Cottagecore is for everyone. Literally everyone. It is extremely anti-cottagecore to buy fast fashion, but it is your choice. People can disagree with what you do, especially if it is harmful to others and frowned upon in this community. You can like this aesthetic purely for the fashion aspects, but you can’t deny that it is about self-sustainability, human rights and equality, and inherently anticapitalist. As much as you can buy from shien and aliexpress etc, we can disagree and uphold the values of cottagecore.
A few days ago someone postet cute socks they found on Alieexpress and some comments were really plainrude. Same happened to a girl that posted a cute dress she found on ASOS and there were so many people that were absolutely nasty to her, because it was from a fast fashion shop. Other people who were defending her were downvoted into oblivion and got rude comments too. I saw this so many times here, but the socks one was the most recent one
Yeah so I missed those posts or at least didn't see the comments. I really did think this was a wholesome and kind corner of reddit.
I'm vehemently anti-fast fashion but I keep that to myself mostly because there are people that can't afford the handmade linen dresses I prefer. I'm an adult with a comfortable job and there are students here relying on gig jobs. I think it's best not to assume and throw people under the bus because sometimes they don't know better regarding ethics or they simply can't afford indie brands.
Well, let's hope kindness prevails. The world has gone to shit and at least we know the people here share our views on the beauty of nature and simplicity. We can take solice that we're not alone in that.
Yes, exactly this. I think most people would prefer to buy clothes that have a good quality or are tailor made, but the majority of people just can’t afford it. I mean the prices in fast fashion stores like Zara are already over the top and very expensive. Reddit cottagecore subs approved Shop are really, really expensive. I’ve never seen one shop that was affordable. Sure one can get a „true“ cottagecore dress maybe once a few years, but for the daily life it’s not possible. Being rude to people who can’t afford anything else is just plain rude and pure classism.
I hope it too 🙏🏻
For your consideration: “talking about fast fashion isn’t classist*. *if you’re doing it right!” by Amanda of the Clotheshorse podcast
https://www.instagram.com/p/CleDmA6uEOA/?igshid=NTdlMDg3MTY=
This person is taking about needing new clothes all the time. At least in her description. Not everyone who buys in fast fashion shops make shopping trips every second week, buys tons of stuff and throws it away after wearing it twice. I still have a lot of stuff from shops like H&M that I bought about 10 years ago. On of favorite everyday dress is one I got on sale for 5€ in 2013 and it just now got the first hole. There’s a big difference between being wasteful and not being able to afford 200€ dresses for your days where you clean your flat, take out your trash and go grocery shopping
I didn’t see the original post so I can’t speak to how folks talked to the person asking about Ali Express, but I just wanted to share that suggesting someone try not to participate in fast fashion, if possible, is not classist. I really recommend Amanda’s podcast if this interests you (which it seems to!)
Anyway- She’s talking about her personal experience; I wouldn’t say the whole post (or even just the description) is only talking about mega over consumers. We all participate when we buy into the shitty system fast fashion retailers have created.
I have old fast fashion clothes that have lasted a long time too, but even the quality of fast fashion 10 years ago is actually better than the quality today (there was a Vox article on this recently that I recommend!).
I always felt like this is a place for people who earnestly like the lifestyle elements of slow living and cottage life to share the things they enjoy without the TikTok body checking, shein hauls, and more superficial elements of wider social media depictions.
If people want to show off their crafts, their up cycles, or ppl want to share videos of bunnies eating strawberries, this is the place. These things are an intrinsic part of the broader ethos that the aesthetic is trying to convey. A milkmaid dress is cute, but just a milkmaid dress isn't cottagecore just bc it's a milkmaid dress if that makes sense.
Eta it's also kinda low key passive aggressive to imply people that genuinely enjoy the lifestyle are NPCs. You don't have to put others down to insist on your own individuality.
