Where did the dark academia style come from, why did it become popular and how is it related to the Covid-19 pandemic?
Dark Academia and its features
The Dark Academia style has been popular for several years now, but more and more young people are inspired by this aesthetic in their appearance and behavior.
The Dark Academia aesthetic began on Tumblr in 2015 as an online community. Around 2017, the trend spread on Instagram, and by 2020, Dark Academia had become an aesthetic mainstream, one of the most popular aesthetics in general. Although it initially felt more like a book club than an online aesthetic, over time Dark Academia has evolved from a knowledge-seeking community into a lifestyle and a new youth subculture.
Thus, the main inspirations for the aesthetics are considered to be the books “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt and “As if We Were Villains” by M. L. Rio, as well as the film “Dead Poets Society” directed by Peter Weir. All these works touch upon the themes of elite educational institutions, passion for the humanities, as well as death and secrets.
Dark Academia is loosely based on the architecture and clothing styles of some of the world’s most elite universities, particularly Oxford, Cambridge, and the Ivy League schools — and perhaps even Hogwarts. The style focuses on emulating classical literature and romanticizing education. A time when the upper crust of society placed a strong emphasis on the humanities is considered ideal by Dark Academia followers.
The subculture is characterized by an interest in classical literature, Latin, Greek and French, art, poetry, architecture and Western European fashion. Young people perceive education as something exciting, associated with joy, not boredom. In university life, frequent visits to libraries and museums, and study sessions that often last until the evening are considered especially important. Subculture followers also drink a lot of coffee and sleep little. Thus, the key values of the subculture are education and intelligence.
Dark Academia clothing attracts people with its ability to express individuality and stand out from everyday trends. This style allows you to wear vintage items, add dark colors and accessories, creating a unique look that helps you stand out from the crowd. The most obvious example of this aesthetic is the world of Harry Potter, created by J.K. Rowling.
The aesthetics allow you to escape from routine and everyday life, give you the opportunity to realize your fantasy and imagine yourself as the main character of a mysterious and dark story. In addition, Dark Academia allows you to romanticize the process of getting an education, often difficult, tedious and boring, and imagine learning as an adventure. Dark Academia inspires young people to study classical literature, philosophy and art, expanding their scientific and cultural horizons.
This trend developed during the lockdown, when students around the world were deprived of the opportunity to attend in-person classes and were forced to study online at home. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted social connections, weakened the sense of belonging to society, increased loneliness, and, due to widespread online home learning, destroyed the atmosphere of belonging to an educational organization. In these circumstances, Internet users began to look for new ways of self-expression, as well as means of strengthening their identity. The widespread use of this style was also facilitated by the algorithms of TikTok, a social media that became especially popular during that period.
Even though students have been able to return to full-time studies since the end of lockdown and the hype around the Dark Academia aesthetic has died down a bit, the trend still has many fans. And new films, series and books help keep the subculture alive.
Criticism of Dark Academia and the downsides of the subculture
Dark Academia is often accused of being Eurocentric, as the style is built around European universities with predominantly Western curricula. Almost all of the literary works idolized by Dark Academia are written by English writers, or more specifically, English Romantic poets. Non-Western literary works are often ignored or almost never discussed. Go to TikTok and you’ll find that most Dark Academia content creators prefer to discuss Oscar Wilde and Emily Dickinson over Toni Morrison or James Baldwin, though the latter two authors were equally insightful.
This narrow scope of literature and the depiction of white, slender people as the only members of society is reminiscent of white suprematism. The subculture is criticized for imposing the need for a closed society of snobs with a quality education that is not available to everyone.
Dark Academia clothing also seems to be suitable only for colder climates. Although many argue that it can be repurposed for summer wear, the key pieces used to create the look—wool sweaters, long coats, blazers, and scarves—say otherwise, confirming the subculture’s exclusivity.
Dark Academia followers often romanticize abusive relationships, mental illness, and bad habits. The heroes of their favorite books and movies sometimes put their studies above their health, which is also subject to harsh criticism. In addition, plots inspired by Dark Academia are often built around something mystical or illegal, which can negatively affect the way of thinking of young people who are fascinated by this subculture.
Like any style, Dark Academia has its supporters and haters. However, its admirers should be more careful about how the subculture affects their lives and relationships with other people. It is necessary to adopt only the positive features of aesthetics and avoid negative influences.
