A single-subject aesthetic is an aesthetic that revolves entirely around a single visual, with little or no other visuals on the blog/moodboard. For example, while Cottagecore includes images of pies, animals, flowers, and cottages, Cloudcore is pictures of clouds and cloud depictions such as in illustration and embroidery.
Images are often tagged as (the subject)core because it provides an easy way for searching aesthetic pictures of the subject, rather than images that are more plain, memes, informational, etc. For example, searching just "cat" on tumblr brings mostly candid photos of cats or cat memes that don't have much aesthetic value. However, searching "catcore" brings images that have more interesting framing, lighting, details, etc. So, many people follow the tags to search for aesthetic images revolving around the subject in general.
The wiki does not allow single pages for single-subject aesthetics because the article quality tends to be extremely low and images can be disparate. For example, a cat in a field of flowers contently smiling is Cottagecore, whereas a black cat in a crumbling castle is Gothic. However, both are Catcore, technically. Therefore, the pages are low-quality. However, because many single-subject aesthetics have become extremely popular, it is necessary for the wiki to document them. If you would like to add a notable single-subject aesthetic, insert it here alphabetically. The section should only be inserted if searching up the name shows over five Pinterest boards, Tumblr posts, etc.
Animals[]
"Animalcore" is a very vague aesthetic inspired by animals. Animals span far and wide from the sea to the land and sky; from the size of a pebble to a cruise ship; and all with different shapes. Because of it, it is difficult to determine what could be made with this subject.
Animals are a part of nature. However, while plants and rocks symbolize passivity in the natural world (order, similarity, stability, everlastingness, evolution, peace), animals symbolize activity (chaos, difference, change, fickleness, metamorphosis, conflict).
Bugcore[]
Bugcore is an aesthetic inspired by animals that are classified as arthropods. This includes a wide range of animals from sea-dwellers like lobsters, isopods, shrimp, and crabs to land-dwellers like butterflies, spiders, bees, and roaches.
Bugcore crosses over with other nature-based aesthetics that tend to be more adventurous and enthusiastic about all of nature, rather than the palatable "cute" parts. See Adventurecore, Strega and Goblincore for some aesthetics that use bugcore images.
Butterflycore[]
Catcore[]
Dogcore/Caninecore[]
Fawncore[]
Ratcore/Mousecore[]
Ratcore is an aesthetic about memes and cute photos of rats. Ratcore tends to intersect with other aesthetics such as Goblincore and Bastardcore. Many photos of this aesthetic are of people's pet rats or edited stock photos. Ratcore tends to have a "creepy-cute" aspect to it. This especially is prominent when visuals have soft colors, cute imagery, glitter, etc. - as throughout history, rats have been associated with disease, filth, and death. Sometimes Ratcore is portrayed as having a very chaotic aspect to it because of the "rabidness" and wilderness of the small animal.
Possumcore (Feralcore) · Mothcore[]
Frogcore[]
Frogcore is an aesthetic purely based around frogs and toads. It may also include motifs like lilypads, nature, mushrooms, rain, ponds, frog statues and swamps. You don't need to be an expert on frogs and toads to be a part of this aesthetic, but you should at least like them. It often overlaps with Feralcore and Wholesome Meme.
Controversy[]
Some participants of the Frogcore aesthetic have been accused of promoting potentially unsafe ways of treating frogs. This is particularly relevant in the way that many frogs are held on bare skin or have their legs moved about, most notably in TikTok videos. Frogs cannot be held on bare skin, as frogs absorb basically everything through their skin - they have what's called semi-permeable skin, which helps them absorb oxygen when underwater. Thus, the oils and soaps on our hands can burn a frog's skin. If you want to hold a frog with bare skin, then you should rinse your hands so they are slightly moist. After you hold a frog, you should wash your hands thoroughly to fight off salmonella.