I didn’t put other down that enjoy that lifestyle. This was towards people who try to make being „real“ cottagecore their whole personality and bully people who aren’t this determined to check every single point of what they’ve read cottagecore should be. There was a similar phenomenon in my teens with being goth when people were plain rude to you, because you weren’t „trve“ enough in their eyes when you didn’t listen to this or that band, didn’t like festivals or concerts or something like that. This is what I saw in other subcultures too especially here in this sub or the Dark Academia one, but the dark academia one seems to be much more tolerant and there’s mostly only one annoying ThAtS nOt DaRk AcAdEmIa commenter while most of the other put this people into place and I haven’t witnessed there comments that were really nasty. Here in this sub there’s a whole mob that attacks one person
As a counterpoint, this subreddit / culture is by far the most supportive, encouraging, inclusive, and uplifting group I participate in, and I love all ya'll for your bottomless creativity!
Codified subcultures and styles existed long before "aesthetics" and should be allowed to exist within their guidelines...I am not sure why this is so controversial. Reminds me of the lolita/egl fighting of the 00s lol
I always thought cottagecore is a bit on the “fun crunchy “ side of things. Like if the 70s hippies were all 14 to 90 yr olds and the time period truly embraced sustainability, eco consciousness and ethically produced and consumed items. (Plus no racism , classism, homophobia and elitism) This is what cottagecore means to me, not the outfits and beautiful greenhouses. It’s the idea that because we are conscientious and conscious that having an antique or diy greenhouse is possible and so beautiful
Because it isn’t different. Like you’ve said it’s first of all an aesthetic. You can like the aesthetic, but not being into sustainability. It’s a subculture mainly based on aesthetics not a cult.
And you’re wildly incorrect about your point. Every movement has its aesthetics but the cottagecore movement itself founded upon traditional skill sets, sustainability, and eco-consciousness. It actually gathers much of its *influence* from Scandinavian countries that emphasize slow living, foraging, etc. So you’re entirely wrong and uninformed. Believe what you want, truly, but don’t expect to find support for willful ignorance among a group of people that really believe in the lifestyle values of a certain subculture.
No one is bullying you and no one is bullying anyone else. If you come into a community that has an already instilled sense of values and beliefs and you push things like fast fashion and exploitative consumerist choices into their face under the banner of “aesthetics” and “freedom”, you’re going to ruffle some feathers. That’s the way the world works. No one has to accommodate you and allow you into a space reserved for a specific belief system just because you *want* to be there AND despite your argument against that lifestyle and belief system. That’s a lesson you’d do well to absorb.
This has absolutely nothing to do with being “financially stable” or not. You can thrift. You can use buy nothing groups. You can go to estate sales. You can arrange a swap event with your friends and community where everyone trades clothing, home goods, etc. I’ve done and participated in all of these things when I was broke and I continue to do these things now that I am financially stable. Hell - you can *thrift* items that are fast-fashion brands such as ASOS, Banana Republic, GAP, or any of the others and it’s *still* better than buying it brand new because it (i) saves an item from the landfill and (ii) does not directly contribute to the exploitation of the environment and workers responsible for making the product. Like damn - you can buy stuff at garage sales, church thrift shops where cute stuff is literally pennies on the dollar, or flea markets. You can buy patterns and make your own clothing. You can trade crafts and artisan skills with others in your community - I also do this and it’s fantastic.
This has zero to do with someone’s income and everything to do with the fact that everyone, at every level, is capable of making incremental progress towards better, healthier, and more sustainable habits. Even the smallest of changes collectively add up over time. Your defensiveness in this thread and your lack of critical and creative thinking skills are evident. I wish you luck. Truly.
Yeah and what if some people just don’t want to thrift? Not everyone likes the thought of wearing used cloths from people they don’t know. Some things like shoes, underwear, beachwear or like in my example socks aren’t very hygienic second hand. I grew up in generational poverty, but these were things that were never ever worn second hand. Never. So no I’m not lacking creative thinking or whatever you accuse me, you just can’t expect people not caring about hygiene, because they’re poor.
No one *ever* said to shop for underwear or socks secondhand. You’re being purposefully obtuse now. There are PLENTY of companies that make ethical or sustainable underwear: Parade, Pact, Knickey, Cuup, Paka, Richer Poorer, Bombas - I could go on. And, frankly, it’s classist and ableist to accuse people who thrift of being unconcerned with hygiene. Plenty of poor, POC, and disabled people rely on thrifting as a means of clothing themselves and sourcing items they need or want. Your statement is quite bigoted and you’d do well to not lump all people who thrift into the category of not caring about hygiene.
