Hobbitcore: A Deep Dive

[@leilasmila]

As a farmer, I appreciate your recognition of the impracticality of most cottagecore dress aesthetics whilst actually doing the day-to-day work!

[@audreybohman4837]

I am a farmer and I do wear dresses every day on the farm just not my really expensive ones. But I do know that is not for everyone.

[@malarkeymachine]

"Let yourself enjoy tiny shiny things"...would be a great catchphrase for Gollum

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

*_"THE PRECIOUSSSSSSSS..."_* 😉

[@benmolitor1519]

A good way I've found to live is to take the pieces that you actually enjoy of the aesthetics you try and carry them along as you try new ones. Minimalism is efficient, until you need a cozy space, miss a day of lint rolling a white couch, or want decorations. But i took the lesson of making sure you have space before trying to fill it. Cottagecore is cute, until you need a microwave for leftovers, park a car in your driveway, or realize you killed every plant in your garden. But i found out how easy it is to bake incredible bread (or anything with flour) once and awhile. Perhaps you don't end up in someone else's extremely idealized, unsustainable life. Perhaps all you are instead is happy in your space cluttered the right amount of joy. And isn't that the perfect aesthetic?

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

Oh wow I love this! What a beautiful perspective, and definitely healthier than trying to hold yourself to too-high standards. Thanks for sharing!

[@HeavymetalHylian]

I used to think I was inspired by LotR and other fantasy and found myself drawn to such a lifestyle as hobbits and the beauty in cottage life, but I had a recent realization that it all comes from my grandmother. She is a 5ft 2 firecracker who lives on a farm, makes everything from scratch, has a keen eye for decorating, a talent for quilting, and always brings us together with her delicious and beautiful food. And she's normally barefooted lol. As I've gotten older, I've realized how much I've taken after her - likely because I spent every weekend with my grandparents on their farm as a child. When someone comes to visit, I rush to get tea/coffee and a snack for my company. When I have idle time, I practice one of my hobbies and watch something that is pleasing to the eyes. I call a friend just because I was thinking of them and ask if they'd like to have lunch. These are the sorts of things I have learned from her. I think maybe many of us are seeking ways to bring that nostalgia of grandma & grandpa's farm to our own abode so that we can feel safe and strong. Many of those things are not decor, or even something that you can buy. It's mostly sharing, and being a peaceful, loving person to yourself and others.

[@HRR76]

I basically live the cottagecore life. We live in a 213 year old farmhouse and have chickens, a pig, and an assortment of other animal friends. I garden, can, bake bread weekly, sew, knit, and so on. Prior to this year, my fashion style consisted more of jeans and a sweatshirt but now I’ve started sewing many of my own clothes. I only wear dresses now. 😂 I find my clothes to be very suitable for our homestead life. I include large pockets in almost all of my dresses and aprons, which is perfect for tucking in eggs…flowers…garden fresh veggies. I garden, clean the chicken coop, muck the pig pen, etc all in my “cottagecore” clothes. Of course, I lean toward the natural/sturdy fabrics and simple lines and not the extra frilly princess-looking stuff. I’m a stay at home wife and only need to go to town twice a month so it’s definitely easier for me to maintain this lifestyle than someone who works in an office. 😂

[@jacoblarch6668]

Your comments took me back to covid... I'm an introvert, and I've never been able to 'get' large social gatherings without standing around, feeling awkward, and eventually, wanting to dive for the door. When my battery drains, I'm gone. In fact, I've got a PhD in "sneaking out of parties early" and have been like that all my life. When covid happened, a friend described working from home as "all the extroverts (in his office) are not handling this at all, desperate for any news it will be over tomorrow, eager to return to face to face working, and all the introverts are like WOO-HOO!!!" I remember saying to a few colleagues at the time that covid had turned us all into hobbits: "you have breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses... you wear comfortable clothing, and working in bare feet becomes a conscious choice." Great video! Looking forward to watching more. Jacob

[@AdDewaard-hu3xk]

Me.

[@melissacasciotti9095]

I would love a part two type video on creating hobbit core aesthetic, just like little tips and tricks you can do in your own home in life!

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

That's a great idea!!

[@PaldenTrakpa]

Appreciate the acknowledgement of different work experiences during the Covid period.; your aside meant a lot to me. I managed a produce department for a grocery store during that time, and have never worked harder or been more exhausted than during those years. We so-called heroes ate shit for two years and have nothing to show for it. On a positive note: I love your videos, you are brilliant and generous, and thank you!

[@blacklot97]

We're heroes until it's time to talk wages...

