The Dangerous Worship of Internet Aesthetics

[@clarkelieson]

"There is nothing outside the text." As you can imagine, this video took a lot of work. If you'd like, you can support me for access to the director's commentary video and my discord server: www.patreon.com/ClarkElieson

[@dianmoffatt9915]

Thank you. Your presentation was exceptional. I'll be back for more another day

[@gkhfbnhfvng]

You did a great job, thank you. Huge contribution.

[@echelonrank3927]

dark academia sounds like something opposite of enlightenment

[@echelonrank3927]

@@gkhfbnhfvng i also liked the video on the dark academia aesthetic. since you have the agent smith aestetic it gave me idea to look at review photos of people that bought the agent smith glasses on the internet and guess what? most look like agent smith. its like matrix but 4 real. the morpheus candidates are even more funny.

[@-xirx-]

@@clarkelieson Apologies, I don't understand the 'doing it "For the meme"'? Are you able to explain please?

[@midnightsky4898]

Basically, an aesthetic should not be an identity. People shouldn't change or restrict themselves to a certain lifestyle. It limits human potential. It could be something you're passionate about or do as a hobby but it should never define you as a person. The constant strive toward perfection can lead to a hatred of reality and dissatisfaction with ones own life.

[@clarkelieson]

Well said. I think too many people in the comments believe that Im suggesting Aesthetics are evil simply because they arent art... Au contrarie, I think theyre wonderful. But they deserve to be recognized as something beyond what is real, something not attainable in reality. That's a part of where their pleasure comes from.

[@Shashu_the_little_Voidling]

"The constant strive toward perfection can lead to a hatred of reality and dissatisfaction with ones own life." How do I stop doing this? Not just in regards to aesthetics, but in life as a whole

[@bittersweet2311]

Between your name and the content of this video, I am reminded of the movie "Midnight in Paris" which also touches on the topic of changing and restricting yourself based on a certain lifestyle and how being present in the moment is a way to stay closer to that awe and wonder aesthetics strive for.

[@liamobrien6044]

@@Shashu_the_little_Voidling practice outcome independence is what I’d say. Try to do things that you care about and take chances, but if shit hits the fan, learn to pick up and move on faster and quicker. Everyone has unrealistic goals, expectations, and ideals. But don’t let striving for perfection lead you to wasting time worrying about the future and toiling on a single project for months. TLDR: Don’t become one of those weepy old dudes who drinks all the time and writes letters to old flames. Be okay with your life not being perfect

[@AnnaLVajda]

Yeah just like the comic book fans get together for events or trekkies or people visit renaissance fairs etc. There is a difference between an interest in something and an obsession or expecting everyone else to be into what you are. It seems to have some goth style to it and you can enjoy reading old books or having antique furnishing art candles etc. for home decor without losing touch with reality. It seems like people who complain they were born in the wrong time etc.

[@Dolllmeat]

I think that the healthiest way to use "aesthetic" culture is just to explore your own style and ideals, interests etc.

[@clarkelieson]

I think Pinterest is probably the best at this, as far as social media apps in that area

[@dinogt8477]

no one cares

[@avamasquerade]

Who would do anything else?? This video is just being dramatic and waxing psuedo intellectual.

[@Reiiven]

@@avamasquerade you’d be surprised how stressed people get over aesthetics tbh

[@momyma]

@@dinogt8477how do you speak for everyone?

[@PanzerfaustBR]

Yeah. Very Humanities-oriented. Of course, any STEM student would know that *truly* Dark Academia is your Calculus professor (wearing Hawaiian shirts and slippers) maniacally laughing during an exam. The horror, the horror...

[@SahWar]

The only real Dark Academia is mad science of the fringe-science side of STEM and secret government projects and secret corporate projects... 😒

[@angie44551]

My old physiology professor who, I am sure to this day, suffered some variant of color blindness and lost his marbles when the class couldn't provide the concepts he asked about.

[@jacob9673]

I always find it incredibly ignorant when people act like science isn’t as creative or “academic” as the arts. I mean, in terms of academic rigor the humanities have fallen (atleast at the undergraduate level), so maybe they just have more time for caring about aesthetic now.

[@power50001562]

@@jacob9673 stem has also fallen in the undergraduate realm. They've removed philosophy and ethics and any sense of "why do science at all". It's been reduced to solving problems using known equations with no care given to understanding. Why? Because that's more important in the workplace, personal development be damned.

[@emmetallen5685]

My Master's Java Programming professor telling the class on the first day "I will teach you, and you will learn through pain and suffering." He has us write Java in notepad and on exams expects us to write fully functional Java code with pen and paper. Please pray for me 🙏.

[@LaneMaxfield]

I love your arguments and your points, but I also have to ultimately disagree, if not with your conclusion, but with your application of the conclusion to Dark Academia alone. I do not see this kind of criticism applied to, for example, Cottagecore. Cottagecore can also become an aesthetic that is uncritically worshiped as a pursuit of a state of perfection and taken on as an identity to the extent that the complexities of reality are ignored. But it feels so soft and happy that people never criticize this, because wouldn't it be lovely to be in a soft fairy tale woodland all the time? Well, no, it wouldn't, not really. Cottagecore relies on the exclusion of any part of nature that is not fluffy and sweet. A real rural life includes dealing with the fact that those cute foxes will attack your picturesque chickens, that your crops can be destroyed by pests, that winter snowstorms can be dangerous and that even on your best day, you have to deal with a ton of poop. That does not make the pursuit of natural beauty and a simpler, more independent life bad, but it can set people up to idealize the photoshoots without actually pushing towards a sustainable lifestyle that is in harmony with nature. Being in harmony with nature means accepting the darker parts of it. Even if the idea of living in the woods is going to be a pipedream for you, the idealization of the soft and the fluffy to the exclusion of everything else is a hallmark of toxic positivity, which is a movement that is just as damaging towards mental health as the romanticization of angst. So I guess, I agree that an obsession with aesthetics is corrupting. I just disagree that Dark Academia deserves the level of criticism it has received, relative to other aesthetics.

[@yashyashyashy]

Yes and cottage core is very Europe based.

[@00nerd4]

I am a fan of Cottagecore however I openly say and see it for what it is - ultimately its rural poverty porn. I spent many years in the mid/late 90's in Poland when communism fell and my family there lived a very rural lifestyle. Today I enjoy going to places or seeing images that evoke a similar feeling of that past I experienced, because it is so wildly different from my modern life in Australia. However I can tell you, I dont believe I would enjoy today taking the family cow out to pasture every morning like I did when I was 5 years old even though then I loved it.

[@sl8216]

that's well-said

[@francisp2131]

But an aesthetic will always be romanticized and I think that is what the critique is getting at. I’ve been looking at a few counter arguments in this comment section, but all of them seem to just claim that people should be allowed to like what they like. Nobody is saying you can’t, but it can’t be ignored that the “dark academia” aesthetic seems to be littered with contradiction and hypocrisy. It is not an authentic expression of your own character which inherently comes with being a creative person. If someone claims to be interested in art, poetry, literature etc etc but simultaneously molds themselves into a prepackaged idea of what it means to be an “artistic intellectual” they are probably not actually an artist themselves but merely wants to emulate the “idea” or the stereotypical look of what this aesthetic has deemed “intellectual” or “misunderstood artist”. It just rubs people the wrong way, being interested in learning, or art and the like shouldn’t be an encompassing identity, it should just be. I think that the creator of the video is more or less critiquing the entirety of “aesthetics” rather then just dark academia. I think it is dangerous that people aline themselves with artificial ways of forming a self. It doesn’t allow for the expansion of your ever growing identity and it dilutes genuine endeavours into the arts, the outdoors, or music into a spectacle. Most people who aline themselves with these visual displays of self aren’t actually interested in the things their aesthetic claims but merely emulate the “idea” of those things. Hence becoming a spectacle. Hence the degradation of authenticity. I think it is yet another pitfall to internet culture.

[@francisp2131]

@momotan thank you for replying. I agree with some of your counter points. Especially, as you mention “urban tribalism” in which dark academia can be related back to the punk movement or the leather community. I do think these communities can give people a sense of self and an identity to feel comfortable in within a group setting. I suppose my thoughts on these “urban tribes” as you say are not inherently negative, I feel however that succumbing to a community or group culture can be dangerous in and of itself. It strips you of your individuality in a sense and makes you more predisposed to conformity within that group. I think we all, to a certain extent conform and present ourselves in various ways to feel accepted by some sort of group, although I think, especially on the internet, people become so entangled within these ideas that they are preforming some kind of “pre-packaged personality” as I mentioned above. I fear that anyone can succumb to conformity within their in-group and that it results in a lose for everyone. A lose of originality, creativity, and discovering for yourself the many facets of your being - some in which are bound to contradict some of your aesthetic inspirations. I also agree that we are all preforming to some extent, I do think being attached to a community whole heartily only exemplifies this, instead of preforming with a diverse array of inspiration - similar to how an artist takes inspiration from many different artists - if you only subscribe to one, you are missing out on so much more, and in my opinion especially, so much more of your own potential. I think also that there is a slight difference with the tribal nature of a Punk community or a Leather community. These communities are not inherently internet based and so have their own grounded reality and diversity within them. “Dark academia” originated online, and so already has some sort of mystic and artificiality to it, you can not really live out this sense of community in real time, you are more so subjected to your own conformity to a identity in a non-reality. This isn’t to say it is better or worse, but I definitely see it as being less nuanced and less about community then it is about the construction of identity.

[@vt1527]

I like the look of dark academia, but I can´t take it seriously. I feel like it´s very predominant in the US and from my perspective seems like a sort of longing for old world Europe, but only with a focus on the UK for some reason? I study law at a university founded in the 14th century (not in the UK): very dark academia one might think, but the reality is so different. I do want to learn, but studying for an exam for two months minimum and considering textbooks that are only 400 pages as opposed to the more common 800 pages a blessing is just exhausting. I know, the aesthetic also romanticises overworking and substance abuse, but that in itself is just problematic in my opinion. There are plenty of law students who partake in substance abuse because of their studies and it´s not romantic or scholarly, it´s pretty ugly. I also had latin in middle and high school for 6 years (it´s mandatory in our curriculum) and I loved it, but it was still tedious to learn and have exams in. Reading online articles about the latin language/roman history (I love roman history) and reading books about those topics is different than having to translate Ciceros letters from latin to german for a school exam. I don´t know, it all just seems so fake. I understand romanticising life, but when one starts to feel bad about one´s own life because it´s not "aesthetic enough" and starts to feign interest in things which adhere to a certain aesthetic just because of that fact, it all just becomes toxic in my opinion.