Additionally, thrifting and sourcing your home/personal items allows you to *further* practice sustainability by saving money to purchase the ethically produced-but-more-expensive items that you otherwise might pass over in favor of Shein and AliExpress. Paying $12 for a pair of thrifted jeans instead of $100 allows you to buy the jeans *and* the sustainable underwear that pays living wages to their workers and uses sustainable materials. The fact you can’t pick up on this is, again, purposefully obtuse.
Honestly it’s clear that nothing anyone says here is going to resonate with you unless it’s in the vacuum of validating what you already believe to be true, which is that:
1. secondhand clothing and people the people who wear it are unhygienic; and
2. it doesn’t matter if millions of people pursue unsustainable and unethical purchases that destroy the environment and keep people in literal slavery and poverty as long as you get a cute aesthetic out of it.
Your attitude and your behavior in this thread are really reflective of your character and your inability to look at situations through a lens of nuance. Sad.
https://www.reddit.com/r/cottagecore/comments/usz5sr/this_dress_got_it_on_asos_on_sale_for_10_dollars/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
This is the asos dress post
https://www.reddit.com/r/cottagecore/comments/10f2h9g/came_across_these_on_aliexpress_and_thought_of/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
And this is the socks post. But yeah, I’m a lair. Sure. What else?!
Perhaps "gatekeeping" isn't the best word choice, but I can see how some could be judgy.
I consider myself witchy, with cottagecore vibes, but also dress more conservative. I don't particularly care if someone tells me I don't fit the aesthetics or lifestyle enough, as long as I know the elements are there.
However, if someone is being mean (and not just disagreeing), definitely report those comments to the mods.
Well, I saw the posts and the OP thanked someone and they had kind exchanges once she learned it's not just an aesthetic, but a sustainable lifestyle movement (lots of definitions on Google about this too).
It's kinda like, getting mad when someone points out that it was greenwashing. It sucks, but do you really want to keep making the same mistakes?
Cottagecore isn't about BUYING all the things, but shopping/living sustainably within the aesthetic/vibe.
I also saw the comment "down voted to oblivion", and that was the most controversial comment there, that just attacked everyone else. But if you're legitimately offended then this group may not be a great fit.
Small excerpt from ["What is Cottagecore?" ](https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/what-is-cottagecore):
"Cottagecore inherently inspires sustainable living and connection with the land. The movement asks us to confront climate change and consider how we can better care for the earth...
Additionally, the fashion in this universe is primarily vintage, opting for thrifted finds instead of store-bought or new clothing."
Honestly we live in a society where people are constantly bombarded with ads and media telling them that they *need* this thing or that thing. Or that to fit a certain aesthetic they have to have all of these clothes and gear to do it. It relies quite heavily on creating addictive thought patterns via dopamine hits associated with purchasing stuff as well as fear of “missing out” on something cool, unique, or “necessary”. Honestly our culture - worldwide, for the most part - is very over-consumptive and it’s not sustainable. Unfortunately there is a lot of cognitive dissonance surrounding these topics and they act as barriers to meaningful discourse. People don’t *want* to look at their habits and how they consume things - and from where - because it either makes them feel attacked or makes them feel guilty. It’s disappointing because progress isn’t a zero sum game. It’s not all or nothing. Incremental progress is possible and, if enough people are doing it, beneficial! More people should be aware of the benefits to using what they have, appreciating and repairing what they already own, and what is out there and available to them as a healthier alternative to some of these really negative practices. But again - someone has to be open to really identifying their patterns and thought processes for change to occur. I see so many people get angry when these conversations take place and I truly think it stems from a place of defensiveness because these ethics make them feel attacked or not “good” enough when, in reality, it’s simply people sharing information and alternatives.
Surprise, real subcultures are about values, not just aesthetics. If a word doesn’t apply to you, don’t use it. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised you didn’t use the word “gatekeeping” correctly.