[@camille_la_chenille]

I was in a pretty bad mental place during the pandemic and the following year, due to many reasons but the lockdown and isolation not the least. I started really diving into aesthetics and cottagecore as a way to escape the situation, to feel closer to my imaginary world. It's also during lockdown in srping 2020 that I listened to the audiobook of The Hobbit and fell fast and hard for Tolkien's universe. As a disabled person, hobbitcore is clearly a way to put magic and homely comfort in my life, and create a cozy and safe atmosphere in my room where I spend so much time. Engaging in "hobbit-y" activities like baking for my family, making my own whimsical clothes and smiply enjoying the little things in life greatly helped me to reconnect with my family and create stronger bonds (I have undertaken the task to keep alive my grandma's most iconic recipes now that she can't cook for everyone anymore, and I see how much it counts for her that these familial traditions won't die with her). It also allows me to find peace and calm between medical appointments and soul-draining administrative procedures. Hobbitcore, and Tolkien's view of the world carried in his work as a whole, have been carrying me for the past three years and I have never felt better than when letting my inner hobbit take control.

[@markp6062]

Wow, I had no idea such stuff was actually a 'thing'! I really appreciated your contrast of Hobbitcore to Cottagecore. At 58 yrs old, I moved from Denver to semi-rural AR. Hearing your description in this video, it was very much a hobbitcore kind of move. I wanted to be in a place where I could know most of the folks and share in their lives, rather than being one of a million in just another non-descript subdivision. Made me smile. I'm living the dream!

[@claud1961]

I had no idea there was any sort of movement or theme based on 'Shire living'. I know that the Shire resonated with me when I first read it back in High School, in 1977, and Middle Earth was sometimes more real to me than my daily experience. I first encountered the idea of Shire living, or proto-hobbitcore, about 12 years ago when at the age of 50 I found myself homeless living with my son. While attempting to get my life back on track I played LOTRO and I spent more time purchasing and decorating my Hobbit Home than adventuring through the MMO. This led to my making my small room more 'Hobbity' and sort of got me thinking about what kind of home I wanted when I was able. For the most part, as things worked out, I moved on from this time of depression and anxiety to becoming a homeowner again and had to make choices that were influenced by those hard times. I decided I wanted solid furniture, nothing not meant to last, and used if possible. I recycled, I grew a garden, and I took an interest in making it my Hobbit Hole, a home and not just a staging area as some homes are. It is interesting to note others do the same, looking for a way to get more out of mundane living. I also appreciate your take on the reality of it all, the fact that we are not, in fact, trying to become actual fantasy characters but are attempting to find the peace and solidity of the Shire in troubled times. You realize that the ethics and values of the Shire folks were becoming a rarity even during the time Tolkien wrote the LOTR, and I do not doubt he put a lot of what he thought were proper or beneficial life philosophies in Hobbit culture. We like the feel of it and not the agrarian living as an end in itself or we would become Amish! I think you are right in that the slowing down of pointless activity outside work is renewing, part of the cottage living thing. When did stopping and enjoying things that don't require a power source become old school? The same time manners did, probably. .A few years back I saw a posting about a couple that were fascinated by the Victorian era style and turned themselves and their apartment into a Victorian home. They dressed the part as well. There were a lot of postings about racist and expansionist ideals of the time as well as nationalism, fascism, and whatever else ugly you could think of. I posted that if they had dressed as Hobbits nobody would care! And that is another bonus of Hobbitcore, it is apolitical unless you just want to start a fight with somebody. At any rate, thanks for your content. It helps me manage one more day while I labor in Saruman's factory making gear for his war machine, working with goblins who think they are Uruk-hai. God Bless.

[@norwoodzomboy]

I was a courier during the Pandemic and therefore an Essential Service Worker. I was out all day, getting sun, fresh air & exercise....BUT....Seeing the constant news about it, seeing the deserted streets, all of the necessary restrictions WAS incredibly wearing! Seeking solace in savouring delicious treats, relaxing etheral music or nature sounds or videos was essential to not falling into despair.

[@simoncss1]

Dear Jess Only discovered this channel some days earlier & it’s quite the gem. Will endeavour to go through the entire backlog in time. This is a lovely piece & thank you for sharing the true reason behind your moniker + name of your channel. Listening & ruminating on the pandemic days gone by, I almost feel like becoming a Part Time Hobbit myself but for the realities of life, will probably have to settle for Leisure Time Tolkenian Hobbyist instead. …alas, tis a crazy world ran by & obssessed with money… "..If more of us valued food & cheer & song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." Thorin Oakenshield to Bilbo

[@Freddercheese]

Jess is the type of lady to offer a weary traveler a tasty meal and a place to stay for the night.

[@MoonChylde0622]

I'm a big fan of another cottagecore offshoot: Forestcore!

[@brendanmooney7607]

Thanks for this excellent deep-dive into Cottagecore/Hobbitcore/Slow Living, and thanks for putting so much time & attention into the Happy, Hobbit-y aesthetic of your channel!