Candycore[]
Candycore is a food-based aesthetic focused on candies and other confections, including desserts, sugar, chocolate, chewing gum, and sugar candies. The Candycore color scheme ranges from highly saturated to pastel. Candycore uses similar color palettes and visual motifs as Rainbowcore. The Candycore aesthetic fits into Decora, Kawaii, and Kidcore aesthetics because of sweets' connotations with children and excitement. These candies are often arranged in an over-the-top manner with different varieties at once.
Additionally, many costumes and make-up looks, as well as character and world designs, are inspired by candy. The board game Candyland and the "California Gurls" by Katy Perry music video are some examples of candy-theming.
Cloudcore[]
Cloudcore visuals have a strong focus on skies with clouds of unique shapes and designs. Most popularly, Cloudcore visuals are often taken around sunrise or sunset for varied colors or the plain blue sky to highlight the clouds' shapes. Because of clouds' associations with softness and purity of color, the photos are often saved to Kawaii, Softie, Cleancore, and Angelcore blogs.
Artificially painted or digitally rendered clouds are also in the tag, specifically as a subset of liminal space and other unsettling aesthetics.
Smilecore[]
Smilecore is an aesthetic based around the Smiley face symbol and happiness, particularly the symbol of smiley faces. It also features slogans centered around happiness, such as "Have a Happy Day". The aesthetic is typically seen on posters, clothing accessories, and t-shirts. Even if Smilecore is mainly focused on happiness, it can be very similar to Weirdcore or Traumacore. The Smiley face symbol is also used as a motif in multiple other aesthetics and counterculture, including New Beat, Raver, VSCO Preppy, Acid Design, etc.
Teethcore[]
Teethcore is an aesthetic centered around teeth, mainly the collection or loss of them. This aesthetic also includes the thought of being scared of the dentist.
One of the common parts of teethcore is the fantasy figure known as the Tooth Fairy, a legendary being; it is believed if one places their baby teeth under a pillow, the Tooth Fairy will take it, and leave money in place of the tooth. Because of the creature's 'suspicious activity', it has lead to strange theories. But, because many believe the creature is not real, these theories can not be proven true or false.
Spotify Playlists[]
Ulzzang[]
Ulzzang, (얼짱) is a popular South Korean term literally meaning "best face", deriving from the Korean words face (얼굴) and best (짱). A person desiring ulzzang status would gain popularity on the internet through entering contests where their photos are judged and chosen by voters. In Korean culture, people with clear and pale skin, thin bodies, small heads, large eyes, soft features, and trendy haircuts are highly valued. The trend is unisex and is practiced by both males and females. The term replaced King Car and Queen Car in popularity, and has since been succeeded by Heeulsa.
It has a similar aesthetic to the Chinese concept of wanghong zipai (网红自拍) meaning "web influencer selfie", and many Chinese influencers (such as faaaariii_) often have their selfies mistaken for that of Koreans on the Western internet.
Fogcore[]
Disclaimer: Not to be confused with Wonderland, an aesthetic that shares an alternate name with one of Fogcore's alternate names.
Fogcore is an aesthetic that typically involves fog and outdoor locations (such as streets or buildings) and emphasizes on the feeling of looking around and there being nothing but fog. Fogcore can also involve nature such as hills or forests.
Isocore[]
Isocore is an internet aesthetic born from the union of low-quality bug photography and whimsical text or doodles.
The name "Isocore" finds its roots in the fusion of "iso-" from isopod (a type of crustacean) and "core," emphasizing the core elements of this unique aesthetic.
Emerging from online communities fascinated by macro photography and quirky illustrations, Isocore has carved its niche by embracing the imperfections and pixelated charm of low-quality images. This aesthetic redefines beauty by focusing on the tiny, often disregarded creatures that inhabit our world.
The history of Isocore is marked by a grassroots movement, with enthusiasts sharing their snapshots of bugs in various online platforms. The aesthetic gained momentum as artists experimented with adding playful text or doodles to their images, creating a distinctive visual language that combines the rawness of amateur photography with a touch of whimsy.
