Uma-rica: Notes on the Cottagecore Aesthetics

Graziella Sigaya
Oct 18, 2021
4 min read

Sa darayon nga extension kag bulos-bulos nga lockdown sa tulad nga panyempo, makapaminsar ka dlang gid nga magpa Uma-rica. Amo dya anay ang mga joke-joke ka taga-uma hay daw harandumon pa kauna ang makahalin sa provincial life. Pay tulad tana ang kalabanan kun indi magpabukid ukon magpa-uma, nagapananum (ukon naga live-sell ka tanum) dlang. Bisan ano pa nga hirikuton basta maka “commune with nature” or makabalik sa simplier times, parehos kauna kang waay pa ang "veerus". Insakto si Ariel Rivera sa ana kanta nga "simpleng buhay ay kay ganda, mayroong ngiti, mayroong saya.."

Mayad pa tuod magbalik sa “simple country living” hay daw mas kumplekado pa sangsa fictional lovelife ka laon in a reverse-harem fantasy ang pangabuhi under GCQ, MGCQ, ECQ kag MECQ (with bubbles kag granules!)… and let’s not get started into the face shield discussion.

Ang amo dya nga yearning is embodied in cottagecore, a movement that hearkens back to agricultural life, skills, and crafts. Hambal ni Davina Ogilvie, founder of Wovn Home, “As a concept, it embraces a simpler, sustainable existence that is more harmonious with nature. Aesthetically, it’s a nod to the traditional English countryside style, romantic and nostalgic.”

ree — Nature is one of the main visuals of the aesthetic.

Cottagecore, also known as farmcore and countrycore, is inspired by a romanticized interpretation of western agricultural life. Themes associated with cottagecore include self-sufficiency, baking, and caring for people. The cottagecore aesthetic is a continuation of many other nature-based aesthetics, but draws the most influence (and is arguably a complete revival) of the romanticization of the English countryside from the Romantic and Victorian periods. Its visuals are based on the domestic lifestyle associated with living in this type of environment, with all images providing a sense of comfort and mild adventure. Hay ang ana largest influence is that of Romanticism, gani ang emphasis sa "connection to nature, the past, and the senses, rather than logic."

While the aesthetic is prevalent on several social media sites, such as on Instagram and more recently TikTok, the community notably prospers on Tumblr. It is particularly popular within lesbian and woman-loving-woman (WLW) communities. Bisan bukon man dya bag-o nga concept pay ang dya nga trend nagmalapnagon during quarantine time. Hay indi makagwa ang kalabanan, cottagecore activities such as baking, playing Animal Crossing, gardening, sewing, and other handicrafts rose in popularity. Coupled with a rise of the app TikTok, people were more exposed to handicrafts and these activities became trends.

The activities associated with Cottagecore are defined by the typical activities one can do within the cottage space.

ree — Cottagecore celebrates a love of books.

Picking flowers
Sewing, knitting, crocheting, embroidery
Gardening
Writing a handwritten letter to loved ones
Writing poems
Picking fruit from your garden
Weaving flower crowns
Picnics
Baking
Painting and drawing
Building a birdhouse
Reading
Swimming
Walking in the woods
Making fruit preserves
Catching bugs

Hay tungod gina celebrate ka Cottagecore ang love of books and reading, here's a list of book titles you can check out. These are always vintage with a romantic storybook or classical feel with either antique leather and canvas or more affable secondhand paperbacks. (Lain gid tana ang hamut ka old hardbound books!)

The books of Beatrix Potter
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The poetry of Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
Pettson and Findus by Sven Nordqvist

Samtang nagabasa kag kauyon ikaw nga may background music, ang de facto genre is indie folk. The music associated with Cottagecore evokes comfort and gentleness through low and soft vocals and acoustic mid-tempo instrumentation. Ang lyrics would refer to either gentle love and/or nature.

Enjoy the music of these artists:

Andrew Bird	    Bon Iver	           Cavetown	
Chloe Moriondo	    Conan Gray	           Cosmo Sheldrake	
Dodie		    Dr. Dog	           Taylor Swift	
The Beatles	    Fleet Foxes	           Florence and the Machine
Fleetwood Mac	    Fox Academy	           Enya				
Foxpaw		    Gregory Alan Isakov    Gregory and the Hawk
Hozier 		    In Love With A Ghost   Iron & Wine
John Denver	    Liana Flores	   Lord Huron
Mt. Joy		    The Oh Hellos	   Vashti Bunyan
Tally Hall	    The Crane Wives	   Sufjan Stevens
Virginia Astley	    Vashti Bunyan	   Simon & Garfunkel

Para sa mga cinephiles kag paralantaw nga waay nagahubas ang dugo sa pulaw, here's our list:

From Studio Ghibli

My Neighbour Totoro (1988) Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) Only Yesterday (1991)

Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

The Secret World of Arietty (2010)

Movies

Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (1937)    Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Sleeping Beauty (1959)                    The Sound of Music (1965)
The Tales of Beatrix Potter (1971)        Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
Anne of Green Gables (1985)               A Room with a View (1985)
My Girl (1991)                            Howard's End (1992)
Sense and Sensibility (1995)              Life is Beautiful (1997)
FairyTale: A True Story (1997)            Tuck Everlasting (2002)
The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns (1999)    Deus Ex (2000)
The Holiday (2005)                        Atonement (2007)
The Secret of Moonacre (2008)             Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)                  The Velveteen Rabbit (2009)               The Fighter (2010)
Tangled (2010)                            Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales (2017)    Call Me By Your Name (2017)
Paddington 2 (2017)                       Liz and the Blue Bird (2018)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society (2018)
Ophelia (2018)                            Midsommar (2019)
"Burrow" by Pixar (2020)