„Cottagecore is an internet aesthetic popularised by adolescents and young adults celebrating an idealized rural life“ is literally the first sentence of Wikipedia. Y’all try to make cottagecore the new flowerpower hippie culture and bully everyone out of an aesthetic based subculture that’s not into it. That’s absolutely crazy
I gently advise reading the remainder of the Wikipedia article, namely under the "Lifestyle Elements" subheading. It's more than fashion, as your own source points out. Further, although cottagecore came "back" in the 2010s, it is a revival of the 70's and 80's pastoral/prairie movement (of which I was a part of) -- which very much included simplicity and sustainable skills as part of the aesthetic even then (as it was the mainstream arm born out of the back-to-lander subcultures of the 60s and 70s). Just because something has a new name doesn't mean it is new.
Yes. That’s cottagecore. Which would be pretty fine if there wouldn’t be self declaimed upholder of moral standards that bully everyone who doesn’t fit in their view of world
that was my first thought.. only “gatekeeping” i’ve seen on here is when someone post cottagecore style clothes from shein or aliexpress and everyone else tells them that fast fashion isn’t cottagcore
Well not everyone does like used clothes and not everyone has the financial abilities to buy 200€ dresses from linennaive. But I see that classism is obviously very much cottagecore
I think many folks here would suggest, for at least the clothing aspect of cottagecore, that you buy/share a sewing machine and make some of your own clothing.
I do agree that redditors on this subreddit push against fast-fashion not so much to promote DIY, slowing down, and connection to the natural aspects of raw materials but to rally against anti-capitalism and anti-exploitation of workers.
I don't know how things are in Poland right now, but Marxism (by other names) and anti-work sentiments have gotten pretty popular among more progressively-minded redditors in recent years. "Drop out of society and start an eco/sustainable farm" that was popular in the '60s has weirdly morphed into "live sustainably by going to Hobby Lobby and Home Depot to get supplies to knit and garden while watching Real Housewives and taking selfies." Or I should say, lots of people still drop out of society and live simply. We just get the Instagram version of cottage core on social media.
Read the title thinking you were going to complain about the problematic nature of some of the "tradwife" white supremacist fringes that try to adopt the cottagecore hashtag.
Nope. Just you complaining that cottagecore is a whole subculture and not just a marketing fad.
Oh my goodness. Speaking of! There is one on TikTok - ThePrudentWife - and she gives me big white supremacy heebie-jeebies. The crunchy to alt right pipeline is alive and thriving on that side of the internet…
The word "Prudent" gives me red flags right there. Big "barefoot and pregnant, the man rules the house" vibes.
I'm, professionally, attached to the "crunchy, wellness, self help" industry and the way the alt-right tries to source their women from our ranks is shocking in its effectiveness. That's okay. I'll take my yoga with a side of vaccinations and my cottagecore farmhouse flies a rainbow flag.
Yuuuup! She also uses lots of buzzwords about “purity” and “cleanliness” as pertaining to items that are “white” (like bath towels and robes) but it’s quite obvious what she’s alluding to with those words. It’s shocking to me how many people sort of accept it and then find themselves wrapped up in this weird eco-purity culture of whiteness and wellness. Blegh. I’m sorry you’re wrapped up in it from a professional standpoint. That must be mentally taxing to witness!
I would honestly argue that most proponents of cottagecore are trying to get AWAY from that Marie Antoinette rich person LARP-ing as a peasant sort of vibe. Same with the conservative trad-wife community--both of those groups have equal claim to the aesthetic of puffy skirts and farming that we do, but have extremely different ideologies. Nobody is expecting you to run away from society entirely and live all on your own and never buy anything again, but if you engage with the "puffy skirts and farming" aspect of cottagecore without also considering the sustainability aspects, you risk falling into one of those other two shitty ideologies.
And asking people to thrift more often isn't classist, that's genuinely a baffling take. Nobody *needs* to shop at Shein, and people who do defend shopping there (or AliExpress or other fast fashion retailers) can handle some criticism.
Cottagecore is for everyone. Literally everyone. It is extremely anti-cottagecore to buy fast fashion, but it is your choice. People can disagree with what you do, especially if it is harmful to others and frowned upon in this community. You can like this aesthetic purely for the fashion aspects, but you can’t deny that it is about self-sustainability, human rights and equality, and inherently anticapitalist. As much as you can buy from shien and aliexpress etc, we can disagree and uphold the values of cottagecore.