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

Well thank YOU for watching, and for the very kind comment!

[@mikesecondname]

I’ve wanted to live in a hobbit home for my whole life. As a ‘short-king’ I’ve used various pseudonyms with hobbit in there over the years too. I’m definitely into the cottage core aesthetic in real life with plants and canning/jarring foodstuffs, art and craft and rural England. Online, I’m into vapourwave aesthetic though, I loved 90s anime and never grew out of it as a taste.

[@CeresKLee]

I love you! I retired just before the pandemic and developed a geek aesthetic, a Digital Cottagecore if you will. My computer is my Anything Box, a magical screen I interactive with people across the world, listen to audio-books, movies, shows, learn weird astronomy and physics, enjoy all the rock'n'roll in the world and follow Part Time Hobbits. It is a Good Life! It is not without problems, no life is. Do you go to the dentist? Hell, no! Medicare does not cover it and I live in Social Security - I can't afford a luxury like dentistry. Perhaps, I can marry a dentist, someday.

[@jems.crafting.closet]

Dear Jess, I love your channel, I respect your thoughts quite deeply....... so thank you for acknowledging that yours was not a universal experience during the pandemic. Those of us who had to continue commuting to work 40 hours a week got all the fear and anxiety and isolation with none of the benefits of time or being able to lose ourselves in simple things. Being forced to engage with a rapidly disintegrating world more or less destroyed my mental health. It's only in the last few months that I've finally started to find my way again. Because of all this, I've been a latecomer to the cottagecore aesthetic, but I've found that it more or less just codifies things I've always been drawn to. As another commenter says, I've wanted to live a hobbitty life since I became aware of the concept. In a way, it feels like the world is just now catching up. I'm glad that the world has this element in it as it slowly starts to heal.

[@ianlang9312]

I used the pandemic to replace my whole front yard with a veggie / pollinator garden. I want to be a hobbit so bad Starting to have to go back to the office has been pretty annoying

[@BecauseOfDragons]

Whilst I'd love to think I'd be some doughty Dwarf working in Erebor, I know I'd be a Hobbit lazing on the front porch with a pipe in hand. Got to love that slower pace of life, growing things and cultivating hobbies. Well - as long as you were a wealthy Hobbit like Bilbo! I guess it's the difference between the landed gentry and the regular rural folk!

[@allisongliot]

Thanks for giving us a little insight into the creation behind your channel and its name!

[@grimjoker5572]

Using the word "aesthetic" for one's personal expression is a proper usage. One's personal aesthetic is one's personal philosophy on beauty; one's personal taste. It's like talking about somebody's morality.

[@mariamorrero2029]

Love your channel. Love Middle Earth, and I love your clear-eyed synthesis of Aesthetics and Tik Tok-driven Aesthetic’s in a warm video essay format 🌿 🏠 🥘 Just an extra perspective: I’m disabled & very immune-compromised. For me, and for many with similar health concerns, the pandemic is still very close and the isolation isn’t over 😢 Thanks for all the work you put into your channel, and Tolkien lovers love your content 🙂

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

Thank you for the kind words! And thank you as well for sharing that. I definitely should have noted that in the video, but I'll certainly keep it in mind moving forward. Thanks again for the comment, I really do appreciate it so much!

[@zipadeed00dah]

It occurs to me that, while we can aspire to be "part time hobbits" pursuing a Tolkien aesthetic, the actual characters in the Chronicles of Narnia were part time Narnians from the jump.

[@lillilake7259]

"Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia"

[@MrSirhasArrived]

Just occurred to me that the Amish are kinda the Hobbits of the US with the rest of us, with technology, the big folk.

[@Earth_angel_abigail]

This was such a wonderful video! Thank you for taking the time to discuss such a lovely thing. I was hobbit core at heart since I was very young, even long before I had even seen the LOTR, I had hobbit houses and earth built homes and themes of hobbit core on my vision boards since I was 12/13 yrs old.

[@sarasynfox]

This is an interesting concept for me. I often suspected the cottagecore thing took off because of lockdown, but that wasn't my life. I worked throughout, much of it in a uniform. However, this is my aesthetic goals from when I was 18. 20+ years later, I'm just going to stop caring and embrace what I love, just like so many already had a chance to do

[@sam6496]

If Hobbit is one side of the coin then Miazaki (howls moving castle etc.) is the other half of that coin.

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

So true! I love Miyazaki, especially Howl's Moving Castle!

[@lisa.the.lionheart]

I am so happy I stumbled upon this video! I try to live the hobbitcore life but it can be challenging having to live in a big city. Thanks for the deep dive!

[@dlseller]

I love EVERYTHING going on in the desk behind you! Nice aesthetic.

[@itscheyennexx]

This channel is everything I’ve ever needed 🦊

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

You're so sweet!! Thanks so much!

