An Internet aesthetic, also simply referred to as an aesthetic or microaesthetic, is a visual art style, sometimes accompanied by a fashion style, subculture, or music genre, that usually originates from the Internet or is popularized on it. Throughout the 2010s and 2020s, online aesthetics gained increasing popularity, specifically on social media platforms such as Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram and TikTok, and often were used by people to express their individuality and creativity. They can also be used to create a sense of community and belonging among people who share the same interests. The term aesthetic has been described as being "totally divorced from its academic origins", and is commonly used as an adjective.^[1]

Definition

Internet aesthetics are characterized and identifiable by their visual style. Sarah Spellings from Vogue stated,

Over time, "aesthetic" has evolved from an academic word and something utilized by artists and auteurs to something to categorize our own identities by. It can mean both personal style and a vague stand-in for beauty.^[1]

Kaitlin Tiffany from The Atlantic stated:

At this point, the word aesthetic is totally divorced from its academic origins. While Tumblr users mainstreamed it years ago, many teenagers use aesthetic as an all-purpose adjective—"that's so aesthetic" as a shorthand for "that's so aesthetically pleasing to me." But in broader Internet parlance, it now means a collection of signifiers or, more precisely, a "vibe."^[2]

Many names for aesthetics use suffixes, such as -core, which, according to The Washington Post, originates from the word hardcore.^[3][4][5]

History

Many Internet aesthetics have been credited with originating on Tumblr, including Dark academia, Cottagecore, Art Hoe,^[6] Coquette/Nymphet,^[7] and Weirdcore.^[8]

Aesthetics Wiki, a wiki hosted on Fandom, has frequently been cited for its large database of information on online aesthetics.^[2][9][3] According to The Atlantic, the wiki gained a 9,974% increase in traffic during 2020.^[2]

In 2022, Rebecca Jennings from Vox argued that many trends from TikTok fall under one trend, calling it "TikTok couture" and describing it as a "way to describe the coalescence of trends that materialize on TikTok, whether from teenagers experimenting with clothes they've drifted from their local charity shop, from older folks revisiting the subcultural styles of their youth, or from professional and amateur trend watchers combining aesthetic clues into a single theory of what's coming next", adding "with the help of the supercharged TikTok algorithm that blasts viral content to millions of users within hours or days, these videos shape what mainstream culture considers stylish, which therefore can affect what we choose to wear ourselves."^[10]

In July 2022, Sarah Spellings from Vogue stated that there was a "rise of hyper-specific Internet aesthetics".^[11]

Notable examples

Vaporwave

Vaporwave is an aesthetic that includes electronic music, visual art style, and memes that emerged in the early 2010s. It is defined partly by its slowed-down, chopped and screwed samples of smooth jazz, elevator, R&B, and lounge music from the 1980s and 1990s. The surrounding subculture is sometimes associated with an ambiguous or satirical take on consumer capitalism and pop culture and tends to be characterized by a nostalgic or surrealist engagement with the popular entertainment, technology and advertising of previous decades. Visually, it incorporates early Internet imagery, late 1990s web design, glitch art, anime, 3D-rendered objects, and cyberpunk tropes in its cover artwork and music videos.

Corecore

Corecore or CoreCore is an aesthetic and artistic movement aiming to capture post–2020 sensibilities. A product of youth culture in the 2020s, the corecore aesthetic was largely found on TikTok, where it juxtaposes various video clips while emotional music plays. Meant to evoke strong emotions, the corecore aesthetic juxtaposes imagery with its content made up of "seemingly unrelated clips" culled from a variety of sources including news footage, social media, films, livestreams, and memes, often overlaid on usually emotionally rousing, somber, or ambient music.^{[citation needed]}

Frutiger Aero

Frutiger Aero was an internet aesthetic and UI/UX design trend based on Windows Aero, which was popular from roughly 2004 to 2013.^[12] The term was coined in 2017, as a portmanteau of Aero and the Frutiger typeface.^[13] The aesthetic focuses around gloss, CGI renders of scenes with nature and technology together, transparency, nature symbolism, bokeh photography, and elements of skeuomorphic design.^[12][14][15]

