The aesthetic playground: Introduction

‘Choose your aesthetic’ is a caption you have probably seen on many Buzzfeed quizzes, TikToks, and Instagram posts. It’s a word – and concept – that is becoming increasingly well-known these days. In terms of definitions, the noun and modifier has been on quite a journey despite its relatively short history. Its early definition was derived from a Greek word referring to sense perception, and later referred to a branch of philosophy dedicated to the study of beauty and taste. In the 19^th century, the adjective began to indicate that something was in line with the principles of artistic taste or beauty.

‘Aesthetic’ is certainly not finished in its evolution: nowadays, it is a new way of saying ‘style’ in a way that can be both personal and communal. The suffix –core is now often used when referring to this sense of aesthetic. One Tumblr user even decided to make the AestheticsWiki, on which you can find an impressively long list of aesthetics from ‘coastal cowgirl’ to ‘Regencycore’ to ‘art academia’. Each aesthetic has its own page, where you can read about its history, visuals, fashion, and media.

What’s so funny about the trends moving as fast as they do these days is I can’t even tell who is ahead of the curve, behind the curve, right on trend

Heidi Becker

The term is commonly used on social media, with posts and videos asking you to choose an aesthetic or ask your friends what aesthetic you are. One user, Heidi Becker, says: “What’s so funny about the trends moving as fast as they do these days is I can’t even tell who is ahead of the curve, behind the curve, right on trend”. However, she also praises that fashion is “pushing personal style and individuality”.

Paradoxically, the new concept of aesthetics could partly be a product of fast-moving fashion trends whilst also trying to help people curate a personal style. The issue arises when people start believing that they have to be completely synchronised in their aesthetics. If a person decides they are ‘light academia’ but their bedroom decorations instead lean into ‘coastal grandma’, is their aesthetic messy and confusing?

[Aesthetics should be used as] a playground on which we can cultivate our personal styles

The answer is: of course not. We should not let aesthetics be limiting factors, but rather be like a playground on which we can cultivate our personal styles. I’m a firm believer that we shouldn’t just stick to one aesthetic, but instead dip in and out of different ones in a similar way to trying out a new genre of books or music. Think about Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, and the many music genres and aesthetics she managed to fit into a three-hour concert. One day, you might want your outfit to lean into ‘angelcore’ and the next day you might choose ‘messy French girl’.

This column is here to guide you on how to do that, by exploring aesthetics from a fashion perspective. Whether you want to curate a personal style, or just put together an outfit, this column will delve into how we can do that without putting limitations on ourselves.