[@fallonmustdie6277]

Listening to you speak about a topic you’re so passionate about is like listening to a professor lecturing to curious young minds. I am great full and never not overwhelmingly excited to pay close attention and make notes on the videos you post. Thank you for teaching us about Hobbitcore and Cottagecore. I’m sure Jjr Tolkien would be very proud to see how much of an impact his stories still have and that people like you still care enough to teach others. Again, i am very great full, thank you.

[@AdDewaard-hu3xk]

Great full as a misspelling of grateful is something I now understand. Or, hippie me, dig.

[@laurashawver4217]

My aesthetic journey began in 2008. I was 27 and a teacher. I finally decided to actually be myself. I hated wearing jeans, and I wasn’t happy with my clothes at all. I’ve always loved dresses. So, I decided that I was going to wear dresses and dress vintage or princessy if I wanted to! I was also inspired by Melinda Gordon’s wardrobe on Ghost Whisperer. Well, from the moment I started dressing the way I wanted to, I received compliments left and right. I too enjoy all things Tolkien! So to be able to dress this way and feel comfortable doing so brings me joy!!

[@houseaccount4746]

Well done. An interesting observation of a particular sub culture history as it arrives and applies to our current moment in time. Your passion is upfront and flowing. I enjoy your approach to the world of Tolkien. Please continue to enjoy and share your journey with us.

[@clh81]

I work for a laundry service company, and we were considered an "essential service" during the pandemic. Our customers included hospitals and nursing homes that needed to have their machines in top shape in order to maintain clean environments for patients and staff. I still had to commute to work, so I did not get to experience the down time that so many people got to have. Even when someone in the office got sick with COVID, we were still expected to come in. I would rush home and scrub myself down in the shower every day. I would give anything to have been able to work from home and have time to cook good meals, paint and read. 😞

[@beemcbuzz7354]

I was a student at a local college when the lockdowns began. Our classes got moved to online, so did the exams that couldn't wait until the end of the year. So aside from some studying and a few hours of online lectures I had more free time on my hands than I've had since middle school. And as an introvert that dreaded the 8h of interactive classes and 2 hours of socializing before, between and after, I felt calmer than I had in years. I was lucky enough to be living at home and not have to worry about lack of income, so I got to focus on hobbies like reading and drawing that I had no time or mental energy for for years. I even took up walking in the forest 2 streets from my house, where I used to spend a lot of time as a kid with friends or local childrens groups. I hadn't even been there in close to a decade, despite it being so close to my home, but for a few months I got to wake up slowly, drink my tea while I caught up on books I've been meaning to read, go on a walk in the forest, come home and try new recipes, get back into drawing and try my hand at watercolour. And then college ended, the lockdowns lessened and I got a job at a large grocer and within 3 months I spent 10min every morning convincing myself to get out of bed and get on with my most likely stressful day to get to the hour or two of peace before I'd have to go to bed and do it all over again.

[@josiahbrondyke]

So I found your channel because of your analysis of the VeggieTales Lord of the beans. My son is five and he loves it. We are trying to read him the hobbit but… well to be honest it’s more of a problem with mom and dad’s schedule then with my son‘s attention span. So for now that is the official Tolkien lore for him However my family is away so I’ve started to check out your other videos because I have a quiet house. I really like the stuff that you’re putting out there. While I’m waiting for my family to come home for a getaway I have now allowed 45 of your videos to play in the background lol. It’s fun to get to listen to a fellow fan of middle earth talk about something they are passionate about. Hope you are well. I pray this as a project is bringing you joy not stress.

[@inakilarrinaga7789]

I just discovered this channel today and, so far, I've found your videos to be very delightful and enjoyable. Thank you for the lovely content and I expect to be coming back to your channel on a regular basis 🌻☺️

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

Thank you so much for the kind words! It's an absolute joy to have you join this community!

[@Chieffino]

Still went to work during the "Pandemic" , 3 days a week. Never was sequestered ourselves inside or afraid. My wife moved in, across country, we planned and held our marriage ceremony and military retirement ceremony, and moved with creative and ingenious ways.

[@invictarussuzerain]

9:04 I never knew I needed that validation. Thanks for giving me the permission I needed to continue collecting Warhammer 🤣.

[@chaotic-goodartistry3903]

omg I used that fabric for a pair of stays too! It's such a pretty fabric!