Seapunk

Seapunk is a subculture that originated on Tumblr in 2011. It is associated with an aquatic-themed style of fashion, 3D net art, iconography, and allusions to popular culture of the 1990s. Seapunk gained limited popularity as it spread through the Internet, although it was said to have developed a Chicago club scene.^{[citation needed]}

Unicorn Trend

The Unicorn trend 2010s aesthetic where individuals design, produce, and use consumer objects adorned with rainbowed and vibrant color palettes, has acquired a strong popularity since 2016, especially among millennials. The unicorn trend is also characterized by a visual value: the kitschy aesthetic of the modern unicorn depiction with a return to childhood and an escape from reality. Its popularity was also augmented by the influencer and celebrity economy of social networks.^{[citation needed]}

Dark Academia

Dark Academia is an aesthetic that focuses on higher education, specifically during the 19th century and early 20th century,^[16] and Collegiate Gothic architecture, along with a dark color palette. It also reportedly "emphasizes inclusivity and gender fluidity" and "has a dedicated LGBTQ+ following".^[16] According to The INSIDER, the aesthetic dates back to 2014 on Tumblr, later getting popularized in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically on TikTok and Instagram.^[17] Kristen Bateman from The New York Times states, "Though it's unclear how and where, exactly, Dark Academia began, many users discovered it on Tumblr".^[16]

Light Academia

Light Academia is an aesthetic and subculture, that emphasizes visually light aesthetics and positive themes, including optimism, joy, and friendship. Accordingly, light academia is often considered to be the visually and emotionally lighter counterpart of dark academia, which has been described as "cottagecore with some more cosmopolitan elements", and as taking inspiration from school uniforms and early to mid-20th-century college wear. The term light academia was coined on Tumblr in 2019 and gained popularity during the early 2020s.^{[citation needed]}

Neo-Victorian

Neo-Victorianism is an aesthetic movement that features an overt nostalgia for the Victorian period, generally in the context of the broader hipster subculture of the 1990s–2010s.^[18] It is also likened to other "neos" (e.g. neoconservatism, neoliberalism), which do not simply look back to the past but also reiterate and replay it in more diverse and complicated ways.^[19] This characteristic makes neo-Victorian art difficult to define conclusively.^[20]

Liminal space

Liminal spaces are the subject of an internet aesthetic portraying empty or abandoned places that appear eerie, forlorn, and often surreal. Liminal spaces are common places of transition (about the concept of liminality) or of nostalgic appeal. Research from the Journal of Environmental Psychology has indicated that liminal spaces may appear eerie or strange because they fall into an uncanny valley of architecture and physical places. The aesthetic gained popularity in 2019 after a post on 4chan depicting a liminal space called the Backrooms went viral. Since then, liminal space images have been posted across the internet, including on Reddit, Twitter, and TikTok.^{[citation needed]}

Cottagecore

Cottagecore is an aesthetic popularised by teenagers and young adults romanticizing rural life, centering on traditional rural clothing, interior design, and crafts such as drawing, baking, and pottery. The term for the aesthetic was coined in 2018 on Tumblr.^[21] The aesthetic gained heavy popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, where economic forces and other challenges facing these young people may have been a significant driver of this trend, along with these generations' emphasis on sustainability, and the recent trend to work from home (initially during the pandemic).^[22]

Goblincore

Goblincore is an aesthetic and subculture inspired by the folklore of goblins, centered on celebrating natural ecosystems usually considered less beautiful by conventional norms, such as soil, animals, and second-hand objects. Proponents of the subculture have also been noted to collect shiny objects, similarly to folklore goblins, such as silverware, small jewelry, and coins. The subculture has been described as connected to maximalism and escapism. Goblincore is believed to have surfaced in online communities in the late 2010s, particularly on Tumblr and TikTok, with Amanda Brennan stating that it "started picking up in spring 2019 and hit full steam in 2020 as people stumbled upon it during the pandemic."^{[citation needed]}

