideas that have existed for millenia and uses visuals that are based in the aesthetic of the European countrysides. The evolution of these ideas into contemporary Cottagecore, an aesthetic borne out of the internet and among teenagers to young adults, is the primary history of this section, but also describes the history of Cottagecore's precursors as well.

During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, Cottagecore activities such as baking bread[1], playing Animal Crossing[2], gardening, sewing, and other handicrafts[3] rose in popularity. Coupled with a rise of the app TikTok, people were more exposed to handicrafts and

Visuals

This section is currently being rewritten

Cottagecore has a naturalistic color palette with light green foliage, browns of natural stones and wood, straw, and flowers. Lighting is always natural, with sunlight being the de facto light source. Morning to late afternoon "golden hour" is the range of lighting.

Nature is of course the main visual of the aesthetic. The most common photographic subject is wild fields of grass with small wildflowers dotted throughout. Deciduous forest is also common, always in green during spring and summer, with autumnal colors and wintertime being rare. However, unlike more wild aesthetics such as Naturecore, there is almost always signs of human involvement in the rural space. Fences, clothes lines, picnicking, and controlled amounts of forestation are often an element of images of nature.

Food is also an important visual of the aesthetic. The results of foraging: baskets full of mushrooms, berries, and other fresh fruits celebrate the Earth's bounty and the joy found in the activity. Baked goods, bread, and other sweet foods also contribute a warm, cozy atmosphere to the aesthetic, as it carries across the warmth and romantic labor associated with making it. This is almost always traditional Western. Fruit pies, loaves of bread, jars of jam and honey, pancakes, Victoria sponges, and other rustic cakes are the most common.

Books, an outlet for fantasy and independent learning, are common. These are always vintage with a romantic storybook or classical feel with either antique leather and canvas or more approchable secondhand paperbacks.

Cottagecore comparison

A comparison of different Cottagecore illustrations; left is Cicely Mary Barker's 1923 illustrations, right is Lara Hacker's 2019 illustration. Both are very different in style, but carry across the Cottagecore aesthetic.

The most vital imagery of the aesthetic are illustrations. Botanical encyclopedias prior to the widespread use of colored photography are the most common. These watercolors provide detailed views of plants, typically flowers, in a way that evokes both the natural subject and the romanticization of naturalists' dedication to the subject matter during the era. Victorian to 1930s illustration, specifically of children's literature, is another important source of both inspiration and actual involvement in the aesthetic. Fairies and anthropromorphic animals (such as those of Beatrix potter's works) are the most common. These are done in a more detailed and naturalistic style in watercolor and ink. However, as cottagecore became popular, artists who specialize in digital and more simplistic art introduced a flatter and more cute style.

  • Pressed flowers
  • Crowns
  • Gardens of any kind (herb, vegetable, fruit, flower)
  • Farm, forest, and domesticated animals
  • Handwritten letters
  • Vintage crockery, most notably tea sets
  • Cottages and farmhouses
  • Cross stitch and embroidery
  • Mostly mushrooms on furniture and glass dishes
  • Reading outdoors
  • Poetry


Fashion

Many cottagecore outfits are impractical for the farming and gardening work that the aesthetic revolves around.

Cottagecore fashion commonly involves:

  • Longer, loose-fitting, flowy dresses and skirts often (but not always) reminiscent of housework wear from the 1900s-50s.
  • Large layered clothing (as stated above) big pockets, puffy sleeves, and button blouses
  • Naturally occurring or faded colours including brown, baby pink, olive green, ivory, maroon, beige, ochre, dusty rose pink, light yellow, and baby blue.
  • Patterns such as stripes, paisley, faded floral, and gingham.
  • Embroidered plants, animals, and insects.
  • Hand-crafted accessories such as simple jewelry and knitted hats, socks, and outerwear.
  • Shortalls/overalls
  • Lace.
  • Longer, loose-fitting clothing
  • (can also be seen wearing two braids or loose waves)

Vendors

Media

Movies

By year released

  • Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (1937)
  • Alice in Wonderland (1951)
  • Sleeping Beauty (1959)
  • The Sound of Music (1965)
  • The Tales of Beatrix Potter (1971)
  • Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
  • Anne of Green Gables (1985)
  • A Room with a View (1985)
  • My Neighbour Totoro (1988)
  • Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
  • Only Yesterday (1991)
  • My Girl (1991)
  • Howard's End (1992)
  • Sense and Sensibility (1995)
  • Life is Beautiful (1997)
  • FairyTale: A True Story (1997)
  • The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns (1999)
  • Tuck Everlasting (2002)
  • Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
  • The Holiday (2005)
  • Atonement (2007)
  • The Secret of Moonacre (2008)
  • Tinker Bell (2008)
  • Barbie and the Diamond Castle (2008)
  • Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (2009)
  • Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
  • The Velveteen Rabbit (2009)
  • The Fighter (2010)
  • The Secret World of Arietty (2010)
  • Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (2010)
  • Tangled (2010)
  • Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
  • Secret of the Wings (2012)
  • The Pirate Fairy (2014)
  • Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast (2014)
  • The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales (2017)
  • Call Me By Your Name (2017)
  • Paddington 2 (2017)
  • Liz and the Blue Bird (2018)
  • The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society (2018)
  • Midsommar (2019)
  • "Burrow" by Pixar (2020)