[@glennwoodbury7384]

1. Your video was my introduction to the subject. As much time as I spend blobbing on the computer, this was not a topic I'd discovered. 2. I'm retired. I already live and work (still a lot under construction at Bramblepatch Farm) at home. The biggest effect of Covid was less interaction with people outside my family. No big change. 3. We live in a small cabin on 8 acres of woods in the PNW with a large vegetable garden and a small mixed flock of poultry. Still not self sufficient at all, and still shop at Costco and QFC. As we age, we have less energy for the garden and animal slaughter. I agree with your comments on the impracticality of Cottagecore. Carhartts, synthetic fleece and rubber boots are more like it. Our cabin fits the aesthetic better; or would if I finished the trim, both inside and out... Oh yeah, snap lock metal roofing. I don't want to go up there to replace it when I'm 80. 4. FWIW, IMO, you look more like an Elf than a Hobbit.

[@AeonWere]

My covid experience was working more than before, but many more compromises. Being one of 5 employee keeping a ski resort running, but its limiting in my personal interactions made all of my interactions very valuable. I imagine it being someone locked in an bubble from cancer or immune compromised lives. I've worked in cancer wards and neural trauma wards, which require some distance for social constraints and contamination and social needs. However, there is a social need, to hug, to give food outside of doctors restraints, just be human under inhuman duress to loved one, ..etc.. I've been through it all. I've even lost my true love to cancer...... Hobbitcore is my "I want to be happy and comfy for her, until we are together again", aesthetic.... Thank you for define it for others here. P.s. You may be [art time hobbit, but on youtube you have a mast hobbit perspective.

[@Cjinglaterra]

As one of those “essential workers”, I picked up a lot of overtime in 2020, so I can’t relate to having more time. On the other hand, I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I have left my county and the six nearby counties that constitute my stomping grounds since 2020.

[@HrothgarTheSaxon]

My personal experience throughout the pandemic? A blessed decline in vicing raids to fend off!

[@ambitiouscabbage]

This is such a good explanation video, very clearly set out and really hit on the important aspects of these trends. Really loving your videos, keep up the great work 👏💚

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed :)

[@sourisvoleur4854]

This is a great video -- I didn't know about half of this stuff. For values of "half" meaning "about 1/20th." Very instructive and also I really like your ideas around hobbitcore not being a burden but, in part, playacting/cosplay.

[@joschafinger126]

When we were confined here in Spain, I *did* go on working as a teacher, and in fact my workload went through the roof. However, I could do most of my work on my own schedule, more so as my daughter hadn't been born yet. Plus, having my dog and taking advantage of some of the bylaws (being allowed to go out to shop for food...) enabled me to still walk at least 10,000 steps outside each day. I didn't sign up to any new aesthetics, but I _did_ get around to reading LotR for the 10th time, thanks to not having to commute, and I kind of miss the sense of freedom.

[@danielwall7281]

As a teacher who has always had to accommodate students at a distance, my workload really didn't change during covid. One day, I told my local students to stop coming to the classroom and just login like the out-of-towners. ...then it was business as usual

[@scottishcottagerenovation]

Great video. I came across hobbitcore as a thing last year after a tiny house on "Living big in a tiny house" had a strong hobbitcore theme. I really like it and feel quite drawn to it. But I equally enjoy cottage core. We are renovating our first home atm and I'm planning on doing a lit of cottage/hobbit core themes 😊

[@michaelmcanally8468]

I was never shut in, and neither was my wife, our jobs were deemed essential enough to allow us to receive a work voucher. So, I was never shut in, my life didn’t really change during COVID, I was one of the lucky ones. My heart and sympathy goes out to people who lost their entire family, I cannot imagine how hard that must have been.

[@emeraldvaught5776]

awesome video !! and your makeup looks so amazing

[@eoinrogan8478]

Fantastic. 'Hobbitcore'. So glad there's a term for it. :)

[@catherineleslie-faye4302]

I have been following after Tasha Tudor for decades... that is a semi-victorian-prairie lifestyle with allowances for the fact that I now have moved back to the city and live in an apartment. So that my life is more urban victorian variation of faeriecore or cottagecore... I have my refrigerator, microwave oven, and electric coffeepot along with my bought at the thrift store victorian and mid 20th century colonial styled furniture.... mixed with elven and middle earth decor, I have been a fan of Tolkien since 1974 and wore Gunnie Sax clothes as a teenager when not hiking or gardening. I found that I could not maintain a life out in the country due to my cerebral palsy, but I still hand sew my clothing and occasionally hand wash my clothing hanging them to dry over the tub. I'm not sure if you would call my asthetic hobbitcore or not, but it has quite a bit of slow living practices in it for sure. And yes I do go to the dentist and doctor and I am vaccinated.

[@MichaelForde521]

I thought my “Covid experience” was entirely incidental and unique but it seems that you have defined, illustrated and analyzed it quite accurately in entertaining video essay format. Well done yet again.

[@micheldaw]

Great video. You've embodied my sentiment

[@shelleyfarber9403]

I'm a healthcare worker, so I definitely didn't get to stay home during the pandemic. Just the opposite, I had to work even harder than usual. It was a very scary time for me as I had to personally care for people with covid.