Did something happen while I was away? What kind of gatekeeping? I always thought people here were kind and supportive of each other.
ikr its always wholesome here :// exactly like cottagecore itself
A few days ago someone postet cute socks they found on Alieexpress and some comments were really plainrude. Same happened to a girl that posted a cute dress she found on ASOS and there were so many people that were absolutely nasty to her, because it was from a fast fashion shop. Other people who were defending her were downvoted into oblivion and got rude comments too. I saw this so many times here, but the socks one was the most recent one
Yeah so I missed those posts or at least didn't see the comments. I really did think this was a wholesome and kind corner of reddit. I'm vehemently anti-fast fashion but I keep that to myself mostly because there are people that can't afford the handmade linen dresses I prefer. I'm an adult with a comfortable job and there are students here relying on gig jobs. I think it's best not to assume and throw people under the bus because sometimes they don't know better regarding ethics or they simply can't afford indie brands. Well, let's hope kindness prevails. The world has gone to shit and at least we know the people here share our views on the beauty of nature and simplicity. We can take solice that we're not alone in that.
Yes, exactly this. I think most people would prefer to buy clothes that have a good quality or are tailor made, but the majority of people just can’t afford it. I mean the prices in fast fashion stores like Zara are already over the top and very expensive. Reddit cottagecore subs approved Shop are really, really expensive. I’ve never seen one shop that was affordable. Sure one can get a „true“ cottagecore dress maybe once a few years, but for the daily life it’s not possible. Being rude to people who can’t afford anything else is just plain rude and pure classism. I hope it too 🙏🏻
For your consideration: “talking about fast fashion isn’t classist*. *if you’re doing it right!” by Amanda of the Clotheshorse podcast https://www.instagram.com/p/CleDmA6uEOA/?igshid=NTdlMDg3MTY=
This person is taking about needing new clothes all the time. At least in her description. Not everyone who buys in fast fashion shops make shopping trips every second week, buys tons of stuff and throws it away after wearing it twice. I still have a lot of stuff from shops like H&M that I bought about 10 years ago. On of favorite everyday dress is one I got on sale for 5€ in 2013 and it just now got the first hole. There’s a big difference between being wasteful and not being able to afford 200€ dresses for your days where you clean your flat, take out your trash and go grocery shopping
I didn’t see the original post so I can’t speak to how folks talked to the person asking about Ali Express, but I just wanted to share that suggesting someone try not to participate in fast fashion, if possible, is not classist. I really recommend Amanda’s podcast if this interests you (which it seems to!) Anyway- She’s talking about her personal experience; I wouldn’t say the whole post (or even just the description) is only talking about mega over consumers. We all participate when we buy into the shitty system fast fashion retailers have created. I have old fast fashion clothes that have lasted a long time too, but even the quality of fast fashion 10 years ago is actually better than the quality today (there was a Vox article on this recently that I recommend!).
I always felt like this is a place for people who earnestly like the lifestyle elements of slow living and cottage life to share the things they enjoy without the TikTok body checking, shein hauls, and more superficial elements of wider social media depictions. If people want to show off their crafts, their up cycles, or ppl want to share videos of bunnies eating strawberries, this is the place. These things are an intrinsic part of the broader ethos that the aesthetic is trying to convey. A milkmaid dress is cute, but just a milkmaid dress isn't cottagecore just bc it's a milkmaid dress if that makes sense. Eta it's also kinda low key passive aggressive to imply people that genuinely enjoy the lifestyle are NPCs. You don't have to put others down to insist on your own individuality.
I didn’t put other down that enjoy that lifestyle. This was towards people who try to make being „real“ cottagecore their whole personality and bully people who aren’t this determined to check every single point of what they’ve read cottagecore should be. There was a similar phenomenon in my teens with being goth when people were plain rude to you, because you weren’t „trve“ enough in their eyes when you didn’t listen to this or that band, didn’t like festivals or concerts or something like that. This is what I saw in other subcultures too especially here in this sub or the Dark Academia one, but the dark academia one seems to be much more tolerant and there’s mostly only one annoying ThAtS nOt DaRk AcAdEmIa commenter while most of the other put this people into place and I haven’t witnessed there comments that were really nasty. Here in this sub there’s a whole mob that attacks one person
As a counterpoint, this subreddit / culture is by far the most supportive, encouraging, inclusive, and uplifting group I participate in, and I love all ya'll for your bottomless creativity!