Fairycore

Fairycore is an aesthetic focusing on imagery and fashion related to fairies. This aesthetic is commonly linked with Goblincore and Cottagecore. Natalie Michie from Fashion Magazine stated the "aesthetic often compromises a hazy pastel color palette and unconventional fabrics like silk, crochet, and tulle combined to make billowing silhouettes. The goal is to, quite literally, look like a fairy".^[23][24] According to Teen Vogue, Grunge Fairycore, or Fairy Grunge, focuses on neutral, earthy colors, dark color palettes, and "flowy peasant skirts, lace, ripped tights, ribbon, knitted sweaters, leg warmers, and corsets", and some may also wear strap-on wings and pointed ears. The clothes are typically thrifted.^[25][26]

VSCO girl

VSCO girls or VSCO kids emerged among teenagers around mid- to late-2019,^[27] often described as "basic".^[28] Named after the VSCO photography app, VSCO girls are known for using oversized T-shirts, sweatshirts or sweaters, Fjällräven Kånkens, scrunchies, Hydro Flasks, Crocs, Pura Vida bracelets, instant cameras, Carmex, metal straws, friendship bracelets, Birkenstocks, shell necklaces, and other beach-related fashion. Environmentalism, especially topics relating to sea turtle conservation, are also regarded as part of VSCO culture.^[29][30] VSCO girls have fallen out of fashion since 2019.^[31]

E-Kid

The E-Girl and E-Boy aesthetics gained popularity on TikTok in 2019. It is an evolution of emo, scene and mall goth fashion combined with Japanese street fashion (such as anime, cosplay, kawaii and lolita fashion) and Korean street fashion (such as K-pop).^[32][33] According to Business Insider, the terms are not gender-specific, instead referring to two separate styles of fashion, stating that "While the e-boy is a vulnerable 'softboi' and embraces skate culture, the e-girl is cute and seemingly innocent".^{[citation needed]}

Kidcore/Indie Kid

The "kidcore" or "indie kid" look centers around bright colors and nods to the late 1990s and 2000s. The aesthetic was first defined on Tumblr around the mid-2010s. In 2020, TikTok and Instagram contributed to a sharp increase in popularity. The indie kid aesthetic is characterized by overly saturated photos and "crop tops, baggy pants/jeans, tartan tennis skirts, tight-fitting tops, polo shirts, platform boots or sneakers, as well as skate brands in general", along with Monster Energy also being considered "a staple".^[34] Unlike the hipster subculture of the 2000s and early 2010s, indie kids of the 2020s favored a more childlike style that took inspiration from the late 1990s and 2000s, Japanese subculture, bedroom pop, skater fashion, energy drink culture, and hyper pop. Thrifting was popular across the internet in 2020 due to Gen Z's distaste for fast fashion and a desire to emulate the past.^{[citation needed]}

Soft Grunge/2014 Tumblr Girl

Originally referred to as soft grunge during the early 2010s, the "2014 Tumblr Girl" aesthetic reportedly gained a resurgence of popularity in the early 2020s, specifically by users on TikTok in a nostalgic sense. The aesthetic includes music from artists such as Lana Del Rey, Marina and the Diamonds,^[35] the 1975, Arctic Monkeys, and grunge-inspired fashion.^{[36][37][38][39]}

Soft Girl

Soft Girl or Softie describes a youth subculture that emerged among teenagers around mid-to late-2019. Soft girl is a fashion style, popular among some young women on social media, based on a deliberately cutesy, feminine look with a girly girl attitude. Being a soft girl also may involve a tender, sweet, and vulnerable personality. The trend consists mainly of pastel colors, Y2K, anime, K-pop, and 90s-inspired clothing, as well as cute and nostalgic prints. It parallels some of Kawaii-centric aesthetics in Japan but with a more subdued look. The soft girl aesthetic is a subculture that found predominant popularity through the social media app TikTok.^{[citation needed]}