[@j.s.c.4355]

“In the world I see - you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You'll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You'll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Tower. And when you look down, you'll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying strips of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway.” -Tyler Durden, Fight Club by Chuck Palaniuk. How’s that for an aesthetic?

[@youtubeuser1052]

I'm fascinated by the idea of being unemployed. I've been employed without interruption for over 30 years and went straight from high school to college to full time employment and grad school on Saturdays while working full time. The pandemic didn't even slow down my full time job. I wonder what the world would look like if everyone just stopped working.

[@PaulAttreides-777]

I totally love your perspektive on the SARS2 pandemics and share it practically to a 100%. And I can clearly remember that many other people did as well. Nowadays this perspecitive seems to have been almost completely wiped out. History seems to be clittered and nothing good seems to be anymore allowed to be seen in those times.

[@aspringer9876]

My parents natrually have been doing "cottage core" since the 1960s. And even more so since they ve retired

[@FairbrookWingates]

Thank you for admitting that this is but one experience of the pandemic. I worked health care through it, and still do. The only thing that changed for us was more stress, less security. Even today that still holds. No extra time for me personally because in order to stay employed I had to commute every day instead of some days while actual work was uncertain and chancy. All of the stressors, none of the time for 'cottage core' vibes. But that's okay; I still prefer my organic-modern aesthetic to 'farm and country'. Reading Tolkien is my escape, not trying to live Middle Earth. :) Oh, also, while I've always figured you set up your look, background and script carefully ahead of time, major kudos to you for being upfront and matter-of-fact in saying that you do do this. It really does help to be told by those we admire that "yes, I cultivate this look and work hard at it for these videos, not my whole life". With so much social media presenting so many scripted images, it's hard to hold onto the idea that such need not be expected of ourselves.

[@DaveVespa]

I do like my days of victoriana / watered down steampunk / cottegecore in the office.

[@johnsaporta4633]

I fell into the hashtag hobbitcore myself as a way to celebrate the ...well.... Part time Hobbity parts of my own life. I still have my sourdough starter rocking on from lock down: it is very practical as I bake gluten free bread for my bride. Im having fun with it.

[@Earth_angel_abigail]

Also I used to have the exact same desk thats in your background.. it was the best desk I ever had. My ex ended up keeping it and I miss it so much. 😭

[@activeevolution300]

Just subscribed. Had to because it seems when I have a tough day or am just needing some feel good content, I go to you!. You have very soothing content and a relaxing energy. Thank you for being you!

[@ariverdreaming]

Your look in this video is A+++

[@AdDewaard-hu3xk]

The segment of J sans makeup did not destroy her beauty.

[@Thomb-bk3vb]

I love J. R. Tolkien I own 6 or 7 books!!! Thank you for letting me watch your videos!!!! I’m looking forward to learning more from you! Your videos calm me.

[@kaitlynroberts5027]

So I was an "essential worker" all throughout the pandemic. I worked at a Pharmacy throughout the beginning, and at a grocery store during the later half because I'd wanted to move out of my home town and parents house and accepted the first job that hired me in the city I was moving to. While part of the current me who is settled into my own space and my own life feels slightly robbed when I think back on the quarantine times and people who didn't have to work.... if I really consider where I was in that time of my life I realize it was better for me to be working. As I said through most of the pandemic I was still living at home and my boyfriend at the time (now my husband) lived an hour and a half away. If i had been truly quarantined it would have been harder for me to have the experiences I'd had. I probably would have gotten even more annoyed with my family then I already was as a young 20 something anxious to leave the nest. I wouldn't have had the extra funds for my mermaiding. Despite working I still made time for my creative endeavors and hobbies, sometimes more so than I do now. So i think things worked out the way they were supposed to and that's okay. (Sorry this became a very long rant but this video got me all reflective) I did find out about cottage core and hobbit core through the internet but they were certainly an escapism and way to relate to other whimsical minded souls during all the stress and choas of reality.

[@TimtheHermit2]

Nice, clear overview of the subject. I've always thought of aesthetics as being the current interpretation of subcultures. I follow a belief system some friends developed years ago called Bagginism. Simply put, a Bagginist believes that good friends, good food, and good cheer are what's best in life along with the sharing of these with all. I do think Hobbitcore as you define it here seems superior and more sustainable than Cottagecore.

[@r31n0ut]

I did have to work during the pandemic. but we were basically the only ones in the office, it was great!

[@christopherknorr2895]

Marie Antoinette was arguably a huge cottagecore fan

[@NimbusAngelo]

Hobbitcore goes perfectly with the holiday season!

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

It really does! I can't wait to release more seasonally appropriate hobbity videos :)

[@darcelknowles8665]

I started to carve wood, make spoons from tree branches. carve small animals to give to small children ( and pretty girls).