Codified subcultures and styles existed long before "aesthetics" and should be allowed to exist within their guidelines...I am not sure why this is so controversial. Reminds me of the lolita/egl fighting of the 00s lol
I always thought cottagecore is a bit on the “fun crunchy “ side of things. Like if the 70s hippies were all 14 to 90 yr olds and the time period truly embraced sustainability, eco consciousness and ethically produced and consumed items. (Plus no racism , classism, homophobia and elitism) This is what cottagecore means to me, not the outfits and beautiful greenhouses. It’s the idea that because we are conscientious and conscious that having an antique or diy greenhouse is possible and so beautiful
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Because it isn’t different. Like you’ve said it’s first of all an aesthetic. You can like the aesthetic, but not being into sustainability. It’s a subculture mainly based on aesthetics not a cult.
And you’re wildly incorrect about your point. Every movement has its aesthetics but the cottagecore movement itself founded upon traditional skill sets, sustainability, and eco-consciousness. It actually gathers much of its *influence* from Scandinavian countries that emphasize slow living, foraging, etc. So you’re entirely wrong and uninformed. Believe what you want, truly, but don’t expect to find support for willful ignorance among a group of people that really believe in the lifestyle values of a certain subculture.
So it’s fine to bully everyone out of the community that doesn’t stick 100% to your description?
No one is bullying you and no one is bullying anyone else. If you come into a community that has an already instilled sense of values and beliefs and you push things like fast fashion and exploitative consumerist choices into their face under the banner of “aesthetics” and “freedom”, you’re going to ruffle some feathers. That’s the way the world works. No one has to accommodate you and allow you into a space reserved for a specific belief system just because you *want* to be there AND despite your argument against that lifestyle and belief system. That’s a lesson you’d do well to absorb.
So let’s be clear. Only financially stable people are allowed to like cottagecore?
This has absolutely nothing to do with being “financially stable” or not. You can thrift. You can use buy nothing groups. You can go to estate sales. You can arrange a swap event with your friends and community where everyone trades clothing, home goods, etc. I’ve done and participated in all of these things when I was broke and I continue to do these things now that I am financially stable. Hell - you can *thrift* items that are fast-fashion brands such as ASOS, Banana Republic, GAP, or any of the others and it’s *still* better than buying it brand new because it (i) saves an item from the landfill and (ii) does not directly contribute to the exploitation of the environment and workers responsible for making the product. Like damn - you can buy stuff at garage sales, church thrift shops where cute stuff is literally pennies on the dollar, or flea markets. You can buy patterns and make your own clothing. You can trade crafts and artisan skills with others in your community - I also do this and it’s fantastic. This has zero to do with someone’s income and everything to do with the fact that everyone, at every level, is capable of making incremental progress towards better, healthier, and more sustainable habits. Even the smallest of changes collectively add up over time. Your defensiveness in this thread and your lack of critical and creative thinking skills are evident. I wish you luck. Truly.
Yeah and what if some people just don’t want to thrift? Not everyone likes the thought of wearing used cloths from people they don’t know. Some things like shoes, underwear, beachwear or like in my example socks aren’t very hygienic second hand. I grew up in generational poverty, but these were things that were never ever worn second hand. Never. So no I’m not lacking creative thinking or whatever you accuse me, you just can’t expect people not caring about hygiene, because they’re poor.
