Meadows of wild flowers, floral print milkmaid dresses, vintage home decor, home-baked goods carried in a straw basket for a picnic outdoors… there’s one word that instantly comes to mind: cottagecore.
Nowadays, it feels as if ‘core’ has been attached to most words. Social media has been inundated; we’ve had ‘cores’ such as balletcore, barbiecore, fairycore, goblincore, gothcore… I could go on. I’m not a great fan of these microtrends, especially ones that encourage completely overhauling our wardrobes and lifestyles to condense our lives into these aesthetics for however long it’s popular. I prefer to take aspects of these ‘cores’ I like, and one I particularly love is the cottagecore aesthetic.
What is Cottagecore?
Cottagecore is an aesthetic that promotes simple living, with prized skills and crafts such as sewing, baking and gardening. It’s slow living, fresh food, beautiful scenery, dried flowers, vintage decor, floral prints, an idealised version of rural living (although the aesthetic is achievable even in an urban setting). With cottagecore, there is a focus on living in the present and enjoying the small things.
So is it any surprise that in this post-Covid world that this lifestyle aesthetic would be so popular? It’s attractive because of its encouragement of a less complicated way of living, especially in a world so full of tech and hustle culture.
16 Cottagecore Films and T.V shows to watch
In honour of this lifestyle aesthetic, here are 16 films and t.v shows that radiate the cottagecore aesthetic:
1. The Secret Garden (1993)
2. The Darling Buds of May (1991)
3. Little House on a prairie
4. Pride and Prejudice (1995)
5. Emma (2009 and 2020)
6. Lark Rise to Candleford
7. Poldark (2015)
8. Far From the Madding Crowd (2015)
9. The Durrells