[@juanjosesegura4585]

Great video, you know your stuff. I will snoop more around your channel, sure to find something interesting on Tolkien.

[@kevinsullivan3448]

While I am much too lazy (TigerCore) to do all the dressing up, I do have quite the collection of mysterious and esoteric brick-a-brack. While I like my collection, I have been collecting with an eye to my death and my families reaction to all the strange things with unknown meaning. Not that I will be here to see their reactions, of course. I feel that there are 4 people in my life who will appreciate my collections and I'm going to have to include some rules in my will for the disposition of my worldly goods. And the scouring of my computers...

[@PaulAttreides-777]

Then another thing which occures to me so and so often: Looking at Tolkiens art works (paintings and drawings) I sometimes think that he inhabited a totally different aesthetic Universe as compared to Peter Jacksons‘ and all those post-2000 styles that you mention. In fact I have a set if completely different alternative aestetic implementations in mind when I read Tolkien. One is inspired by his artwork, another one by Romanticism and artists like W Turner or CD Friedrich. Then yet another one inspired by real nature and my own hikes and outdoor acitivities. And then maybe Jacksons movies and even some more I am still trying to discover. And I see and dream in all of them fairly isolated from each other.

[@creedance1980]

I'd recommend giving South Africa a visit one day if you appreciate cottagecore and the like. Places like The Owl House, built by a much beloved 'crazy old lady', and visiting places like New Bethesda, which... I s@#$ you not, has a mountain just like Mount Doom, at its base is a hippie community that runs the town. They spend their days making goats milk cheese, springbok salami, tending olive groves and beehives to make home made olive oil and honey mead. I haven't left the Johannesburg in quite some time, but I assume is hasn't changed much.

[@dissident_media]

Ironically Tolkien hated hippies

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

I definitely believe that, considering how much he loved tradition!

[@dannyc.3382]

My favorite part of Hobbitcore is Second Breakfast.😊

[@joshuawindus8519]

It seems like Peter Jackson must have been trying to emphasize that you cannot being selfish by yourself, and that friendship helped Frodo give up a desire for power.

[@femoman]

I like to think my personal aesthetic is hobbitcore bordering on goblincore: The cosiness and downhome quaintness of Hobbitcore, but also with the grime and feral nature of goblincore. And I have found that goblincore has so much less drama in its community than, say, cottagecore, and also seems more sustainable. Cottagecore was popular during the pandemic because everyone was already stuck at home, so they might as well get all cosy and quaint while they wait, so they'd take up fitting hobbies like baking, sourdough, knitting, etc. But as the pandemic wore on people started to see that the aesthetic isn't really very...liveable. Which is why I think goblincore kinda took off in its wake: the whole aesthetic is about not giving a shit what people think of you and generally dressing for comfort and maybe colour scheme, rather than a specific look (even though goblincore does have a very distinct look).

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

Goblincore rocks! And I agree, its a more sustainable, and a bit more achievable than cottagecore. I think there's like a sliding scale with cottagecore on one end and goblincore on the other, and hobbitcore is somewhere in the middle haha

[@alexandravladmets]

My house looks like a hobbit built it, a goblin ran through it and now a human lives there😃

[@DarthHao]

I remember those pandemic days. Persistent suicidal thoughts, citywide lockdown, threats of being sent to a Chinese concentration camp. I still sleep with a sheathed cleaver and dagger under my pillow, in case the police decide to barge in and haul me off somewhere.

[@Thraim.]

When I hear Hobbitcore all I can think about is Hobbits raving.

[@efixpl]

Hi. I like very much (and it is a part of my blog idea...) „it is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life” - but AFAIK it is NOT J.R.R. Tolkien quote. He never said/wrote it. It is quote from the PJ movie.

[@thorburnmcgee7937]

* Thank you for asking * My experience was an extended “break” from work before management decided it was safe to bring us back. Nobody was laid off, to my knowledge, though we all got our Stimulus money, but just as the “pre-return waiting period” was borderline unbearable, so too was the rest of that year: we of course had to wear face coverings for the sake of our customers, but they were never the N-95 mask-merely the more cloth-like material-meaning it was clearly just for making people FEEL safe. Not too big a deal at first… until it kept going, month after month. I tried to remain patient… …But every man has his breaking point. That was my experience. Enough about the pandemic, though. Let’s take another look at Hobbitcore.

[@dd11111]

I may have worked all the way through the pandemic but it seems I've been a proponent of "cottagecore" my whole life. Didn't even know it had a name.

[@cocobunitacobuni8738]

Quick question, is there a Slothcore, Slobcore or Lazy living?

[@tzimisce1753]

> Hobbitcore I thought I was gonna hear "Dam-da-di-du, dam-da-di-du-di-dam, dam-da-di-du".

