Cottagecore: The Comeback and Controversies

By Abby Fritz

An escapist reality, an environmentalist dream.

Freshly steeped chamomile tea sits in a hand-painted mug adorned with pink roses. The dried daisy-like leaves harvested from a small herb garden, strewn throughout with lavender bushes and cherry tomatoes that cut through the green-toned scenery.

No one is around aside from a young femme running towards a stone cottage while dressed entirely in white tulle and lace. The scene is backed with soft vocals over simple guitar chords. The short video ends.

Who wouldn’t want a little dose of “the simple life” to grace your TikTok For You page every once in a while?

Between Zoom Meetings and continuous movie streaming that have taken over the lives of the privileged and secure during this pandemic, a new trend called cottagecore has grabbed the attention of an audience looking to escape reality.

The trend romanticizes buying a secluded house in the countryside, living off the land, and frolicking in long dresses through flower fields. While its reach extends across most social media platforms, it has a special place in TikTok culture. To this day, TikTok’s algorithm seems to continuously promote videos of bread baking, firewood heaters, and videos explaining how to make syrup from violet flowers.

Cottagecore, like many trends, started years ago on Tumblr and has wiggled its way back into the forefront of many social media platforms. What’s different now is that cottagecore has popped up at a pivotal time, particularly within the United States—a time where everyone must be present.

What can’t be ignored about this seemingly harmless call to a selfsufficient living is the endorsement of an escapist mindset that has turned a blind eye to history and current calls to action.

The rise of this trend during the COVID-19 pandemic is not surprising. Many people have been secluded in their homes and are left dreaming of places they’d rather be. Cottagecore videos serve as a mini escape from divisive presidential debates, pandemic statistics, protests, and the need to keep up with the 24 hour news cycle.

Particularly popular amongst queer internet communities, cottagecore has become more than an aesthetic, but a calling. A decision to focus on creating a new life so different from modern reality that it ignores the things that matter.

Rightful uprisings across the country, an election year, and a pandemic—all thrown to the wind that runs through tree branches on the path to an ostensibly apolitical dash for the hills.

Aside from the obvious issues with ignoring the political state of a country you live in, or even the world, those engaging in the sentiments of cottagecore in the U.S. are ignoring the fact that cottagecore has banded around an old idea. The same idea that colonialist settlers came to America with. Continuing the cycle of occupying space on stolen land makes any argument that cottagecore is exempt from the capitalist agenda irrelevant.

One redeeming quality of the cottagecore movement is the focus on environmentalism. The trend is pushing for people to become more self-sufficient. Want some bread? Make it yourself! Fresh veggies? Start your own garden! If you are in a privileged enough place to take the time to move towards a more self-sufficient or even zero waste lifestyle, then cottagecore is helping people move in the right direction. In defense videos online, the community also encourages putting more energy into small tasks to benefit mental health. Learning about a new niche skill from a howto TikTok with the tags cottagecore have sent many to invest in hobbies that can make them happy. Normalizing the little things is a priority of cottagecore that many have been thankful to get behind.

The irony of this trend is that a whole community built around simplifying an over-developed lifestyle has been made possible by the same technology they are trying to escape -- a reminder that the reality of the world you live in is inescapable.

But let’s keep seeing the Molly Goddard style tulle dresses that the cottagecore community fully endorses, and so do we.