There are days when the hustle and bustle of the city is too much and real-life hits you like a freight train. The bills keep piling up, the competition is always fierce and you can barely give yourself time to look at the flowers (if there are any in your neighborhood). Sometimes the slickness of urbanity loses its wonder and looks as if it houses horrors akin to the ones we’ve seen in movies like “Invisible Man” or “Parasite.” Growing up, we learn to be more flexible with our dreams so our every day doesn’t seem as drab in comparison.
On the internet, people in their teens and early 20s are turning to cottagecore and dreaming up alternate lives far, far, away from the city lights. This escapist romance has captivated the imagination of a number of people, which is perhaps one of the reasons why games like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley are big hits right now. We’re wishing for simpler times even though many of us probably have no idea how hard it is to run a farm or live without modern comforts we’re so used to having. In reality, it’s not all rosy but it’s still fun to think about.
hear me out: a cottagecore-esque game where you live in a cottage with an ethical farm, take care of wild animals, pick mushrooms, go to farmers markets, decorate the forest and your cottage, wear cute cottage outfits, have picnics by the lake with ur friends etc 🥺 pic.twitter.com/E3ztdswvDo
— emily 🍓 (@veryhotcrosser) April 12, 2020
If you’ve been paying high rent for an apartment that’s more closet space and hounded by deadlines, living in a small cottage with an adjacent orchard or farmland with a fluffy cow might sound like a dream. The luxury is tranquility and the illusion of going at your own pace. Is a life closer to nature more forgiving? The pictures in our heads seem to say so.
I mean the ultimate ULTIMATE dream, is to live in a small cottage in a forest with an orchard and farm land. With pet bunnies, a fluffy cow, and a cat or dog to keep me company while I pick fruit from the trees and get vegetables from the garden. pic.twitter.com/nRazMFq36M
— Chlobo (@ghesioofoh) April 13, 2020
Twitter account @apastoraldream perfectly captures the charm and allure of cottagecore. It’s not just a longing to be surrounded by plants and animals (although those are key factors). It’s a longing to be privy to the kindness of life and the living.
you knit a woolen jumper to keep the smallest lamb warm
— pastoral fantasies (@apastoraldream) March 30, 2020
Among cottagecore fans, the question “Is that too much to ask for?” often comes up. What they’re looking to have doesn’t seem like a lot but it’s not easy to obtain. The city beckons for us because we need steady sources of income and more services are available the nearer you are to the capital.
I just want to live in a cottage on a small farm and wear overalls exclusively for the rest of my natural life!!! Is that too much to ask!!
— hannah is hibernating (@frrecklles) April 15, 2020
So for now, we have to make do with creating serenity for ourselves wherever we go. If cottagecore is an attitude and an aesthetic, it doesn’t just exist in provinces and in the provinces of minds. Turn your life into a romance if you please, don’t let geography stop you. Anyway, your farm dreams are just that: a fairytale.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
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