Why Do Women Love The Dark Academia Aesthetic?
Photo by Kseniya Kopna
In the past few years, there have been more than a few aesthetics that have captured women’s hearts, minds, and Pinterest feeds. We’ve seen everything from cottagecore to clean girl to wanderlust aesthetics take root, but none have had quite such a widespread and visceral effect as the dark academia aesthetic.
Rich with literary undertones, moody color swatches, and old, classic furnishings, the dark academia aesthetic has become one of the most widely popular and beloved aesthetics that women have adopted into their decor, wardrobe, and lifestyle. A simple scroll through Instagram and TikTok presents us with endless accounts dedicated to presenting this aesthetic to its followers, to leading by example.
Women seem to be drawn to aesthetics, especially those that are for more than just frivolous styling, or “vibes,” as the kids say. Aesthetics offer us more than just clothing choices, surface-level trappings, and home decor—they’re an identity. The aesthetic we choose to embrace writes a story about who we are and gives us a picture of the identity we’d like to own.
Having a sense of our identity is incredibly powerful, and aesthetics help us both refine and define who we are in the world and the kind of life we lead. With the growing popularity of the “romanticize your life” movement, finding your aesthetic is about more than just a passing fancy. It’s about adopting a lifestyle, and it’s an integral part of understanding who we are and creating a life we love.
So why the popularity of dark academia specifically? While it might look like a new phenomenon, it’s actually an aesthetic that’s steeped in history, stretching back to another time filled with good books, deep thoughts, grand castles, and soaring classical music.
Which of us wouldn’t love to imagine spending a rainy afternoon sitting in a leatherbound chair by the fire, surrounded by bookshelves that stretch all the way up to the ceiling as we work on our novel and have Debussy’s “Clair de lune” lilting softly in the background? The dark academia aesthetic seems to resonate with the intrinsic desires of women and the lives they desire to lead.
There are a few reasons I believe this particular aesthetic has been so effective in capturing the hearts and minds of so many women.
Its beauty is substantive.
In a world filled with TikTok dances, shallow songs, superficial fiction, and internet trends, dark academia ushers us into a quieter, deeper world built for the reflective woman who’s tired of the frivolousness modernity offers. Dark academia isn’t a fast food burger—it’s a four-course meal.
Unlike some of the other aesthetics, dark academia is one that embraces the entire human experience. Both darkness and light, beauty and depth, joy and sorrow. Our world might often feel as though it’s anything but quiet, soft, and reflective, but dark academia offers us an enchanting world known for its depth, beauty, and substance.
It’s steeped in history.
Much of our lives today feel totally disjointed from the past. With new wonders like AI, technology that enables us to read everything on a screen, lifeless postmodern architecture filled with boring concrete and whitewashed walls, and fast fashion that has us chasing every new trend, it can often feel like we’re living in a dystopia.
Dark academia offers us longstanding and historical ties, encouraging us to take inspiration from the pages of history, to turn the pages of real books, to revel in intricate architecture, to garb ourselves in beautiful, classic, becoming clothing, to walk the streets that inspired the greatest, most beloved novels. With the growing popularity of DNA test services like 23andMe, it’s clear that we intrinsically desire a connection to the past.
A tie to history allows us to escape what can easily feel like am empty world, instead filling our own world with the books, clothing, and music that have survived throughout many a generation, withstanding the different trends that have come and gone.
It encourages thought & intelligence.
Our younger generations are used to getting bite-sized entertainment, news about celebrities and reality TV stars, constant distractions, and quick fixes. While American IQ scores reached new heights throughout the 20th century, in the last couple of decades, more recent studies have found a decline in IQ scores. This means that the dark academia movement is much more than a frivolous aesthetic—it’s a revolution of choosing not to give in to the shallowness and dumbing down of culture. Dark academia embraces the beauty of method, depth, and introspection.
Aside from its obvious surface appeal, it encourages a healthier life, both mentally and emotionally. It calls us to read the entire book, to take time to reflect as we walk through open fields or winding streets, to deepen both the soul and the intellect. Dark academia slows us down and deepens us in a fast-paced, thoughtless culture.
In short…
The dark academia aesthetic, while wildly popular and beautiful, is so much more than just another aesthetic. While we know that it has had a growing increase in popularity, it’s important that we know why it has. If you’d like to begin your journey in engaging with this aesthetic, here are a few places you can begin…