[@thegreatdream8427]

We need an aesthetic that romanticizes a balanced, healthy lifestyle with harmony among study, creativity, nature, technology, friendship, and self-care. And then we need to paint the whole real world with that aesthetic, and make life beautiful and free from suffering. Also, btw, the Islamic world was academic before the West was - in fact the first university in Europe was founded by a Muslim - so I wonder what a Middle Eastern dark academia, inspired by the cultures that developed such things as algebra, would look like. Similarly, I can imagine a Chinese variant rooted in the very long history of education (examinations for ministers etc) in Imperial China.

[@greg9010]

@@thegreatdream8427 I assume you are referring to the University of Karueein in Morocco. However, that is not true. Also not Middle Eastern. It doesn't meet the requirements to be considered as a university because it started as a type of church school. Saying that the Islamic world was academic before the west completely ignores the Greek and Roman scholasticism which extended well into the middle ages. It's fine to want a dark academia setting in the middle east but don't conflate ahistorical things together just to build that setting.

[@yavrielsechelle7431]

It doesn't Seem fake. It Is fake. It's divorcing the image from the context in order to sell products that visually create the image in question. It's Cake's Rock n Roll Lifestyle. It's RHCP's Californication.

[@tracik1277]

For me (and my learning ‘style’) learning about history and learning a language involve very separate areas of my brain. I took Latin at school (we had a choice of taking a third language, and I chose Latin - this was in 1985) and apart from a little historical context, the focus was on learning to be competent in the language. When as an adult I went and paid for Latin classes to refresh my memory, half of the class time was given over to watching KZbin videos about Roman history. I was disappointed and frustrated because that was not what I had signed up to learn about and it took time and attention away from learning the language; I felt it was a cop out on the tutor’s part and that I was not being taught what I had paid to be taught and slowed down my progress.

[@SuperSecretAgentNein]

To me it just reminds me of being a kid, other kids would romanticize the fashions and the music of the 70’s. That was real music or whatever. In the end I think the thing being romanticized is almost always the red herring, the problem is the mundanity of most of our current lives. There’s beauty and joy and magical things, but that’s almost always the few and far between. Contrast this with what we SEE from other places and other times? It just seems better, but it’s only because people very rarely think to highlight the mundanity of these other places and times. What we hang onto is the cream of the crop, the stuff that stands the test of time. Music wasn’t better “back then”, we just had the privilege of forgetting all the trash music, or even the “just ok” music.

[@isabellarose8204]

Honestly, I am a bit skeptical of all of these critiques of dark academia. Yes, people can get carried away with it, just as they can with any aesthetic or idea. But I find it difficult to believe that, among all the harmful ideas perpetuated on the internet, we should be scrutinizing a community of young people who find joy in art and learning. Of course there are aspects of this trend that are superficial -- it's the internet. But engaging with art, history, and literature even on a superficial level is better than not doing so at all. And I know that there are so many people who do have a genuine desire to learn and to grow intellectually who are part of this community. It makes me so happy to see people getting excited about learning and doing things on their own terms, outside the restrictive atmosphere of the classroom. You make some interesting points, but on the whole I think this trend of criticizing dark academia (among other aesthetics) stems from a compulsion to virtue-signal by branding things "problematic."

[@vindric8330]

That's kinda what I'm feeling.

[@cheeseontoast3434]

I'm glad I found this comment because I wouldn't be able to express my thoughts as well as you did

[@bella-ke8tr]

This. People sometimes tend to judge a matter by only cherry picking certain information. Some only look subjectively and instead of a holistic approach, they scrutinise one sidedly and blindly.

[@RenaissanceRockerBoy]

Thank you. A lot of harsh “critiques” about dark academia assume a lot of things and are very snide and pretentious. I don’t see this much criticism about any other aesthetic. Ironically, people who accuse people interested in the aesthetic of being pretentious posers end up making long critiques that don’t take into account why people like the aesthetic in the first place, or even, as you said, talking to people who like it.

[@agargoyle12345]

Yup. Heaven forbid some people should just dress in a style they like...

[@blakealexander9729]

As someone who fell victim to my "aesthetic self" and latching on to the identity mentioned at 4:50, I think it's important for anyone watching this video not to fall for the same trap that aesthetics often set. They *are* unattainable because they *are* out of touch of reality. My relationship ended because I went through drastic changes in my identity in hopes of aspiring to be what is known as a "bohemian writer" - in other words I completely changed who I was instead of being true to myself. I started to text a different way, I would speak a different way, and my hobbies would change... all out of a hope of being someone *different than who I was* instead of being authentic to myself. I see so many people trying to reach these aesthetic goals, and they often make themselves sad and depressed in the process. Aesthetics are meant to be admired, not something we aspire to be.

[@erumehsan1033]

What's your pfp may I ask, it was used in the video too? Well said btw. I truly understand what you are trying to convey.

[@erumehsan1033]

Also I just checked out your blog, its beautiful. Might as well add aesthetic.

[@blakealexander9729]

@@erumehsan1033 Cheers! The painting is 'Nighthawks' by Edward Hopper. One of my favorite artists - a genius at social realism

[@ethanmonge6332]

I think you are being hard on yourself lol. Why are you ashamed of your changes? There are different avenues in life to experience for everyone.

[@tairjan601]

I went through the same shit with painting. Finally I’m trying to work it out

[@MWA35]

Once, many years ago, when I was in actual, reasonably well lit academia, I was sitting in the lower common room reading The Secret History, and a friend said I reminded her of Henry. As I read further I began to suspect that that wasn't a compliment.

[@BoxOfCurryos]

what the fuck are you talking about

[@hannahbrown397]

Honestly I would take it as a compliment. To me Henry was the only competent person in that friend group.

[@hannahbrown397]

@@candypillz7670 true. but then again we all have issues, some are just better at hiding it than others.

[@thomasbrooks5370]

I am very new to this whole idea but I found aesthetics (in this sense) a convenient way to immerse yourself in a certain mood for the day, or more, as a way of escapism that isn’t total fantasy, but more a distilled reality. I love the way this video breaks it down. As with anything open mindedness and moderation are key; I don’t think it would be terrible if people dressed like this more often or talked about classics in coffee shops, but it’s never good to strive to be a “type” of person rather than the person you are.

[@tp4883]

wow love the way you put that agree mate

[@gemmagomez3556]

I totally agree with the phrase "distilled reality" - very well put!

[@courtneysailor]

I agree with you. Also, I've met a handful of people, regardless of generations, who associate their 'aesthetic' with their personality and person, that you often catch yourself having real life conversations with them that has no other function than them portraying (boasting) that aesthetic to you. It's the same with extreme bodybuilders who are completely consumed by their appearance that it becomes their end all be all, they judge others and themselves just on these criteria, than these 'dark academia' people or niche music enthusiasts that would want to distinguish and put themselves above others based on their criterias of their aesthetic. I don't mind what you're into, or what you aspire to be. Just please don't judge others that choose a different one, or not to live by one fully. I think this video is about those mentioned above, who take it too far.

[@monkiram]

Completely agree, I love the way you explained it

[@lightgrey5365]

I love good sense.

[@MellowJelly]

As soon as you mentioned people describing this movement as a second renaissance I knew there would be people taking this too seriously. Basically, if you're really out there living it and loving it, you're probably not posting it allover social media to prove that you are. You're probably too busy actually living.

[@danielkay5555]

Exactly, this makes it sound like people follow dark academia like a religion or something. I've been into things that fall under the "dark academia" aesthetic before I knew about it. It was basically just me finding beauty and something enjoyable in my otherwise unglamorous life while I was at college, spending the majority of my day at the library out of necessity. If making an aesthetic out of it helps people find something inspiring about college/education that most of us end up doing anyway then why not.

[@dialecticsjunkie7653]

To be fair the guy who made the video calling it a "second renaissance" is very young. One thing that happens with very young people who are also quite intelligent in a lot of ways is that they can quickly lose a sense of proportion. Their intelligence ends up being a liability as they find all sorts of way to spin things out of touch with reality. I've been there before, most people usually naturally grow out of it as they have more time to develop actual experiences and wisdom.

[@janegarner6739]

Although I don't think anyone I know is involved with this movement (& I do have friends who are young enough) & I haven't read or heard much about it, the movement doesn't seem different from the way some friends & I were when we were college-age. And that was in the late '60s into '70s. We were very serious about learning all we could about the subjects that most interested us, even when such study wouldn't help us make a living. For example, I had never expected to be able to attend school past the high school level, as no one in my family had finished high school much less been able to attend college. My father, who had had to leave school after 7th grade because with the sudden death of his father he had to feed six younger siblings, was self-educated to a degree that he could intelligently converse on a number of subjects that were usually limited to graduates in those fields. He had read extensively all his life, was very intelligent, & could discuss archaeology & anthropology, the histories & cultures of many pre-Col. peoples (partly learned by study of books, partly knowledge acquired from his own native ancestors & community members), & was brilliant at political analysis & political theory. My formally uneducated parents taught me to read & to love books before I began public school, also encouraged me to learn to play musical instruments & to take visual art seriously. In public school I was bored with the level of education allowed, hated school from 1st grade till I dropped out in 11th grade. After having worked in factories as well as offices from age 17-19, unexpectedly I was given the chance of attending university. Students I met who were my age were already in their third or fourth year or in graduate school. Bored with required 1st & 2nd yr classes, I got permission to study graduate level philosophy & art by my second semester, thanks to my professors in those fields. Then I met other students who were also devoted to serious study for its own sake rather than as a means of getting a degree and/or learning a profession. We were all serious about learning all we could about our major interests, most of us focusing on visual art, on writing (both fiction & non-fiction), on understanding & analyzing the current sociopolitical system & acting to change that system. I became involved in a branch of the radical feminist movement that advocated eradication of the binary gender patriarchy in '68, with close allies in the Black liberation movement. Very active politically into the '70s, finally worn out by the FBI surveillance & worse, I continued to study as before & to work on my art (lifelong). Close friends mostly became teachers & professors, the only way they could support themselves while continuing to read & study avidly & to write. We were all heavily involved in studying Sartre & other existentialist philosophers from the later '60s on, involved in sociopolitical study & analysis of the western patriarchal system, etc. At age 73, having lived below the official poverty level most of my life, I continue tp study & think about most of the subjects I was interested in when young. I can't imagine living any other way. Some of us when we were young became so disturbed by the sociopolitical mainstream demands that we fit into hetero-normal patriarchal society that suicide came to be the only seeming way to escape. Good friends were lost. Yes, we took it all seriously & those of us still alive continue to. As with the current 'dark academia' movement, I suspect, some will continue to study & to work on their artform after the movement's popularity wanes.

