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Plaguecore takes inspiration from Renaissance and Baroque era plague doctors. The aesthetic revolves around curiosity and discovery. Those within the community are typically committed to the pursuit of knowledge, as well as learning about older medicinal practices like bloodletting. The aesthetic’s visuals include colors like black and grays, as well as bird masks and cloaks.
Individuals within the Plaguecore community usually refer to each other as “doctors”, though many individuals use alternative titles such as nurse, student, and apprentice. However, using the title “doctor” in other contexts is likely to cause confusion, as the term typically refers to a qualified practitioner of medicine. Plague Doctors do not necessarily have recognized credentials in the medical field. It’s important to note that they place great importance on trusting and respecting actual medical professionals. The community actively avoids actually trying to diagnose or treat people experiencing issues with their health.
The following list is an amalgamation of fashion inspired from the 17th century renaissance period, and various other aesthetics, such as Dark Academia. It looks at original plague doctor uniform through a modern lens.
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Accessories[]
Wide brim hats such as sunhats, fedoras, gauchos, or boleros
Hats, pins, or headbands that incorporate veils
Other accessories such as bonnets and ruffle headbands
Gloves (leather, medical, lace, etc)
Collar pins and brooches
Dark glasses, or a mask (medical or decorative)
A cane or staff
Black nail polish
Torso[]
Layers: suits, blazers, buttoned jackets, sweaters, turtlenecks, and occasionally corsets
Long, shapeless silhouettes
Cardigans, dresses, coats, cloaks, and robes (typically knee-length or longer)
Gothic or otherwise macabre graphics and complimentary accessories
Legs[]
Jeans, trousers, and overalls, usually cuffed or tucked into shoe
Eye-catching belts, chains, sash, and/or lanyard
Shoes[]
Boots (usually Doc Martens, although sometimes just simple rubber boots)
Buckled shoes (e.g. Mary Janes) or low heels
The attire usually consists of colours like muted brown, black, grey, white, and occasionally a vibrant contrasting colour like yellow or red. One can often find flowing and/or textured fabrics like leather, corduroy, lace, and mesh trims.
The community strives for comfort and inclusion, and therefore this list is not intended to set a “rule” or “standard” for plaguecore fashion. This list is rather a compilation of common themes and elements one may incorporate into their wardrobe if it is of interest.
Visuals[]
Masks and mask collections (medical and/or decorative)
Ravens and crows
Leeches
Rats
Bookshelves
Leather-bound books, as well as journals and sketchbooks
Dark red wine in ornate glasses
Lanterns and candles
Bottles and jars
Houseplants
Herbs
Incense (typically lavender scented)
Small trinkets, especially homemade
Ethically sourced taxidermy
Ethically sourced bones
Graveyards
Abandoned buildings
Activities[]
Nighttime walks
Walking through nature
Spending time in graveyards
Collecting trinkets that click or chime when tapped against each other
Safely collecting herbs and flowers
Pressing flowers
Appreciating macabre, odd, or otherwise “weird” creatures
Matching medical masks to to one’s outfits
Sketching anatomically correct drawings of an organism
Learning about the history of medicine and medical practices
Lighting an incense stick (typically lavender scented, but can be any scent)
Offering the respectable amount of assistance for the elderly and disabled
Checking in on friends and family members
Media[]
Fictional Characters[]
Kai Chisaki from My Hero Academia
SCP-049 from SCP Foundation
The Plague Doctor/Hawkman from DC Comics
Robert Merivel from Restoration
Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III from Vox Machina
Eileen the Crow from Bloodborne
Plague Doctor from Darkest Dungeon
Julian from The Arcana
Byron Meredith/Merrymaker from DC Comics
Webfiction[]
11B-X-1371 11B-X-1371 is a cryptic YouTube video that went viral in early 2015. It presents a plague masked person in an abandoned asylum accompanied with a series of light flickers and noise; encrypting disturbing images and hidden messages within. Its real purpose is unknown, however it is simply deemed as a creepy puzzle video by many accounts[1][2][3].
Video Games[]
Darkest Dungeon
Darkest Dungeon is a video game released in 2016 for PC, PS4, Vita, Switch, Mac, iPad, Xbox One, and Linux. A Plague Doctor features as one of the main playable characters, and she's a DPS class centered around blight.