Balletcore

Balletcore is a dancewear-inspired fashion trend originating around 2022 and has now caught mainstream attention on TikTok. The style is attributed to Gen Z's obsession with nostalgia based on either the practice outfits or the performance costumes of professional ballet dancers, which has been called "hyper-feminine" and embraces both comfort and body movement in a context that explores femininity. The trend consists of soft pastel hues such as pink, peach, baby blue, lilac, and light neutral colors with the use of traditional ballet costumes such as ballet flats, pointe shoes, legwarmers, ballerina skirts, leotards, and tights, as well as lightweight materials such as tulle and satin, organza, sheer fabrics, mesh, and spandex. Throughout fashion trends, ballet has always had some influence, but with this trend, the trend was more explicit, with the entire outfit being ballet-inspired, as well as the name being prominent, and many fashion brands have based their clothes on the trend that developed separately from mainstream fashion.^{[citation needed]}

Coquette aesthetic

Coquette aesthetic is a 2020s fashion trend that characterized by a mix of sweet, romantic, and sometimes playful elements and focuses on femininity through the use of clothes with lace, flounces, pastel colors, and bows, often draws inspiration from historical periods like the Victorian era and the 1950s, with a modern twist. The aesthetic gained popularity on Tumblr in the early 2020s and TikTok around 2022, but has roots in earlier feminine fashion trends, including Japanese Lolita fashion and other aesthetics such as Balletcore, Cottagecore, and Princesscore.^{[citation needed]}

Bimbocore

Bimbocore, also known as Barbiecore, is an American and Canadian feminist fashion subculture that reclaims the sexist stereotypes of female celebrities from the 2000s. The trend consists mainly of Bleached blonde hair, Millennial pink, Y2K, Juicy Couture, Von Dutch, Ed Hardy, skimpy skintight clothing, and McBling-inspired fashion accessories to characterize Bimbocore and its Japanese subculture counterpart, Gyaru, as well as pop music define this aesthetic.^{[citation needed]}

Bisexual lighting

Bisexual lighting is the simultaneous use of pink, purple, and blue lighting to represent bisexual characters. Some commentators have pointed to the pink and blue color scheme as merely a reference to the 1980s aesthetic. It is reminiscent of neon lights and is also associated with retrowave. The trend of bisexual lighting became a popular meme, which gained attention from the LGBTQ+ community in 2017, particularly on social media.^{[citation needed]}

Clean Girl

Popularized in 2022 on TikTok, Clean Girl aesthetic, according to Bustle, is "about oversized, sporty basics", and consists of items such as "simple crop tops, loose-fit, high-rise denim, dainty gold jewelry, matching athleisure sets (probably from Aritzia), and the latest Nike drop". According to Refinery29, the aesthetic "is basically just minimalist makeup" and "significantly low effort", citing that as the reason for its popularity.^[40]

Gorpcore

Gorp is a style that emerged in the late 2010s – early 2020s. Coined by Jason Chef in 2017, Gorpcore is a futuristic, loose-fitting, outdoors, camping-chic-inspired style. The youth in 2022 reuse and get style inspiration from previous generations, while Gorp has emerged in the 2020s, making the up-and-coming style more unique. The style is somewhat open for interpretation because it is fairly new, making it flexible and creative. However, some certain patterns and forms classify an outfit as a Gorp. This fashion style coincides with Gen Zers' desire for sustainable fashion, as many of these pieces are easily accessible in vintage or thrift shops. In contrast, designer pieces can be found in e-commerce stores such as Depop or Thred-up. This style is unisex and reflects how Gen Zers are breaking heteronormative cultural dress codes and creating an original style unique to the 2020s.^{[citation needed]}