TV Shows

  • Winnie the Pooh (1924-present day)
  • The Golden Girls (1985-1992)
  • Little House on The Prairie (1974-1983)
  • The Moomins (1990)
  • The Animals of Farthing Wood (1993-1995)
  • Angelina Ballerina (2002-2006)
  • When Calls the Heart (2014-present day)
  • Anne with an E (2017-2019)
  • Good Omens (2019)

Literature

  • The books of Beatrix Potter
  • Heidi by Johanna Spyri
  • Pettson and Findus by Sven Nordqvist
  • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  • The poetry of Ralph Waldo Emerson
  • The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
  • "1.1" by Tibellus
  • Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
  • The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

YouTube Channels

  • The Green Witch
  • Darling Desi
  • TheCottageFairy
  • 李子柒 Liziqi
  • nekoniwa

Politics

While the cottagecore aesthetic is not necessarily an organized political movement with stated goals or leaders, much of the conversation around cottagecore is political, especially given the aesthetic has become infamous for its association with two directly opposed political groups with radically different outlooks on life despite the shared frustration with modernity.

While the opposition to modern life is shared among Cottagecore adherents across the political spectrum, what is specifically being opposed tends to vary. For more progressive-leaning followers of the aesthetic, it is particularly capitalism as well as heteronormativity. While many people involved in cottagecore identify with an ideology that more concretely advocates for the restructuring of society, they may also express a dislike of capitalism in a more casual tone through or alongside cottagecore.[4]

Many progressive-leaning members of the cottagecore community reject heteronormative gender roles and seek to remove the stigma and stereotypes of traditional life from the aesthetics and culture of times past. Cottagecore enjoys niche popularity within the LGBTQ+ community, particularly among lesbian and bisexual women, for this reason. Many express dissatisfaction with the roles and expectations placed on them in a heteronormative society. Some have suggested that cottagecore presents an ideal world in which young people are able to express their personality freely in a rural space, contrasting the homophobia or transphobia faced by young people in rural areas.[5]

On the other side of the political spectrum, another more controversial large community subscribing to the aesthetic is the Tradwife movement[6], found largely on Instagram and Facebook's "Politigram" community.[7] Contrasting the progressive Cottagecore community, the rightist adherents to the aesthetic proclaim their opposition to modernity is based on a loss of conservative values in the 21st Century and fondness for a pre- rather than a post-capitalist economic system. Tradwives specifically are described as women who "embrace 'submissive' heteronormative lifestyles involving homemaking and child-rearing and reject feminism" according to Wikipedia. Members of the tradwife movement often utilize cottagecore imagery, fashion, memes, and aesthetics to promote. They may also romanticize the revitalization of traditional heteronormative gender roles for women, a popular aspect of far-right ideology. Even further niche is the utilization of cottagecore imagery and inspired memes by Eco-fascist[8] and Eco-nationalist circles who openly and intentionally uphold western colonialist and eurocentric views as an ideal as opposed to accidentally as was the criticism for Progressive Cottagecore followers. However, those within the Tradwife movement often do not associate openly with the cottagecore community and the two sides oppose each other.[9]

"Patriarchy! The proven way to raise High-Quality Children! "- ‘Tradewife’ Facebook page.[10]

Music

Artists

Songs

  • Moments in Love by Art of Noise
  • Return to Innocence by Enigma
  • Dreams by The Cranberries
  • Choking on Flowers by Fox Academy
  • Strawberry Fields Forever by the Beatles
  • Yellow by Coldplay
  • Dear Fellow Traveller by Sea Wolf
  • lavender blood by Fox Academy
  • Oats We Sow by Gregory and the Hawk
  • Feels Like Home by Caamp
  • I Love A Rainy Night by Eddie Rabbit
  • Scarborough Fair
  • Greensleeves
  • Salut d'Amour by Edward Elgar
  • La Mer by Django Reinhardt
  • The Crane Wife by The Decemberists
  • We Fell in Love in October by Girl In Red
  • Lemon Boy by Cavetown
  • The Record Player Song by Daisy the Great
  • Ophelia by The Lumineers
  • La Mer by Charles Trenet
  • Douce France by Charles Trenet
  • Schön Rosmarin by Kreisler
  • Hungarian Dance No.7 by Brahms
  • Navarra by Sarasate
  • Cappricio Op.18: Allegro moderato by Chaminade
  • Etude No.9 "Butterfly Wings" by Chopin
  • Humoresque No.7 by Dvorak
  • Lieder ohne Worte No.6 by Mendelssohn
  • The lark ascending by Vaughan Williams
  • Le tombeau deCouperin by Ravel
  • Arabesque No.1 by Debussy
  • Flute Sonata by Poulenc
  • Prelude to the afternoon of a faun by Debussy
  • Miroirs III. Une barque sur l'océan by Ravel
  • Polovetsian Dances from Prince Igor: Introduzione by Borodin
  • Polovetsian Dances from Prince Igor: Moderato alla breve by Borodin
  • The Enchanted Lake Op.62 by Lyadov
  • Sloom by Of Monsters and Men