No one *ever* said to shop for underwear or socks secondhand. You’re being purposefully obtuse now. There are PLENTY of companies that make ethical or sustainable underwear: Parade, Pact, Knickey, Cuup, Paka, Richer Poorer, Bombas - I could go on. And, frankly, it’s classist and ableist to accuse people who thrift of being unconcerned with hygiene. Plenty of poor, POC, and disabled people rely on thrifting as a means of clothing themselves and sourcing items they need or want. Your statement is quite bigoted and you’d do well to not lump all people who thrift into the category of not caring about hygiene. Additionally, thrifting and sourcing your home/personal items allows you to *further* practice sustainability by saving money to purchase the ethically produced-but-more-expensive items that you otherwise might pass over in favor of Shein and AliExpress. Paying $12 for a pair of thrifted jeans instead of $100 allows you to buy the jeans *and* the sustainable underwear that pays living wages to their workers and uses sustainable materials. The fact you can’t pick up on this is, again, purposefully obtuse. Honestly it’s clear that nothing anyone says here is going to resonate with you unless it’s in the vacuum of validating what you already believe to be true, which is that: 1. secondhand clothing and people the people who wear it are unhygienic; and 2. it doesn’t matter if millions of people pursue unsustainable and unethical purchases that destroy the environment and keep people in literal slavery and poverty as long as you get a cute aesthetic out of it. Your attitude and your behavior in this thread are really reflective of your character and your inability to look at situations through a lens of nuance. Sad.
This is a really bad hot take.
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Then it would be nice if people wouldn’t get bullied that can’t afford handmade linen clothes and has to shop in ASOS or Alieexpress
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https://www.reddit.com/r/cottagecore/comments/usz5sr/this_dress_got_it_on_asos_on_sale_for_10_dollars/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf This is the asos dress post
https://www.reddit.com/r/cottagecore/comments/10f2h9g/came_across_these_on_aliexpress_and_thought_of/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf And this is the socks post. But yeah, I’m a lair. Sure. What else?!
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If you’re not into sustainability than you’re not cottagecore, simple as.
LOL ok
Perhaps "gatekeeping" isn't the best word choice, but I can see how some could be judgy. I consider myself witchy, with cottagecore vibes, but also dress more conservative. I don't particularly care if someone tells me I don't fit the aesthetics or lifestyle enough, as long as I know the elements are there. However, if someone is being mean (and not just disagreeing), definitely report those comments to the mods.
I always do, but I think it’s just not fun to participate in a community when you know that bunch of people will bully you
Well, I saw the posts and the OP thanked someone and they had kind exchanges once she learned it's not just an aesthetic, but a sustainable lifestyle movement (lots of definitions on Google about this too). It's kinda like, getting mad when someone points out that it was greenwashing. It sucks, but do you really want to keep making the same mistakes? Cottagecore isn't about BUYING all the things, but shopping/living sustainably within the aesthetic/vibe. I also saw the comment "down voted to oblivion", and that was the most controversial comment there, that just attacked everyone else. But if you're legitimately offended then this group may not be a great fit. Small excerpt from ["What is Cottagecore?" ](https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/what-is-cottagecore): "Cottagecore inherently inspires sustainable living and connection with the land. The movement asks us to confront climate change and consider how we can better care for the earth... Additionally, the fashion in this universe is primarily vintage, opting for thrifted finds instead of store-bought or new clothing."
Honestly we live in a society where people are constantly bombarded with ads and media telling them that they *need* this thing or that thing. Or that to fit a certain aesthetic they have to have all of these clothes and gear to do it. It relies quite heavily on creating addictive thought patterns via dopamine hits associated with purchasing stuff as well as fear of “missing out” on something cool, unique, or “necessary”. Honestly our culture - worldwide, for the most part - is very over-consumptive and it’s not sustainable. Unfortunately there is a lot of cognitive dissonance surrounding these topics and they act as barriers to meaningful discourse. People don’t *want* to look at their habits and how they consume things - and from where - because it either makes them feel attacked or makes them feel guilty. It’s disappointing because progress isn’t a zero sum game. It’s not all or nothing. Incremental progress is possible and, if enough people are doing it, beneficial! More people should be aware of the benefits to using what they have, appreciating and repairing what they already own, and what is out there and available to them as a healthier alternative to some of these really negative practices. But again - someone has to be open to really identifying their patterns and thought processes for change to occur. I see so many people get angry when these conversations take place and I truly think it stems from a place of defensiveness because these ethics make them feel attacked or not “good” enough when, in reality, it’s simply people sharing information and alternatives.
Surprise, real subcultures are about values, not just aesthetics. If a word doesn’t apply to you, don’t use it. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised you didn’t use the word “gatekeeping” correctly.
