Hi, we are Ludwig
The English writing enhancement platform loved by millions of users worldwide!
If you love this article as much as we do it means our vibes definitely match. Take a look at our powerful tools and become the pro writer you can be ✨
Cottagecore: your grandma but, like, instagrammable
Life beyond the noisy streets—growing your own basil, cooking on a huge wooden table, kitchen shelves lined with canned goods, and no city lights at night, so you can see all the stars. You’ve probably seen this all over your social media feeds. Maybe you even find it as appealing, as I do…
It’s called cottagecore. It is an aesthetic, or, I’m not even afraid to say subculture at this point, that idealizes rural, off-the-grid living. It draws inspiration from different eras: a bit Victorian with its art and literature, a bit of Edwardian era with its flowing dresses, lace, and florals, and some 1940s-1950s homesteading vibes when life was “simpler” (bear with me) and domestic skills such as baking, sewing, and gardening were highly valued. Cottagecore can also be connected to other nature-related aesthetics, such as farmcore, grandmacore, or a fairycore.
Cottagecore had been around for a while, but it finally got a name somewhere in the Tumblr world around 2018 and became wildly popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. While most people were stuck in their apartments for months, those who lived on their own land were able to leave the house and spend time outside. Plus, the necessity of taking up new hobbies that could be done at home: knitting, sewing, home pottery, making liqueurs, baking, and preserving food became increasingly popular (I’ve definitely done some of these during the pandemic). People began to romanticize this living: growing your own food, doing your little craft, limited access to the internet, engaging in communal exchanges with your neighbors, not hearing news from the government, and not participating in the exhausting demands of modern life.
As the pandemic faded away, cottagecore evolved further. People have become more interested in outdoor activities like hiking and camping, which are now more popular than ever in recent years. The desire to live away from cities grew stronger, as more people craved for such a beautiful lifestyle. And while the idea of cottagecore is undeniably inviting, there are some problematic aspects within this aesthetic.
!undefined
Photo by Camille Brodard / Unsplash
The idealization
Cottagecore is very much based on nostalgia, but it’s a nostalgia for the past, which is often idealized. If you’ve ever spent a summer in a rural area with your grandparents, you might recall the realities of that life: working in the garden every day, using an outdoor toilet (I was always terrified to run there in the middle of the night), walking 30 minutes to the nearest shop, boiling buckets of water for a quick shower, and relying on a furnace to be warm at night. Many YouTuberss who live like that showcase a romanticized version of this lifestyle, and while I sometimes envy them, I remind myself that they often present only the most beautiful aspects of it.
The reality is very different
Did you notice how I described this lifestyle as “simple” before? The reality is that it is absolutely not as simple as it might seem.
I once stayed with a friend of a friend in rural Calabria, Italy. This person would wake up every day at 4:00 to finish working on their huge land by 11:00, before the heat of the day set in. Did he have amazing vegetables on his table every day not only to eat but to sell? Absolutely. But could I imagine waking up at 4:00 every day of my life to sustain that? I’m not so sure.
Another person I know, who managed to afford the cottagecore dream, worked tirelessly for 20 years, eventually buying a house with land in the middle of nowhere in rural Spain. Now, they almost live entirely off the land, avoiding social media and exchanging goods with neighbors. However, this life was hard-earned and is again far from the idyllic picture often portrayed online.
The anticapitalist trap
Cottagecore, which initially had anticapitalist ideas behind it, has now become highly commercialized. There are countless videos with millions of views about how to style your room or change your wardrobe to fit the right aesthetic. Brands and influencers have capitalized on the trend, selling everything from "authentic" cottagecore clothing to home decor. The idea that once opposed consumerism is now being used to profit from those who are drawn to this lifestyle.
Gender roles in this aesthetic
Cottagecore also brought with it certain gender-based expectations, with the majority of its followers being women. While many promote it as a freeing lifestyle where a woman can live alone and do everything by herself, the trend of the "trad wife" has also emerged. The aesthetic frequently romanticizes the image of the traditional wife—a woman who does all the domestic roles such as cooking, baking, gardening, and homemaking. It’s beautiful that women today can choose any lifestyle they want, but it’s important to remember what each choice entails and who can truly afford to live this way and how.
“There is an escape in escaping”
While the aesthetic offers a sort of idyllic vision of rural life, it also serves as a way to avoid confronting real-world issues. It’s like escaping into a fantasy that doesn’t really touch on things like consumerism, social issues, and politics. Instead of trying to solve these problems, the subculture might encourage a kind of passive avoidance. While this is an understandable desire, with everything going on in the world, it may not be the most effective approach for dealing with the issues we face.
With all that being said, this doesn’t mean you can’t entertain yourself with the idea of not working and simply picking vegetables to make your own sauce every day in a gorgeous floral fabrics. I’m definitely keeping my cottagecore board on Pinterest. However, it’s important to think critically about any subculture on the internet and take from it what resonates with you, rather than blindly following new trends. Maybe a simple cherry tomato plant on your balcony is enough to bring a little cottagecore into your life. The dream of a life without modern stresses is attractive, but it requires a level of effort and sacrifice that’s often overlooked.