[@bananamerchant6387]

@@dialecticsjunkie7653 Ad hominem fallacy. Attack the arguments instead of the person.

[@ChristopherTheBanana]

@@bananamerchant6387? More like slave trader

[@natalietipsword9677]

Maybe I just view aesthetics differently from other ppl, but I see it as a way to explore self expression. I look at different aesthetics that I find pleasing like cottage core and dark academia and incorporate them into my style. I like the way the images look so I think it’s reasonable for me to want to take bits and pieces for myself in what I wear and how I decorate my spaces. Obviously changing who you are to fit an aesthetic can be unhealthy, but people do that with everything they consume, not just aesthetic images and mood boards. It’s just a convenient way to categorize the style you have.

[@vindric8330]

(2)

[@cheeseontoast3434]

Exactly

[@abyrupus]

Yeah, aesthetics, for me, is self-expression, and I, for once, am glad that aesthetics that are inspired by quieter things like books, cottages etc. are becoming mainstream, and society embracing the more playful and imaginative side of people instead of just what clothes signal wealth, social standing or attractiveness. It becomes a problem only when people start mimicking them like a cult. Like teens going through "Fedora MyLady" phase, where they begin to resent the world around them, or think of themselves as holier-than-thou and hurt other people. Or like anime-craze from 90s when some weabos took it too far pretending they were Japanese. But at the same time, extreme criticism gives the same vibes as "those phones and video games are ruining kids these days." Let people have fun and live out their Hogwarts fantasy, as long as they are not harming others or themselves.

[@frien_d]

But why you need to denounce so blatantly how low you inspiration sources are by calling a floreal theme, "cottagecore"? Why can't you get the same vibes from impressionist paintings and must resort to low and derivative instagrams whose memory is already fading as I write? What's all this need to make something that's... already pretty ordinary (I mean, you could have always dressed like a british truffle hunter without pretending you're a professor) even more conformant?

[@Animallovercomedian]

@@frien_d I…. I’m trying to make my response as polite as possible but apologies in advance if I fail…. Your comment comes off a bit… pretentious. Just because one’s inspiration is from the ‘low art’ of Instagram does not make it less worthy - perhaps just more commonplace. If Van Gogh had Instagram, he would’ve put his pieces there.

[@Shamino1]

14:34. This is where it all falls apart for me. It boils down to "This is who you think you are, but trust me- you're just falling for an aesthetic trap." And this charge could be levied against any and all genre's and subgenre's, communities of fiction and non-fiction alike. I know people who dress in this way because that is precisely who they are. In a consumer market, we get to pick and choose what items best reflect us. *Sometimes* we do indeed lose ourselves in the things we buy (here I think of cultural schizophrenia where a persons identity has to be broken down in order to keep them consuming the next product) but sometimes people simply choose a certain aesthetic precisely because it appeals to who they are.

[@alyseleem2692]

Precisely!

[@club882]

It is where the youtuber started to explain a unique idea. Everybody else on the internet who can have a little time to be introspective. It feels like it is all fluff at the start. Edit: Upon reflection I have come to the conclusion that I spend too much time on the internet.

[@RenaissanceRockerBoy]

For me, dark academia represents a way to celebrate true learning and the liberal arts/humanities without being constructed by grades and harmful social systems. There is an emphasis placed upon learning for the sake of learning, not how “practical” it is (aka how much it contributes to capitalism and eventually the military industrial complex/war). Art, music, philosophy, poetry etc have become extremely undervalued and overshadowed by stem subjects and careers, such as engineering or medicine. While these things are important, society cannot exist in any functional way without a way for people, especially young people, to think and learn and create of their own free will. It is easy to interpret it in a superficial way, especially on visually-based platforms like tiktok or Instagram, but the true root of dark academia imo, learning for learning’s sake, is extremely wonderful. Cheers 🥂

[@CREATUREwithEnergy]

@@RenaissanceRockerBoy Thank you, I appreciate it.

[@agnes4606]

THIS

[@fionac.562]

@@art-ificialblon-die7013 THANK YOU.

[@pseudonymousbeing987]

@@art-ificialblon-die7013 highly excellent

[@thegreatdream8427]

@@art-ificialblon-die7013 What do you think an evolution of Dark Academia that takes into account postmodern theories and strives for a transformative, rather than reactionary / inward-looking stance on the world would look like?

[@danielac2285]

This is meant as constructive criticism: I'm going to have to disagree with you on this topic. I think the majority of people online use these aesthetics as a form of inspiration. I rarely see people going so far as to make the aesthetic their whole identity. Making it seem like we have a "pandemic" of young people who lose themselves in an unobtainable world, due to a trend, is simply a stretch. This could also enforce negative stereotypes about subcultures in general (you even brought up the goth community yourself). I think that the potential harm videos like this can have is not in proportion to the actual problem we are facing here. Again, I'm sorry if this offends you, I don't mean it in a hateful way. Your video was obviously well researched and generally informative. I just wanted to express my opinion.

[@Ivy-dd8bf]

I really love aesthetics. Goblincore, cottagecore, dark academia, weirdcore, and I love certain vibes like what you see in old paintings of Unicorns or the whole Alice in Wonderland feeling; For me, they're inspiring and fun. I use them to help me draw and create things. I do incorporate them into my fashion, but never really into my lifestyle. I already feel comfortable living the way that I am, and I know what my interests are. Sometimes exploring a new aesthetic, or subculture, will expose me to something new that I want to try, but I won't automatically like it because I associate it with a pretty picture. I think, when it comes to aesthetics, staying connected to yourself while exploring is important. You can takes the bits that make you happy with you, but don't force yourself into a shape that you aren't.

[@andrewjenkins9965]

Aw man. I got curious and looked up "weirdcore" after you mentioned it. Then came back disappointed. I was hoping to find something weirder. There was a glittery gif of rats in a hand, but at first I thought it was muscle dudes with rat heads. It needs to be more surreal.

[@evermoremystic17]

Well said! Beautifully written.

[@technounionrepresentative4274]

@@andrewjenkins9965 i tried looking up goblincore and was similarly disappointed

[@for_your_entertainment]

I didn't find the dark acedemia aesthetic, it found me. Like I didn't have a label for what I already enjoyed on an aesthetic level until I stumbled across the aesthetic. I don't dress in the aesthetic but I enjoy my home to be as such. I just have always been drawn to romanticism, poetry, fine art, mythology, philosophy, psychology, biology, neurology, oddities, esoterica, semiotics, theoretical physics, gothic and greek architecture, etc.

[@thebreadbringer]

I feel the same way. I've been dressing and decorating my private spaces in a style you could call "dark academia" but I haven't heard about it being a "thing" until I saw this video.

[@lirgamingthings6035]

I'm still in freshman year of high school and it was only this year I found out about its label on the internet but I've always loved this kind of stuff since I was a small child so it just felt so gratifying to find that some people out there do like these styles, literature and studies as interesting as I do.

[@originaozz]

I understand your concern for taking aesthetic as a lifestyles, but I think it's okay to enioy beauty for the sake of. I love listening to 'vaperwave/city' pop and 'dark academia' playlists on KZbin because it brings me to those places. To me aesthetic elicits a specific "mood & tone" that can calm us when life feels uncertain. For dark academia, I think it allows people to play out their dark fantasy that they couldn't let out in real life. It's not healthy, but it's an expression that give people relief. Akin to "emo" of my youth. Many also feel inspired to learn more because of it (despite many misinterpretations). Just like all media, we should absorb and filter, let an aesthetic be an aesthetic instead of a certain romanticize value.

[@tracik1277]

It’s weird because I find myself agreeing with and seeing the merits in both sides of the argument. One the one hand it seems fake to those (usually of previous generations) who had to live the authentic version due to poverty (or in some cases coming from an upper class background - either way you were frowned upon as ‘other’ by the mainstream). On the other hand it appeals to my (innate?) romanticism.

[@sewagedump]

Big agree

[@rageagainstthemicrowave1313]

@@tracik1277 same to be honest.

[@nero0168]

I agree with you. I obviously have my own views on whats beautiful but i still try to immerse myself in what i see it as. I really like dreamcore, the liminal space aspect not the eyes, angels and vague texts aspects. For me those ruin the aesthetic and get rid of what makes it beautiful to me. Like some other people i fantasize about these sorts of things, i have a daydreaming problem so its pretty common for me, i want to explore that beauty but not live it irl. Im not even sure how one would even go about "living" dreamcore. Im sorry if this seemed off topic i just wanted to add my own views on the matter

[@Magnulus76]

In this cultural moment, people need to engage with reality, not fantasy. Fantasy is not the solution to life, especially with so many pressing problems in the world. That's why politics in the US is broken, because young people appropriate an aesthetic instead of going out to vote or join a labor union and turn angst into productive action.

[@PandaZelda]

No one has to conform to any box, but I think people should also be able to express themselves as they like - including expressing themselves with a specific style that perhaps a group of others also do. If people feel happy with a community bonding over a specific style or culture, what is bad about it? Especially with a culture that celebrates learning and the arts. We can just take the good from things and make our own style. It doesn’t have to include the bad if we don’t want it to. Dark can only refer to the fashion, and not glorify mental health issues. We can decide how to express this subculture is what I’m saying - just as people don’t have to fit into a box, the box itself doesn’t have to be defined the same way throughout history. Dark academia is the romanticizing of learning essentially. The fashion is just a bonus. But ultimately it’s what you make of it.

[@RainWhitehart]

I was writing out paragraphs in response to this but it think that there is just a deep misunderstanding of how people engage with art and fashion these days at the core of this.

[@Senumunu]

there is inherent plausible deniability on both sides.