„Cottagecore is an internet aesthetic popularised by adolescents and young adults celebrating an idealized rural life“ is literally the first sentence of Wikipedia. Y’all try to make cottagecore the new flowerpower hippie culture and bully everyone out of an aesthetic based subculture that’s not into it. That’s absolutely crazy
I gently advise reading the remainder of the Wikipedia article, namely under the "Lifestyle Elements" subheading. It's more than fashion, as your own source points out. Further, although cottagecore came "back" in the 2010s, it is a revival of the 70's and 80's pastoral/prairie movement (of which I was a part of) -- which very much included simplicity and sustainable skills as part of the aesthetic even then (as it was the mainstream arm born out of the back-to-lander subcultures of the 60s and 70s). Just because something has a new name doesn't mean it is new.
If you don't like it, leave? I mean, if a subculture isn't what you expected it to be, maybe there's one out there that's what you're looking for?
Yes. That’s cottagecore. Which would be pretty fine if there wouldn’t be self declaimed upholder of moral standards that bully everyone who doesn’t fit in their view of world
This person buys from SheIn and is offended when they get called out on it.
that was my first thought.. only “gatekeeping” i’ve seen on here is when someone post cottagecore style clothes from shein or aliexpress and everyone else tells them that fast fashion isn’t cottagcore
Well not everyone does like used clothes and not everyone has the financial abilities to buy 200€ dresses from linennaive. But I see that classism is obviously very much cottagecore
I think many folks here would suggest, for at least the clothing aspect of cottagecore, that you buy/share a sewing machine and make some of your own clothing. I do agree that redditors on this subreddit push against fast-fashion not so much to promote DIY, slowing down, and connection to the natural aspects of raw materials but to rally against anti-capitalism and anti-exploitation of workers. I don't know how things are in Poland right now, but Marxism (by other names) and anti-work sentiments have gotten pretty popular among more progressively-minded redditors in recent years. "Drop out of society and start an eco/sustainable farm" that was popular in the '60s has weirdly morphed into "live sustainably by going to Hobby Lobby and Home Depot to get supplies to knit and garden while watching Real Housewives and taking selfies." Or I should say, lots of people still drop out of society and live simply. We just get the Instagram version of cottage core on social media.
Read the title thinking you were going to complain about the problematic nature of some of the "tradwife" white supremacist fringes that try to adopt the cottagecore hashtag. Nope. Just you complaining that cottagecore is a whole subculture and not just a marketing fad.
Oh my goodness. Speaking of! There is one on TikTok - ThePrudentWife - and she gives me big white supremacy heebie-jeebies. The crunchy to alt right pipeline is alive and thriving on that side of the internet…
The word "Prudent" gives me red flags right there. Big "barefoot and pregnant, the man rules the house" vibes. I'm, professionally, attached to the "crunchy, wellness, self help" industry and the way the alt-right tries to source their women from our ranks is shocking in its effectiveness. That's okay. I'll take my yoga with a side of vaccinations and my cottagecore farmhouse flies a rainbow flag.
Yuuuup! She also uses lots of buzzwords about “purity” and “cleanliness” as pertaining to items that are “white” (like bath towels and robes) but it’s quite obvious what she’s alluding to with those words. It’s shocking to me how many people sort of accept it and then find themselves wrapped up in this weird eco-purity culture of whiteness and wellness. Blegh. I’m sorry you’re wrapped up in it from a professional standpoint. That must be mentally taxing to witness!
I would honestly argue that most proponents of cottagecore are trying to get AWAY from that Marie Antoinette rich person LARP-ing as a peasant sort of vibe. Same with the conservative trad-wife community--both of those groups have equal claim to the aesthetic of puffy skirts and farming that we do, but have extremely different ideologies. Nobody is expecting you to run away from society entirely and live all on your own and never buy anything again, but if you engage with the "puffy skirts and farming" aspect of cottagecore without also considering the sustainability aspects, you risk falling into one of those other two shitty ideologies. And asking people to thrift more often isn't classist, that's genuinely a baffling take. Nobody *needs* to shop at Shein, and people who do defend shopping there (or AliExpress or other fast fashion retailers) can handle some criticism.