Cottagecore (sometimes referred to as Countrycore or Farmcore) is an internet aesthetic idealising rural life. Originally based on a rural European life, it was developed throughout the 2010s and was first named cottagecore on Tumblr in 2018. The aesthetic centres on traditional rural clothing, interior design, and crafts such as drawing, baking, and pottery, and is related to similar aesthetic movements such as grandmacore, goblincore, and fairycore.
Some sources describe cottagecore as a subculture of Millennials and Generation Z. Economic forces and other challenges facing these young people may be a significant driver of this trend, along with these generations' emphasis on sustainability, and the trend to work from home (initially during the COVID-19 pandemic).
Aesthetic and lifestyle elements
The tenets of cottagecore can help its proponents satisfy a desire for "an aspirational form of nostalgia" as well as an escape from many forms of stress and trauma. The New York Times described it as a reaction to hustle culture and the advent of personal branding. The Guardian called it a "visual and lifestyle movement designed to fetishize the wholesome purity of the outdoors." Cottagecore emphasizes simplicity and the soft peacefulness of the pastoral life as an escape from the dangers of the modern world. It became highly popular on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fashion
An early inspiration for cottagecore fashion is mori girl, which reached popularity in Japan in the late 2000s. Lolita fashion, another Japanese street fashion with a soft silhouette and a Victorian-inspired look might have been another early inspiration. While homemade clothing is a feature of cottagecore, products including the 'strawberry dress', a $490 tea dress by Lirika Matoshi, are also associated with the aesthetic. Due to the high price of the Matoshi dress, a number of people produced their own versions of the product. Cottagecore clothing often includes long layered dresses.
Analytics company Edited identified that besides floral prints and stripes "Old-world, feminine shapes and details are integral to this aesthetic—milkmaid necklines, puff sleeves, ruffles and prairie-inspired midi dresses." Marketing commentators noted that the trend fits with already available '70s-inspired dresses, lace trim, and denim, and complemented the slow fashion trend. Brands like Batsheva, Doen, and the Vampire's Wife became popular for their frilly, whimsical flowy dresses that fit perfectly to the cottagecore aesthetic.
Food and gardening
Growing one's own food in one's own garden and baking one's own bread all reflect the philosophy of self-sufficiency of cottagecore, though the aesthetic does not demand living in the countryside. Cottagecore gardening is intended to be environmentally friendly, often including permacultural farming practices. For example, the cultivation of a variety of perennial and annual native plants (i.e. plants endemic to the areas near one's home) helps attract insects, including bees, and as such promotes biodiversity and increases pollination of food-producing crops.
Other aspects
The aesthetic encourages taking care of oneself physically and mentally. Followers of cottagecore typically purchase secondhand or vintage furniture. They may take up hobbies including knitting, crochet, painting, and reading.
Antecedents and cultural context
While cottagecore arose as a named aesthetic in 2018, similar aesthetics and ideals existed prior to its inception. The ancient Greeks characterised Arcadia as a representation of an idyllic pastoral setting. The Greek poet Theocritus wrote poems about shepherds and shepherdesses in the third century BC, leading to him being often cited as the inventor of pastoral poetry. The market for Theocritus’ work was primarily the educated urban class of Alexandria, Egypt, seeking an escape from the filth, crowding and disease of city life. In the first century BC the Roman poet Virgil’s pastoral poetry was written in response to the violence and chaos of war. However, he expanded the genre by acknowledging contemporary moral and political issues such as war whilst maintaining a distance through the pastoral trope. Pastoral escapism continued to be produced for the courtly audience of the Roman Empire in the format of novels such as Daphnis and Chloe from the second century AD.