[@flibbertygibbette]

"a deep misunderstanding"

[@HowlingSaguaro97]

Yea… the entire time I was watching this video, my entire fucking thought process was just *’what if people just like the way it fuckin’ looks, because they like the way it looks???* and when he brought up the gate keeping part concerning aesthetics, I couldn’t help but think *yea, there’s rules to certain fashion, architectural, cultural aesthetic styles…that’s been true since… humans have been humans??? Like ???* I do strongly feel as though this video is just a rather shallow, horrid, poorly made attempt to intelligence flex, trying to show how much more well informed and knowledgeable he is because he quoted some historic figures who most people have no fucking clue existed, that were deemed smart by a set group of people in X field, in which all the quotes were just…half assed attempts at profound statements, backhanded by virtue signaling in relation to the human soul, and making broad statements about how beauty and X are superficial unless done in this way, to which I say *yea, beauty is kinda historically fucking superficial. It’s the point. It’s very much in the modern, and even ancient world, outside of foundational human attraction, a fucking luxury. And it doesn’t need to be married to something ‘meaningful’ to be worth something. Something can be beautiful for the sake of being beautiful and bringing humans warmth and joy to look at, and saying such must be superficial, thus demeaning and degrading it… is just childish. I cannot fathom or imagine what living with this kind of mindset must be like, where you have forced or convinced yourself to live in such a bleak, cold, calculated fucking world based around the pursuit of ‘knowledge’ for the sake of the ‘soul’ most of which is just… info to use in a ‘I’m deeper than you’ competition. To the point where anything and everything that might give you joy, warmth, wonder, love, happiness, and wonder, you cannot allow yourself to feel just for that sake: for the sake of enjoying it because it is those things, because you have to appear intelligently superior or deeper in all instances. There’s nothing fucking wrong with enjoying something simply because you like it as it is, for what it is, because it gives you joy, so long as it’s literally not harming anyone, and I really wish people like this dude, and so many others like him, would get that through their thick skulls, because not only would they enjoy life so much more, but we’d be allowed and able to as well*

[@danielac2285]

Oh same!

[@residentsound]

@@HowlingSaguaro97 Agreed. And this entire video seems like someone trapped in an 'im deeper than you' competition, attacking a trending aesthetic because half the people drawn to it are... *checks notes* trapped in a 'im deeper than you' competition, and this person feels threatened by it. Essentially establishing himself as The moron's moron, or King Moron, if you will.

[@monkiram]

From my perspective, the vast majority of the people who enjoy dark academia appreciate the beauty in it and do not dictate their entire lives based on its principles. I also don't believe that said principles are as set in stone as you suggest or as the minority of people who like to gatekeep it may lead you to believe. There are a lot of legitimate criticisms for dark academia, as there are for most things that have ever existed, but I feel like the reason there is so much more criticism directed towards it compared to those other things is a classic case of people love to take what is popular and call it toxic. Sure, there are toxic people who make their whole lives about dark academia. You'll find that people can take literally anything and make it toxic. That doesn't necessarily mean that thing or the people who enjoy it are inherently dangerous in any way, just that humans have a tendency to corrupt nice things. In my opinion, most of the criticisms in this video can really be applied to anything at all and are not specific to dark academia.

[@almamater489]

Honestly, I was about to comment the exact same thing

[@PandaZelda]

Very interesting! As someone who loved “discovering” dark academia (always liked it but didn’t know there was a name for a culture of the romanticism of education, literature, and companionship through the arts), I just wanted to mention how this “aesthetic” inspired me to revisit these things and ultimately benefits my life. Knowing others celebrate learning, old fashioned things like letter writing, etc, and bonding over a similar fashion style has made me happier overall. There is also light academia and other subcultures as well and I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

[@kokomanation]

the funny part is that most dark academia influencers dont even have a university degree just maybe an appreciation of arts and aesthetics that they use to make a living as a lifestyle obsession that has nothing to do with the real world.

[@genhint]

I think in a sense dark academia exemplifies the paradox of subcultures. Subcultures are inherently a sort of divesting from “the mainstream” and a resistance to conformity. People who have a love for a specific type of beauty and those with unique traits, interests and ideals come together to create a subculture. The problem (which I’m so glad you pointed out) is when that specific uniqueness becomes a sort of guide line in which each member should follow (at least loosely if not wholly) in order to truly be part of a subculture. This creates a small “mainstream” where, as you noted, small alterations disqualify you from the group subsequently creating new pockets of essentially the same thing. Although subcultures and aesthetics are made out of a want to break from the conformity of the mainstream, it always ends up recreating its structure. After all if a culture doesn’t have direction or organization it will either collapse or redistribute itself into organized groups. Although unlike other aesthetics and subcultures I’ve seen, dark academia has much stronger values than many popular aesthetics of today. The school system (at least where I live) does an exceptionally good job at destroying a child’s, and later a young adults, love for learning and reading. I find it truly incredible that teenagers and young adults have used social media in such a way that this very well may be reversed.

[@heinoustentacles5719]

But why don't people ever dress all funny in public like they used to? That was a real laugh. Most new subcultures I ever see are "internet" subcultures. Costumes put on for a virtual video or image, but practically non-existent. Can a culture exist virtually and still be called a culture? If the Internet died, then wouldn't the E-Girl, too?

[@vindric8330]

@@heinoustentacles5719 the way you call their aesthetic "funny" is probably one of the reason.

[@heinoustentacles5719]

@@vindric8330 Well it is pretty funny sometimes, right?But I'd never pay them an insult for dressing how they like.

[@vindric8330]

@@heinoustentacles5719 I don't understand your question but if you're talking about how they present themselves then no.

[@heinoustentacles5719]

@@vindric8330 Well as long as you get my meaning, friend. Been real great talking to you.

[@chronofactor2037]

Aesthetics for me, the way I use them, are a way to put out into my environment how I'm feeling. It's hard sometimes to find words to explain the deepest most emotions that boil in your soul, and aesthetics, music, art, etc, are a way to substitute those words for me. They give me solace, and they give me a channel for those emotions, freeing my mind for other tasks, or just emptying my mind for a brief moment so that I may find a feeling of temporary peace. They are tools for me, nothing more, because for me, myself, I only want to change through improvement. Not through shifting myself to another.

[@andythedishwasher1117]

Dude I've been a "dark academic" since I spent my junior year of college in the library instead of my classes in 2012. I was studying the history of Hermeticism and conspiracy theories from the most academic position I could establish with the squishy brain of a psychedelic 21-year-old. When they kicked me out, I moved in with a dude who called himself a chaos wizard, started washing dishes for money, and kept studying. This aesthetic seems like what my fantasies were like during that period, but I freely admit that it bore no resemblance whatsoever to how I was living at the time. It only bears a slight resemblance to what I've built for myself at 28, in fact. Just remember kids, all those books in those pretty pictures are a) expensive and b) only make you smart if you both read them and give a shit about what they are saying. That seems quite obvious when you say it like that, but you'll be amazed how quickly you can become wrapped up in the trappings and lose your original intent. Honestly, this is a pretty good summary of what motivated me to swerve into hip hop. It doesn't neurotically strive for perfection so much as it casually produces a high volume of material that isn't perfect but still slaps enough to shake booties. I guess my advice to anybody who feels wrapped up in this limiting, hermity kind of self-image is go hit the club and observe how silly you feel in that environment. Then, extend your awareness outwards and look for people enjoying themselves. Determine the source of their joy, and think about different ways you could access that same kind of joy in your own life, even if you don't approve of how these club people are doing it. Chances are, the answers to that will lie in some forgotten corner of your brain that hasn't yet been consumed by ivy and bookshelves full of ornate, titleless volumes. In that corner is the whole life full of memories you abandoned to go be Harry Fuckin' Pothead in your virtual Hogwarts. That is not to say virtual Hogwarts wouldn't be dope, but those memories are important.

[@charltownsend5299]

Thank you for providing your insight

[@jimmypadilla3441]

Wild how much I relate to all this, thanks for putting it into words One thing I'd add is that this "mindset" isn't really tied to the Dark academia aesthetic. The toxic intellectual trope is common af in pop culture (Sherlock, Big Bang Theory, House, Frankenstein, Rick and Morty, etc etc etc). Dark Academia is just one way people try to incorporate it for the cool factor.

[@phantasqLiving]

I thought your comment was satire

[@DreamseedVR]

This is a great comment

[@dogchaser520]

Good stuff. Are you still washing?

[@frostumourne9350]

Personnaly i use aesthetic for a specific time, like when i have to study i turn on the dark academia mood because it helps me to work, when i walk in the nature it's cottagecore, etc etc it's more in my head and sometimes in my style. I think it's because i see the world differently, in a more beautiful way than an anxious, dangerous and ugly world

[@walkingthroughghosts]

just as a goth girl might dress in all black, that person is "simply put, is having none of it" Haha that was perfect.

[@rickjohnson1719]

And yet they put in so much effort...

[@dibyoshreepaint9241]

Do people really take aesthetics so seriously? the whole 'beauty is terror' thing sounds like someone trying to be edgy for the sake of being edgy. Yes I am an artist, I appreciate beauty, but who takes this stuff so seriously ?

[@Helloknight]

Yeah I don’t get how people can take aesthetics so seriously. Like i get making your phone or room aesthetic but your whole life doesn’t need to be.

[@BoxOfCurryos]

Liberal Art majors take this shit too far

[@vindric8330]

I like watching aesthetic videos while having no aesthetic. Most of my fellow viewers are. So this video kinda confuses me because it sounds so serious or maybe I'm just dumb to not notice.

[@clarkelieson]

Well, I cant tell you what you have and have not experienced. As far as the beauty is terror bit, im just glad thats not my quote haha! I think the sentiment behind it is that beauty shows us our insufficiencies. And that can be terrifying. Heidegger talks a bit about that in a killer essay he wrote. I think the name was On the Origins of the Work of Art.

[@lorishu48103]

It’s Rilke Duino Elegy

[@silent1547]

How ironic: The scene from Full Metal Alchemist(18:37)which on the surface appears innocent but with the knowledge of what happens, becomes eerily dark and haunting.

[@clarkelieson]

Glad you noticed 👀

[@Eclectic_Psycho]

As someone with multiple aesthetics, a lot of them coming across as darker to others (victorian goth, dark fantasy, etc.), I know people can take anything and make it appear toxic. These aesthetics exist because they're apart of our personality. It doesn't mean it's our complete personality though or that we follow the "guide" to a T or that we're even a dark (or in this case, racist/over critical/etc.) individual. For instance, someone may enjoy the gothic aesthetic but also enjoy bright neon colors (I couldn't think of anything else atm. It's late here & I'm an insomniac, lol. You get what I mean.). I hate how this world has to make something out of everything & over analyze. During the original time period of the aesthetic, people may have been racist or extremely cultural & whatever else you find wrong with it. It doesn't mean that those who have taken to the aesthetic now is. That's like claiming that those who wear chokers are strippers because that's what the jewelry represented in the past.