Playlists

Official Aesthetics Wiki playlist

The Aesthetics Wiki staff creates official Spotify playlists for aesthetics, which compile the songs most frequently featured on existing playlists dedicated to those aesthetics. Pages with an official wiki playlist will not include playlists from the public.

Activities

  • Picking flowers
  • Sewing, knitting, crocheting, embroidery
  • Gardening
  • Writing a handwritten letter to family (or your lover)
  • Writing poems
  • Picking fruit from your garden
  • Weaving flower crowns
  • Picnics
  • Baking
  • Painting and drawing
  • Building a birdhouse
  • Reading
  • Swimming
  • Walking in the woods
  • Making fruit preserves
  • Catching bugs

Subgenres

Bloomcore

Main page: Bloomcore Bloomcore is an aesthetic that is similar to Cottagecore in many ways, but has more of a centralized focus on flowers and gardening in a small, quaint village.

Cottagegore

Main page: Cottagegore Cottagegore is a darker take on the Cottagecore aesthetic with more of a focus on the more negative aspects of cottage and natural life that Cottagecore often tries to veer away from.

Honeycore

Main page: Honeycore Honeycore is an aesthetic based around the rural production and consumption of goods such as honey, bread, and waffles. It is similar to Cottagecore in that agricultural imagery and values are emphasized, but the visuals are streamlined to create a color palette of mostly pale yellows and browns. In many of the pictures that can be classified into the Honeycore aesthetic, bees, honey, or flowers can be seen and there is a big emphasis on agriculture and conservation of bees.

Vaporcottage

Vaporcottage is largely a joke aesthetic originating from the Aesthetics Wiki Discord, mainly done as a thought experiment to see if one could take the grounded, earnest, and realistic escapism of Cottagecore could be mixed with the surrealist, sarcastic, and incredibly dystopian nightmare that is Vaporwave in an attempt to prove that any aesthetics can be blended. It was described as "what you'd see after ingesting mushroom soup laced with xanax; you start seeing a bunch of weird shit while away for a weekend in the cottage to get away from the big city and its rampant hyperconsumerism. The radio that won't stop playing advertisements and the billboard in the farm fields haunt you as the light from the ad shines through your lace curtains, and while crickets chirp and a stream trickles softly, you can't sleep because the giant Burger King ad illuminates your quiet cottage in the countryside and the gentle flicker of the lights of the fireflies triggers a sense of dread that the Christmas season is about to begin. You look at the warm, cozy fireplace and wonder how you'll decorate your Christmas tree this year, what will you buy for your friends?" If one can figure out how this aesthetic could work in a realistic capacity, please let us know and share your results with the world.

Southwest Cottagecore

Southwest Cottagecore moves away from the forest-inspired, green color palette of cottagecore. The willows and vines are switched out with succulents. The main aspects are quite identical, just adapted to more southern/western life. Instead of a stone cottage, you may prefer an adobe house framed by yuccas. The fashion becomes more suited for warm weather and is generally paired with warm colors and the occasional nautical, whimsical look, characterized by run-down shacks on the coast and beach grass. Lizards, rabbits, snakes, and hawks are characteristic of the aesthetic.

Resources

Pinterest Boards

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ https://www.huffpost.com/entry/people-explain-why-baked-bread-quarantine_l_5ec73570c5b6698f38f5035c
  2. ↑ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-14/nintendo-s-animal-crossing-is-the-biggest-hit-of-the-lockdown
  3. ↑ https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/2021/05/06/new-hobbies-emerge-during-covid-19-including-knitting-polka-djing/7203653002/
  4. ↑ https://cottagecore-aesthetic.com/blogs/cottagecore-blog/poc-cottagecore
  5. ↑ https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/g5xjgj/cottagecore-aesthetic-lgbt-teens-tumblr-tik-tok
  6. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/av/stories-51113371
  7. ↑ https://news.artnet.com/opinion/rhizome-meme-makers-1787829
  8. ↑ https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/social-media/2018/09/eco-fascism-ideology-marrying-environmentalism-and-white-supremacy
  9. ↑ https://www.fluentlyforward.com/home4/tradlife-versus-cottagecore-similar-aesthetics-with-very-different-values
  10. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/Tradwifeoriginal/posts/188405592705793


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