[@natashaa43]

re: History of subcultures, you missed the 'Teddy boys' that predated punk and Goth. They were a movement of young British men who wanted to emulate an 'Edwardian look-hence 'Teddies, then in the 60s we had Mods and Rockers, then punks and skins.......of course I know subcultures might have been a bit different in the States but in UK, this is our timeline.

[@ShinpenKyojitsu]

Ayo she really says “aesthetics” with the HARD “T”

[@Redrung]

I kindda feel ya , start miniature hobby during pendamic too. As 15 hours on computer gave me stress.

[@daniel4647]

I live the cottage core lifestyle 24/7, not by choice, it's just how I grew up and have always lived. And no, I don't go to the dentist, dentist is expensive lol. I don't follow trends on Instagram or TikTok or whatever, so it's probably not quite like that, but from the pictures I've seen it's pretty close. I actually tried to break out of it for a while, and tried to make everything modern minimalist. But it didn't really work with the panelling on the walls and spoked windows and wild garden and pergola and everything, so I've slowly but surely been going back to the vintage country style you call cottagecore. I actually like that style a lot better anyway, the whole minimalist thing made me feel dead inside. I've always considered it more of a witch/wizard style, but it's more or less the same. I guess the difference is that it's a living space and not a photo shoot backdrop, so it's kind of a mess and no effort is being put into having traditional clothing or anything.

[@needleimag5031]

I have not been to the dentist in 12 years

[@sanjivjhangiani3243]

That's why you need to quit cottage core.

[@needleimag5031]

@@sanjivjhangiani3243 love is the answer it's okay

[@amayabronagh]

I also do not go to the dentist, nor do I own a pair of sweat pants 🙈

[@needleimag5031]

@@amayabronagh ah frfr always them shorts

[@anonperson3972]

I haven't been to the dentist in 20 years! LOL

[@paxwallace8324]

Well the key to aesthetics is linguistic and a bit neruo linguistic. Namely it centers on the difference between prose and poetry. So in journalism for example one attempts to eliminate as much ambiguity from ones writing as possible. However in poetry ambiguity becomes the vehicle of expression. Or the metaphor becomes crucial. So when Shakespeare writes Juliet is the sun your mind is automatically thrown into a subliminal set of computations: Juliet isn't actually the sun, but the sun is the center of our solar system and is the primary source of all illumination warmth and life on Earth so Juliet is also the source of Romeo's newfound emotional etcetera. Your mind does this in an instant. Quite a semantic supercharger is the the metaphor! So all the subliminal instantaneous gymnastics the metaphor automatically triggeres registers as enhanced expressivity! However the real heart of the metaphor is ambiguity. It is the nature of the metaphor to create inject ambiguity. So now we encounter the 1st interdisciplinary underlying string of aesthetics ie expressivity and ambiguity are inextricably linked. So in music (western music) the more notes outside the key the composer or jazz pianist lets into the music then the more unexpected and expressive the music becomes, this is a crucial point; because it creates an aesthetic spectrum of ambiguity. So as the music becomes more ambiguous via structural transformation having to do with notes outside the key like modulation through different keys and chromatically altered harmonies modal interchange etcetera one begins to encounter the stuff of expresivity like the violation of expectation. So the affore mentioned spectrum looks like simple music ie diatonic music sounds folky or nursery rhymish. Then as the music becomes more ambiguous it starts sounding slightly more expressive or romantic as the ambiguity increases it starts sounding more impressionistic or dreamy eg Satie Debussy Ravel Scriabin Bill Evans Oregon; if that process continues it begins to sound slightly hallucinagenic many composers explored these possibilities Stravinsky Prokofiev Bartok late Ravel(la valse) if this process continues then we start entering that nomans land between tonality and atonality Berg Piano Sonata or Stravinsky's Rite of Spring or it can also sound humorous like Stravinsky's "History of a Soldier". Then past the precipice there be dragons or full blown Atonality see 12 tone music like Schöenberg and Anton Webern. Now in painting the exact same journey took place only the vehicle of structural transformation becomes (representaionalism).

[@ObservantDog]

"If ever I was to marry someone... It would have been her!"

[@MongTonk]

There are actually studies that theorise that the "slow life" is actually how humans have evolved to live since Hunter/Gatherer and early Farming times. We haven't physically evolved since then and thus still actually function according to 60% chill time, 40% work hard time. Even though we have 'free time' now, it is only a fraction of the chill/downtime/meditative task work we actually once did and have developed our brains for.

[@AdDewaard-hu3xk]

Elaborate, unclear.

[@crenfick7750]

I wonder if some of it is a really explicit distancing from the right wing "trad" associations with the aesthetic. Like "this is peaceful and loving and even a little silly" so as to be far removed from the fascistic interpretation you see a lot.