[@andytruss1259]

Dawg how are """aesthetic""" images not art? Like what differentiates a vaporwave visual from any other kind of art other than you apparently viewing it as not legitimate? The emotions that these images instill is exactly what makes them art. I also think Satre's concept of bad faith was hastily applied here. While cultural movements and styles (let's get rid of this "aesthetic" terminology, since the word just refers to a particular collection of internet styles) can become limiting and even toxic (think of how gatekeepy late punk can be), it's not such a condemnable thing to want to adopt a style as identity. In fact, I think the harmful nature of reducing one's identity to a particular aesthetic comes down to the cult of individualism more than anything. Neoliberal life is atomizing and alienating, and some people find comfort and stability in these sorts of cultural 'types' like goth or dark academia. Also, while I agree that the pursuit of knowledge is not an ultimate good, that's not because it "only reveals more darkness." Knowledge is good, even painful truths are necessary, and we should always continue to learn new things. The reason we shouldn't view it as the end all be all is because by doing so, we ignore the relationships we have with others, and with the world around us. No one is worshipping dark academia, this video is nonsense, peace.

[@davinky1229]

When I was circulating around the web I found a video about romanticizing death. Not so literal rather people listening to a song with a portrait of a man that had poisoned himself alone. People started to write poems about this man on how they wished to die this way. Could this be an effect of crossing the line on the obsession of Dark Academia. I truly like Dark Academia but seeing it as constructing a whole false identity for myself while not being to function correctly if I don’t perfection my surroundings or clothing is rather dangerous.

[@piperbarlow1672]

based

[@MellowJelly]

In my opinion what I think of when I think "art" is a craft that takes a lot more talent, years of experience, perspective and technique to create. Dance can be an art, music is an art, painting is an art. Throwing paint at a canvas is also "art" by definition but it's not something that would impact or move me in any way, so. It's all based on personal preference.

[@eboy4032]

It's akin to Thomas Kinkade paintings. It's just derivative of itself. A fad that isn't really saying much other than ooh that looks cool. Yes it's art, but it isn't very good art at least from a critics point of view.

[@positive-paradox]

so true

[@weedcandy5191]

I personally admire dark academia, because I fell in love with a certain place. If you ever were in Vienna you maybe will understand how I feel about this place. Dark academia captured every single note of my perception of being and preserved by forming it into a defined matter. Into the internal philosophy of this aesthetics, I think that it is more about how we want to perceive the meaning of our lives. It is common, that if somebody actually reaches their dream, their ambition, they may loose any meaning to live, and how else, if there is no more to want or achieve. Constant hunt for knowledge is everlasting, there is nothing we can fully master before the end of our lives, making it an infinite fuel. Hope you had an energy to read ❤️

[@TheYopogo]

An essential aesthetic component of dark academia is something which is also an essential part of the British class system: The "public schools", which are very different to American Public schools. In the UK, public schools are the very most elite private schools, mostly all boys boarding schools, where young men are essentially trained to be aristocrats. Most British people will have an instinctive sense for what a public school is and what it looks like; and its aesthetic is almost exactly the same as what gets called dark academia. They are probably the single institution which is most important for maintaining the cultural and aesthetic aspects of the British class system. Hogwarts is a barely sublimated public school. Most of what seems unusual or "aesthetic" to Americans about Harry Potter, beyond the literal magic, is more or less something lifted wholesale from the public school system. The elaborate medieval architecture, the robes, the houses, the prefects etc. I think that the same is true of dark academia. So much of its "aesthetic" is an attempt by people who don't know what public schools are to engage with its aesthetic, as gleaned from second hand sources like novels and movies.

[@monkiram]

As a Canadian, I'm confused... so the robes, prefects and old buildings are from public schools not private schools?? I would have thought the opposite? Or do public schools in the UK mean something very different than what I'm imagining? Are they not the free schools that the majority of British kids attend?

[@TheYopogo]

@@monkiram That is correct, public school means something totally different. "Public school" means "the very most elite private schools". The free mainstream schools which most British kids attend are called either "state schools" or "comprehensive schools", but *not* "public schools".

[@monkiram]

@@TheYopogo Ah okay wow that's very counterintuitive to me. Where I am, public schools refers to the free mainstream schools. Your comment makes a lot more sense now

[@dextro_whatever]

I make internet aesthetic videos on TikTok and have for a couple years now. But my rule is to not take them too seriously. There’s an infinite number of aesthetics and my goal is simply to teach people about them and help people to find aesthetics they vibe with that they may not have otherwise seen. I don’t really consider myself to have a consistent “aesthetic,” and I just like what I like. It’s just guidelines. Not rules.

[@markpro8089]

I think that the lack of learning is a part for my reason. School's teachers that lack passion of teaching, emotional neglect parents, depression. There is a sort of revolution of fashion. Yes, the fashion is in some ways breaking to dress in anyway you pleased.

[@wrinkleintime4257]

At least the perspective of teachers, oftentimes teachers don’t have the resources and have a lot of constraints out on them to teach what they want and how they want. As a teacher I’ve had many moments of wanting to do everything and then being required to give out grades and get our funding cut so we can’t offer extra things for students etc. the system sucks for all of us, and teacher do their best in the system. But I agree, there is a lack of learning in schools! And a large part of that should come from paying teachers enough so they CAN teach the things we want to teach! I love teaching, I did this because I wanted to be a teacher, but it’s not an easy field to be in.

[@angelicazordan5538]

I love aesthetics because they serve two purposes for me: 1) create a facade that I'm comfortable with, when I know I'll be in a difficult or stressful situation, 2) they help me express however I'm feeling at the time in a meaningful and understandable way, both to myself and others. 90% of my life is spent either studying or organizing everything around my studies. I love dark academia because I feel like it puts order in my life. I also watch anime/read manga as my main hobby, and for that reason I also love a anime girl/e-girl/kawaii style some days. I just love being completely free to switch between different aesthetics to help express who I am that day, what I'm feeling and how I want to be perceived. I think this is the right use of aesthetics: putting you in a state of mind that makes sense with how you're feeling and expressing it externally. The one thing I hate though is gatekeeping. I clearly do not fit a specific aesthetic 24/7. And also, glamorizing smoking. I used to be a smoker and still have a hard time avoiding it at times, and sometimes it's hard to separate that from the aesthetic itself.

[@someonenotsomeone8450]

Wow, this is incredibly well-done. I don't agree with all the ideas expressed in this video, but that does not mean they didn't have an impact on me. I can't believe this doesn't have more views or likes. I grew up in a very academic household, this instilled a love of learning for the sake of learning. Naturally, I've always loved reading, learning languages, and yes, dark romantic/ Gothic art and architecture. It should be no surprise that when I found out about dark academia as an aesthetic, I absolutely fell in love. Pretty soon after the initial surprise and such, I noticed that something felt a little off-putting. I could never quite figure out what it was until I watched this video and it was like a light bulb went off. All these people are so desperate for this life, this beauty, they're willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the aesthetic. That sounds so dumb, but it's truly saddening to me. Imagine being so insecure with your mind, body, and subconscious that you try to artificially changing it. Not just change it to anything, but specifically changing it to be more like a mentally ill artist. That's what this aesthetic seems to boil down to, really, at least some aspects of it. An expensive-looking mentally-ill art person masquerading under the guise of this aesthetic.

[@tracik1277]

It’s actually been going on for centuries.

[@lyrechee]

I am drawn to dark academia because of my upbringing, both my parents were academics at Cambridge university and I spent my childhood running around the college, going to college events, fine dinners and parties. Following my parents divorce, and having to move to Sweden from Cambridge I found myself drawn to dark academia as a nostalgia and comfort. One might say I am homesick, which is true, but I see no issue in being drawn to an aesthetic which creates comfort and inner calmness

[@kpaxian6044]

Absolutely. I had a similar upbringing. Well, I didn't move to Sweden...but certain images do invoke a sort of nostalgic yearning for me. Plus, I think the DA aesthetic - for some, maybe not all drawn to it - does give a name for many of the hobbies and interests and styles of dress they had while growing up and they might just resonate with it simply because it's comforting to them and reminds them fondly of their happiest times.

[@Rachopin77]

I think one of the things I find tricky about aesthetics or maybe a bit dangerous to someone’s sense of self is how they fundamentally aren’t able to fully account for or capture the richness, messiness, and complexity of a human life and the human experience. so even though I really appreciate a nice aesthetic like dark academia, if you rely too heavily on them, it’s easy to start attempting to snuff out some of the complexity and contradiction of being human, which isn’t really possible. So that can add dissonance or foster a sense of inadequacy. Or maybe not inadequacy, but a feeling of wrongness. Even if you’re romanticizing your life, it’s impossible to fully remove the mundane and messy, and I think that people can get really uncomfortable with the mundane. Even if you cultivate the perfect aesthetic cottagecore or dark academia life, you still have to poop almost every day.

[@katcallisto6478]

I totally agree. A person can begin to feel that their own life is a disappointment. Being ordinary seems intolerable. You can feel like you are the only one who has to deal with the unattractive side to daily life. This can be very isolating.

[@Rachopin77]

@@katcallisto6478 exactly, no matter how perfect someone's life looks, theres still always going to be those little ordinary parts that just can't be avoided. Things like empty silence, just having to get from point a to point b, etc. All the stuff that would be edited out of an aesthetic video because they take up time and are just ordinary

[@sophspice32]

"to define is to limit" - oscar wilde said it best, but if you keep that in mind there is nothing wrong with getting inspired by a specific aesthetic.

[@hazelnoisette4539]

I find my experinces of liminal spaces, especially the lone gas neon lit gas stations have an element of nostalgia to them. At least personally. From when I was 11 to 16 every summer my family would load up our old dodge caravan and drive across the vast swathe of the canadian prairies, often well into the night. There's not a lot of artificial lights illuminating, anyhing really. You have inky blackness, sometimes the stars overhead and the lights of other drivers which seem so unreal without being able to even see occupants. Being a sleep deprived kid whos bendy gameboy light had died hours earlier you end up staring out into the blackness a lot. The quiet solitary trucker gas stations become small bastions of relief from the nothingness that surrounds you for 6 plus hours of sitting and staring. The hightened reality and quiet 'out of place-ness' of an overtired teen absolutley feels reflected accurately in the liminality of these aesthetic images. Thanks for the video!

[@PsychicAlchemy]

The desire to play with aesthetics can often be motivated by an underlying desire to understand oneself. However, deep introspection is difficult for many. Dark themes can often represent the esoteric; an understanding of things beyond the superficial. This is a good pursuit, and a scholarly approach is a good method. As such I would encourage this subculture to take this interest much more seriously than many do. Study Jung, Nietzsche and others. But first and foremost, live honestly.

[@lauretat2831]

So much thought and effort put into this video! Thank you for clearing and addressing this topic to impeccably!

[@Erosophany]

My older brother and I are Christians. We come from a very artistic, innovative, and passionate family, and our emotions can be intense, especially since we are both Autistic. He tells me that just looking out the window and seeing how the sun filters through the tree outside and the glass pane is enough to fill him with immeasurable joy, just gazing at God's creation. To me, that signifies that it really isn't that deep unless you make it so; some things just appeal to our faculties individually, and they are quiet, not grand. Finding contentment in the world around us, liking the things you like, taking pleasure in the little things in our life, styles, and surroundings is enough... and it's okay for them to change, and it's okay for them to remain the same. For me, I love dark academia because it's cozy, calming, inspiring to me, and reminds me of my studies in philosophy, theology, art, and music. It's not my identity, but it's part of it, because I am defined by my character, and that includes the things I love, and many of those things will shift. Every person has core elements of their character, but the majority of it will change over time. Don't let an aesthetic consume you, just enjoy the styles you love and allow yourself to be innovative. :)

[@rochellevanderwall7381]

Erosophany well said. The most mature thought expressed I’ve read so far, imo. Tfs.

[@av6207]

Well said.

[@sutpecna]

This video is beautifully written and skillfully said. As someone who uses dark academia as an artistic mean to cope with depression and ungodly pressure on academic/professional matters, I feel finally seen and understood. "Context matters", and I think it's valid for many people like me who are devoted to be eternal students, not only because of workforce demands, but also for the intrinsically genuine and modest desire to learn art, literature and science. Story time! Feel free to ignore. Only sharing if someone is in a similar situation, to which I say: you are not alone, I feel you. My parents are both teachers, so I grew up in a household were the expectations were always high. I became enamored with knowledge, yes (unsurprisingly, with a possible neurodivergence diagnosis), but it also made me a chronical perfectionist with unbearable generalized anxiety disorder and depression. I've been the awkward introverted nerd and teacher's pet through all my life, which led me to terrible feelings of loneliness and rejection. Time skip through high school, and after four years of college (Library Science major, specially because multifaceted professionals are highly appraised on the field), I see no praise or glory at the end of the road - only third parties' increased demands. I was unable to finish my degree as mental health got exponentially worse as time went on. That's where dark academia came in, as if every gloomy picture were to comfort me and say: _"you are a depressed, tired, and failed former gifted kid with too much to handle, yet so much to learn. The world is harsh, life isn't perfect, and that's the beauty of it all. Sit down, face those feelings and learn from them. Strive to not only learn, but also to teach with tenderness, compassion, fervour and patience. Be knowledgeable, yet humble, passionate and kind. Face your demons and, against all odds, thrive."_ That's what dark academia meant to me for the longest time, and although I have been a secret admirer of the aesthetic movement (dare I say, a "poser", since I didn't really abode to its ideals nor to its rigid fundamentals), I still went to seek why it was seen as problematic - not only through KZbin directly, but also, on the broader sense, through taking an elective class in college called "Ethics and Aesthetics", which I absolutely loved (and can recommend the sources we discussed on it, if someone happens to want them!). I will always be an eternal apprentice, absurdly ignorant compared to what there is left to learn, but if there is genuine joy in learning and possible outcomes to help people with this knowledge, I'll be damn sure to pleasurely seek it. Please consider this thread open to share your own stories, though and feelings, if you so desire. I hope this doesn't sound like one of those "oh no I suffer with very smart" because I am, in actuality, really fucking dumb. Apologies for the wall of text, thank you for reading, and have a nice day. :)

[@sbdsoill]

“Beauty without meaning, is superficial” -that’s a profound line. Subbed

[@heddathunstrom2805]

I don't really get what belonging to an aestetic would mean so maybe I'm too optimistic, but I see more positives than negatives if we could have a more humane and welcoming version of dark academia. It would still be romaticising, but I really can't see how it could be harmful as long as it doesn't take up all of your life, and you could say that about anything. To me a community based on a shared love of learning is kinda the best case scenario for online communities.

[@Luumus]

That is very much "light academia" I guess. It's becoming a thing as well, still maintaining the love of learning but less of the dread and grimness of dark academia.

[@sophspice32]

the main criticism i have with all those different aesthetics that are promoted all over social media is the fact that it contributes to overconsumption and the fast-fashion industry making more profit. the whole "romanticize your life trend" can have a positive impact on people´s lives tho

[@Rhiwwers]

As someone who used to live the life of a troubled, overachieving university student with an art career on the side, I find so many things about this stuff disturbing. Especially the focus on superficiality, appearance and a select kind of subject matters. I did my ba in uralic languages and have spent a huge amount of time as an ma’s student studying off pensum in dusty libraries, knowing that my efforts would barely be appreciated because of the lack of funding, taking tolls on my mental health pulling 10+ hour workdays plus commutes, barely functioning and keeping up with friends... it was hell. Sure, there was a professor who spoke 35 languages that let me sit in on her lessons and encouraged me to apply for grants and participate in select summer courses, but the taste was bitter because it led nowhere and there really was no support network because I was considered gifted. I think it’s sad that people focus so much on how to look and behave, with this stuff, how to pretend to be read and how to sound like you are sad in a specific way, when I know all too well that I needed none of that to be in that place. Sure the sunset shining through the university library windows is a magnificent sight, but nothing compares to being more focused on having a clear future ahead that is not about kissing asses for grants as a ph.d. or having a random office job because you did a grade in linguistics and don’t know what to do with it. I’m going back to tattooing now, to honour myself and my artistic gift, since my academic work probably will go entirely unappreciated despite how much I actually do have to say because I actually did study hard and with love.

[@tracik1277]

Yes this ‘dark academia aesthetic’ comes off as so forced and fake to those who have lived through the real thing.

[@ximenaechevarriaverastegui9044]

thank u for this comment

[@Chloe2000mm]

Yes, so much of the online Dark Academia seems mainly about fashion and posing for selfies in atmospheric architectural settings without the real love of learning to substantiate it. It reminds me of the facebook cottagecore groups that have zero experience maintaining an actual garden. To these people, the "aesthetic" is simply a picturesque photo op and not much more.

[@Anonymous-wb3nz]

As a private school student who is currently taking online courses at Harvard, I completely agree with you.

[@bennettbullock9690]

Yeah this raises an interesting point - how would someone who takes on the Dark Academia aesthetic react to someone who has actually studied Classical languages or other literature in the original? I like the fact that humanities is finally getting some grassroots recognition, but I do wonder if it is genuine.

[@whitechs1225]

Not gonna lie, the first time I came across the label, I felt really weirded out because I have always worn long-sleeved, thick material garments, and hand-me-downs from my mother, spending all my spare time after school studying my arse off for a seat in a good college and a job… but all of the sudden kids find that cool lol. Edit: kudos to you, this is such an amazing in-depth video. This is my first time hearing about Sarte, and I’m now curious to read what he had to say about our existence.

[@smell-of-rain-and-coffee4041]

To me it looks like there is a disconnect between what modern life offers and what people crave. The super modern library building with the neon lights holds the same books as the old one stone one with the stained glass windows and wooden tables, but not the same emotions. (Both places aren't freely accessible when the modern elevator is locked and only the desk clerc has a key, don't come at me with that). I personally love modern architecture and the whole grey and glass aesthetic as well, but there needs to be a balance. We value "function" over everything in design, but beauty in itself has a function.

[@julietjones756]

I love this take so much! I always thought the devotion to aesthetics and stuff like that was a little weird, but you put it in such an interesting way! Plus that whole segment on sarte is gonna give me a nice existential crisis

[@mrcafe3x_]

i never known about dark academia, but it realy looks like the ambience of " lemony snicket a series of unfortuned events" that feeling of anxiety and fear creeping you every time something good happens to the Baudelaires

[@Luumus]

I'm very attracted to this aesthetic, despite loving STEM and working in a very high tech field (or perhaps because of it?) I long for those perfects moment where you are immersed in a book, reading by the candle light with the perfect cup of tea. I miss the days I would study at old libraries - which are my most favourite places in the world - which I have not been able to since COVID happened. And above all, I firmly believe that the hunger for learning and education is the cornerstone of a more advanced and egalitarian society, and fundamental for a full human existence. Sure, we can argue that some of the content and history that birthed Dark Academia is problematic but nothing stops us from going beyond that. More than anything I'm happy that this aesthetic is rekindling the love of intellectualism in a lot of young people.

[@sarahgray430]

Dark Academia is simply a revival of the "preppy" styles of the 1980s, which were in turn a revival of the fashions popular among upper class Americans in the first half of the 20th Century as a way of distancing oneself from the hippie and disco styles of the 60's and 70's. Like the preppy 80's, it can be silly, pretentious, overly concerned with wealth and social status, and intolerant of non conformity but so can any other lifestyle or cultural movement, and sooner or later it's going to fade and be replaced by another aesthetic movement, probably it's polar opposite (much like the way hippies replaced squares or grunge replaced preppies) and in the future its fans will look back on their ridiculous, pretentious youth and laugh.

[@valariebrown3768]

Agreed, as person who spent the 1980s in high school and college. The fashions of Dark Academia do strongly echo the prep school/Ivy League influences of the Preppy trend, in the hues of autumn and the sunset. I read The Secret History a couple of years ago, and disliked it, mostly because I could not find a way to like any of the characters. It seems that modern aficionados of this look take it further by using the clothing and accessories to sort of hint that they might be anything from an emotionally fragile creature of spun glass to a criminally insane psychopath on the edge of a break from reality under the formal and restrained facade.

[@anoxbar4428]

The Dark Academia aesthetic appeals to me for many reasons. To start off the main way I express myself is visually: through colors, decorations, outfits, environments, etc. I was a kid who spent a lot of time day dreaming, and consuming media, so those combined in to my love of visuals. Dark Academia also represents a sense of nostalgia for me. I grew up with my grandparents in their early 20th century home. It was furnished and decorated like the period. Dark brown antique furniture, doors, borders. Very few rooms had the doors painted white as it is common today. Handmade antique oriental rugs covered the creaky floors, the carpets had prominent dark reds and blacks, accented with light blues. Much of house followed this color scheme, dark wood, dark/cranberry reds, light blues, creams, the occasional black and green. The old books that were darted around, the chandeliers that hung from most ceilings, the warm light that engulfed the place at night. The original woodwork and old pianos. All in all it was a lavish house, worth about 1.5 million dollars. The academic aspects of it also appeal to me, as I have a fascination for philosophy and poetry. This aesthetic is certainly captivating enough to resonate with so many people, but also I theorize that it plays into a fantasy of academic wealth that society pushes many to strive for. It’s a romanticization of economic privilege. Not only is the unattainable for many but it carries a weight of classism and racism. The aesthetic centers around primarily rich white folks. So it’s hard to ignore the real life weight of that. But it also serves as an escape for many and people are allowed to indulge in their joy of it.

[@ukehimesama]

The surge in aesthetics is a result of people also having time to find their ideal self and the fact that we have been starved for beauty.

[@zarp89]

Terrific conclusion. I agree wholeheartedly. Aesthetics are elusive in that they are a consequence of a pursuit. To make it the object of our search is to miss it altogether.

[@emptysoul8462]

Dark Academia appeals to me because it highlights some things that I've always loved. I grew up in a historical university town, I went to a classical music school and I always liked art, no matter what kind. The feelings these things gave me were so personal to me, nobody I knew really got them. Until it became an aesthetic. This gives me comfort, even though I know the flaws of Dark Academia.

[@n6ghk]

19:57 Jubilee Line stabbed my heart

[@nightshadethegamer7376]

and the Pavement hert my feelings

[@bethlebee589]

I thought your use of Omori imagery and the soundtrack was a really clever way to reinforce the theme of your video

[@ryw9262]

It's really interesting to learn more about the history and inspiration for dark academia. As someone who's only recently started to explore this aesthetic, I was surprised at the criticism it was drawing. Perhaps it is glorified, as all things tend to be on the internet. I do, however, relate to the "moody scholar" vibe. Not only does this aesthetic encourage me to wear more brown, which I previously shied away from, but it's also nice to know that if I am to be sad and smart and eccentric, then I can at least look good doing so.

[@luciddreams6210]

The ending line "appreciate but do not worship" That's the key IMO It seems like that's something a lot of aristocratic types purposely teach their children. I assume this because of the way they look at artwork. That must be why you can almost always tell a person from a cultured and high class upbringing by the way they look at things with a type of mild cynicism or slight reluctance in a museum or an art exhibit. But secrets like that sadly arent shared with common everyday people. This needs to change. I bet everyone has the ability to protect themselves properly from the tricks of life and most of the pitfalls of the man made world if they are given the ability. That could even be a whole game changer when it comes to the wealth divide itself.

[@hdslave]

Love the musical bit around 16:00 had the vibe of a ghost in the shell monologue

[@stikfamaster2]

Liminal spaces literally look like crime scene photographs

[@endTHEhegemony_Today]

I heard it explained perfectly by my mentor in an acting class i took. Think of aesthetics as desserts. Something to be indulged in, and thoroughly enjoyed when doing so. Sometimes extensively for short periods of time, Sometimes peppered or sprinkled throughout our lives, But they ARE NOT to be our Whole Diet unless we want to become incredibly stunted and eventually sick. 🖤💜💙💚💙💜🖤 Nothing wrong with luxuriating in Aesthetics that bring happiness, all in moderation. And that may look different for different people!

[@poppyseeds1844]

An original image, but if you take an aesthetics philosophy course you'll find that what we choose to like comes from so many competing theories. "Beauty is terror" isn't edgy today--it's the sublime style of Romanticism's arts.

[@shashwatsonkar4132]

This channel is way too underrated

[@The4kidsOPfan]

I would LOVE for you to deconstruct cottagecore. I feel like the attitudes and rise are similar but I'm curious about the nitty gritty details of the differences and other facets of the subject/aesthetic.

[@goannabiggay9569]

bruh im gonna try to be respectful in this comment but a lot of dark academia is literally teenagers or twenty-somethings who are bored of their lives because of COVID and capitalism and dream of escaping or having a different life, just like cottagecore (and is problematic in similar ways in terms of Eurocentrism). Nobody is really trying to pursue knowledge to the full extent of human capabilities or actually enact any Bacchanalian rituals they just want to look cool, listen to relaxing playlists as they study and maladaptively daydream about dating bad boys like Henry Winter. This seems to be looking very deeply into something that isn't really that deep, there have been goths, emos and punks for years and dark academia is just a more modern version, almost an identity to try on in your youth while you are still figuring out who you are and who you want to be.

[@jasonknox9596]

Forgive me ignorance but in terms of aesthetics why Eurocentrism is a problem?

[@gs7828]

​@@jasonknox9596 We should really start differentiating something inspired by European looks from something Eurocentric.

[@goannabiggay9569]

@@jasonknox9596 I would say its only a problem in that there is very little dark academia or cottagecore content that includes POC. That being said I have seen people acknowledging this and creating more representative content lately.

[@fabtrash]

@@jasonknox9596 probably because we associate it with white people (which isn't really surprising considering the theme)

[@Chris349]

@@goannabiggay9569 You might think I am racist, but I do not see this as a problem. The people during this time period that dark academia is emulating were majority (almost all) white. It is part of European history. It would be like someone reimaging Chinese history and wondering why there were no Scottish people.

[@DERIVATIVES-mh6ej]

I actually had no idea what Dark Academia was until I watched this video. Despite that, I've had this image in my head for years of myself in about 10 years or so in a suit laying on a Victorian couch reading some work by Richard Feynman or Carl Jung, all in a study with dark oak shelves full of old books coving every wall, a coffee table carved with the best and most detailed worksmanship, and a fireplace being the only light in the room. For years I've wanted to be a professor of physics for Princeton, Cornell, UPenn, MIT, or the like, and it just seems so right to me that I would live and think and solve differential equations in a Victorian home full of images like the one I just described. For me, to hear of the existence of a fad of this aesthetic and at that same moment, hear about the problems of its community is painful. To know that there are many people out their with a taste for architecture, fashion, hobbies, personalities, etc just like my own who have gotten sucked into being strict and prideful for their own taste is sad. The fact that I came to have this taste on my own means that you or I don't have to rely off other people to determine what tastes we should have or whether we should remain a fan of the taste.

[@fckyafeelingz4064]

Wow. Such high-quality and unique content. You are sinfully under-subscribed.

[@MongTonk]

Best advice from my professors and senior lecturers: The more you study and learn, the more you become aware of how little you know, and have to accept that your knowledge will always be partial and incomplete (SO LIBERATING)

[@thezombieshogun]

I really appreciated the music on this one. top notch

[@He.knows.nothing]

I went through an edgy philosopher stage of my own. I think this argument actually expands well beyond the nature of aesthetic and dark academia. It's how people perceive ideas and categories in general. Humans are strange beings. We have the capacity to experience and rationalize the world around us and we can be aware of ourselves, but when you actually become aware you understand that everything you experience in reality is actually a product of yourself, a product of illusions your mind crafts out of its own preconditioned biases. Everything that we experience translates into an idea, and that idea becomes a standard that determines our behavior. This isn't just dangerous whilst crafting one's own identity, but especially so when crafting the ideas of how one identifies other human beings, whether as groups or individuals. When we take an idea and conform ourselves to it, we are also taking all of the ideas of others that we have manifested and conform them to it. If you have a significant other, think about this. In your head, you have an idea of who she is, who she was, and who she can be that you use to interact with her. Those ideas, although they might be similar, will never equate to their own ideas of who they are, who they were, or who they could be. Your behavior is predicated on a standard of them that you subconsciously conform them to, and that creates tension because it is a standard that solely exists out of your own biased perception of the world. It's not inherently bad to do this. You need to be aware of what you need and what makes you happy and when something is toxic towards your well being, but you have to be conscious of what you're doing as it can make you toxic to that other. It is innately human to strive for idealogical standards, but this is the double edged blade. The analogy suits this topic well

[@nooneofinterest234]

"A grocer who dreams is offensive to the buyer" bullshit, it just means that my dude has a passion and being a grocer could possibly help fund it, therefore i am all for it.

[@stephenlyall7759]

I was at Uni 40 years ago. There was a cult even then. This was the cult of life. My teaching tutor at the time made a very important prediction. As we were soon leaving he said, “you are seeing the last of the colourful people.” You have struck gold.

[@loveydovey9733]

I enjoy and have worn clothes like this for a long time. This and gothic romance are my favorite story themes! So realizing it's now an "aesthetic" used to excite me because I thought, "wow I've so many other people who might want to talk about the same literature and music as me!" but now do I realize I was so very, very wrong. People either give me a blank, glossy-eyed look when I reference a few things they wear or hang up on their wall or they have fully invested themselves in a "dark" YA novel character or movie they've seen who, in reality, are just awful shells of human beings who often meet terrible ends. It troubles me because while I enjoy wearing the fashion on a cool autumn night and help bring awareness to PoC in academic history, they only seem to covet the experience of descending into depression, elitism, sexism, racism, and classism. Not everyone is guaranteed to live that lifestyle (being rich, come from a prestigious family, have such astounding intelligence and the heart to crush anyone in your way) and that's a good thing! Be happy that you aren't pressured by your emotionless parents to pursue dreams that you don't have, senselessly abuse the people around you to elicit any sense of emotion, and live so carelessly because money is the only thing that is permanent in your life. Honestly, dark academia is best on paper. It's a great story but what a miserable lifestyle.

[@loveydovey9733]

@phantagirlable Good thing it isn't. Move along, weirdo. You aren't funny.

[@shakirashakira7893]

this is one of the best analysis videos i’ve ever watched i remember seeing this a year ago and i came back for it

[@songweretson]

As decidedly as you make your points... I'm not sure you really understand what you're talking about. It sounds as if you're so caught up in villainizing "aesthetic" (which you represent poorly), you haven't actually talked to people who are interested in aesthetics. While I agree, there are a lot of people (young people) who get too caught up in different aesthetics, or are drawn to the self-destructive tendencies of dark academia (something adolescents have always been drawn to). But for many people, it's about self-expression. It's putting a name to your personal style, and using that to connect with others who have similar interests. Is it fair to talk about dark academia without talking about light academia, of even cottage core? Can you really talk as if they're all the same? Are these aesthetics really any different from people who pour over fashion magazines, and build their identities and style off of that? I can agree that gatekeeping, and the inauthentic nature of social media, should be addressed. And even becoming too obsessed with an aesthetic can be risky. But this video feels overly simplistic and fear mongering. I think the deeper issue is how many young people don't know themselves, and search outside themselves for their identities. To address just "aesthetic", without addressing the deeper issue of identity, feels disingenuous.

[@bethanytillerson6881]

late reply here but I agree! I really expected him to mention the existence of light academia (and grey academia, maybe), as I feel these distinctions are important when looking at the overall values of an "aesthetic". They look at the same subject matter from different value systems and points of view, and you can't just sum up one aesthetic to represent one set of values.

[@songweretson]

@@bethanytillerson6881 Exactly. Dark academia does have elements of toxicity... But that's more because teenagers have always been edgy, and glamorized toxic elements. And if you want to discuss how obsession with a particular aesthetic, and when you try to live it completely, that's something. But to say that "aesthetic" is dangerous is ridiculously simple.

[@isaacpalmer3917]

Intelligent but disturbed; that’s a great way to put it. The trouble with really trying to fit this aesthetic is that people often forget the former element…

[@coppersundew]

So many references to omori in this video omg

[@shada9324]

you gave a pretty comprehensive definition of aesthetics in the historical & philosophical sense, but i think how the term started being used on the internet is an important aspect of it. "aesthetics" in the modern sense came from vaporwave, which used visual aspects of 80s advertising and repurposed them to critique consumerism. i think that "aesthetics" are more of a repurposing of looks to mean something else, or looks that represent an "idea" rather than what someone individually is comforted by. a lot of other popular aesthetics ("doomer", coquette fashion, fairy grunge, etc) fit under this umbrella. it only really started being used as a term for "lifestyle" recently because the idea of an "aesthetic" has been mainstreamed by people like lifestyle vloggers, and imo it doesn't really do the concept justice. i don't have a problem with dark academia on its own but it's a part of a lot of newer aesthetics with a more broad/less "eccentric" appeal (cottagecore, art hoe, etc) not really...doing anything interesting or new with their aesthetics and just giving a name to either trends or things that exist already. i'm a bit cautious of conflating things like looks with a personal identity, even if it's a gateway for a lot of people to get into stuff like reading or art that they wouldn't have otherwise, because at the end of the day it's still a sort of "standard" that people feel like they have to reach if they want to seem smart, well-read, or what have you, not unlike conventional advertising. people are also quick to criticize them regarding things that don't really factor into the idea of them in the first place or ascribing meaning to them that's not really there (i don't think dark academia is the "new renaissance", it's just people taking interest in the idea of rugged intellectualism) like with trends in general. it all just feels so tired to me. not saying dark academia or aesthetics are "problematic" & people should stop enjoying them - i like aesthetics too and you can do whatever the hell you want with your time and money. i guess i'm just a little upset by the idea of aesthetics having become what vaporwave's aesthetics were originally intended to critique. compare it to how teens & young adults are starting to wear mall goth-style clothes again and embrace the idea of being a "poser" -- they don't even listen to "classic" mall goth music most of the time, but they don't give a shit. they're redefining the idea of being a "poser" and what it means, and goth looks as something fun rather than (or in addition to being) edgy. /that/ is how you do an aesthetic.

[@chacharealsmooth8004]

I love the look of dark academia, but never have I taken it to a level where it's taken over my life and change my personality or lifestyle. Dark academia to me is just like any other aesthetic, pretty to look at, inspiring or even nostalgic. But I won't ignore the darker parts of aesthetics and how they can control and box you in or take you away from your more authentic self. This was an interesting view on it all.

[@bradmizzou]

spend 8 years in graduate school then 2 years as an underpaid post doc. amass $90K in student loans. get job as assistant professor with paltry salary. submit 10 grant proposals a year only to have them all rejected. have department chair threaten to fire you unless you can fund your research. rinse, wash, repeat year after year. you'll naturally become intelligent, disturbed, disheveled, anxious, and depressed. a real dark academic. it's not a lifestyle to romanticize.

[@asevelel]

I think some people need to get the stick out of their ass and let people find fun and comfort in something. Of course, it is important not to become so obsessed with something like this that you lose yourself. Since, well, forever I guess, people have always tried so hard to find their "identity" instead of just... being.

[@rochellevanderwall7381]

Exactly.

[@Almosthomeforever]

We dressed like this in the 70’s and it was mostly just to keep warm in the bitter cold months.. it was respectful

[@preston2472]

super interesting video. for gen z, i think aesthetics are so alluring because modern america (and the rest of the developed to an extent) is ugly to many. as you touched on, we are starved of practical beauty while our world has become increasingly utilitarian. furthermore, the internet has allowed people who would other wise never meet, to share niche interests. i hadn't heard of dark academia before this video but the modern understanding of "aesthetic" is something i can relate to. it's interesting that most aesthetics either romanticize either the future or the past. normal people are supremely unhappy in our modern age and wanting to escape is a common desire, and the internet provides a superficial respite.

[@aspektx]

If I remember correctly we'll find that psychologists have said for a while that people in their late teens and early 20s are experimenting with who they are becoming. It is not at all unusual to see people trying on different styles or affect. Or taking on changes of character and language. In the end the healthy individual garners what they most identify with and moves on. The false face and 'bad actor' you point out in social media makes for a fascinating intersection with the psychology of those still trying out personalities. This was a great video essay, thank you.

[@instagamrr]

Frankly I’m happy to see anything relating to academia thriving

[@Luumus]

Same.

[@gs7828]

Lol. This actually empowers posers and reinforces craziness, but apart from that is a cool, superficial IG and TikTok visual trend.

[@michaelcrockis7679]

Never thought of it before. How esthetics molds you into some line of thinking. Ore lures you, as a candle lures a moth, if you have some line of thinking. Thank you for this essay.

[@dnnu]

I find this very interesting. My clothing style was always "dark academia" before it even was a thing and that's really all it is for me personally. I totally agree that we shouldn't conform to these lifestyle aesthetic but try to be true to ourselves, those labels, lifestyles whatever you want to call them are limiting us. In my everyday life people like to push others into stereotypes in how they look, associating your looks to certain hobbies

[@chrono4998]

im the same, reversed. My hobbies were always dark academia but I've always dressed in a very modern way. feels weird.

[@h8es19]

Months of nothing i watch to wat h on my recommend page only to find this trove of fantastic content. Worth every moment.

[@liscan8978]

I guess as someone who likes Dark Academia, one of the main reasons why I like it is because of the ambience it permeates. Dark Academia provides a sort of mystery, serene and heavy atmosphere; it makes a person like me, who has a shit attention span, somehow make reading a 2 page paragraph from a book bearable. Edit: but yeah no, i don't really make an aesthetic my identity. There are just days where I feel like reading a novel over a candle, do calligraphy while a storm is whirling outside

[@seasonalien125]

This is a great video... and it kinda captures why I've always felt irked and rubbed the wrong way by internet "aesthetics" and "finding your own aesthetic" and that kind of thing. I've been very conscious of this opinion that I have for a long time and it feels appropriate to vent here. They're visually pleasing, but they are utterly unappealing and sad to me, because they're make-believe. Anything that is highly deliberate and fragile, like aesthetics that die the moment you step outside of your own room with its carefully chosen decor or that one public area that suits it, doesn't hold any beauty at all to me. If it is too self conscious and was deliberately curated to be perceived a certain way, and the scene to be admired didn't occur naturally and thus stands as a picture in time, it's hollow to me. Something that tries to be mystical, enigmatic, or a kind of symbol of vanitas, isn't. Something that was extremely carefully crafted to be "casual" can never be. Beauty is something that I value a lot, and I like to surround myself with pretty things and stylistic choices that are pleasing to the eye, but I keep this style contemporary and with influences from my environment and the current world, because I want to work with the natural flow of beauty around us, and not against it, by creating a bubble of "aesthetics" that are only artificially kept alive.

[@xvarzka33]

Youre thinking way to hard about this. Ppl like pretty things, ppl surround themselves with pretty things. If you go overboard to the point of changing your personality you need a therapist

[@Lumberjack_king]

16:25 a lot of this also applies to fandoms or any group that members of define there self with

[@damagecontrol2424]

Satisfaction in nonsense- I like the acknowledgment of this idea.

[@ln_x00]

I can't explain how much I loved this video. You put to words so many concepts I was thinking about for a long time but wasn't able to put in a logical order or experess. So glad I found your channel!

[@thegreatdream8427]

(Warning: very long comment, I bring class to KZbin comment sections dammit) First of all, thank you. I may have found my aesthetic (or rather, one piece of the vast and self-contradictory complex of aesthetic tastes and tendencies that is my personality). And I love your point about wonder and awe - that is my favorite emotion. I am an obsessive lover of both beauty and knowledge and have based my entire worldview on the sanctity of the eternal path into the unknown, the light expanding outward into Mystery only to reveal more of it - my "Great Dream" - which someday I will manage to distill into the philosophical treatise I've envisioned for ten years now... (Gods, I am such a wannabe anime protagonist.) Second of all: I actually think that aesthetics, in a sense, are the only thing that IS real or that matters. Every choice that is not a choice between better and worse - between a state of the world in which there is greater good for a greater number and a state where there is not - is a completely arbitrary matter, differentiated only by aesthetic taste. The fundamental thing humans *do* is create meanings where there are none intrinsically, as nature does not grant us any meanings, only materials (out of which to construct them and their representations). Aesthetics are one such meaning. I actually even consider gender to be an aesthetic, or rather a constellation of aesthetics with a few main clusters - which just so happen to be imposed upon us (a kind of biologically enforced "bad faith") by our biological bodies. Ultimately, the only meaningful choice you can ever make is between equally good (in terms of moral utility) but different-seeming patterns of sensory and emotional experience - aesthetics - and our entire existence is make-believe for its own sake - the invention and investment-of-self into aesthetics, to me, seems to be the entire *point* of our radical freedom - the manifestation-from-nothing of new realities to replace or extend the one imposed upon us. All that said... I am someone whose whole identity has been based since nearly childhood on my "morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs", so perhaps I am biased. But even if so, I shall revel in that bias, for it is the manifestation of my freedom. :P

[@heinoustentacles5719]

thank you for commenting. Here is your reward. "My Girl" by The Temptations: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qavFemSsqpKWecU