Introduction To Aesthetics: Dark and Light Academia
By Avani Sethi and Niko Adams
In this new Witherly Heights series, we will be introducing you to the many internet aesthetics that have become increasingly popular in the past year. Some such aesthetics include: cottagecore, e-boy, softgirl, Y2K, 90’s, grunge, and the most popular Dark and Light academia. We will be describing each aesthetics, as well as explaining ways you can impersonate them, along with clothing, activities, and music inspirations.
Academia
The Academia aesthetic generally refers to the style based on a love of learning, research, and academics. Both light and dark draw inspiration from literature classics, and historical studies, focusing on European cultures. Key tones are browns, blacks, and earthy tones, and the key values are agreed to be wisdom, existentialism, and curiosity. Dark academia revolves around intense, tragic themes, ideas like the meaning of life, heartbreak, and escapism. Dark academia’s sister aesthetic, light academia, takes a similar approach to the style but instead chooses to adopt more positive themes, concentrating on poetry and nature in addition to classic literature. Light academia is more bright and lighthearted, where the fashion includes more beige and cream colors.
As the name suggests, the academia aesthetic is about romanticising education and the traditional college lifestyle. Activities like writing short stories, reading your favorite greek tragedy, and visiting a musty, gothic library are all academic experiences. Dark academia gives off late fall, reading by the candlelight, in an ivy-covered brick building vibes, whereas light academia gives off spring morning picnics, with home-made pastries, and dancing in white flowy cotton vibes. Playing records, abruptly deciding to learn a new language, and sending handwritten notes are just a few more ways you can integrate this aesthetic into your day to day pastimes.
One of the easiest ways to be a part of the dark or light academia culture would be to dress the part. Dark academia is great for the fall and winter with thick sweaters, elbow-patched blazers, and corduroy trousers. Think English professors from the ‘40s or Hogwarts students and just add a little of Gen Z. Light academia, with its lighter tones, is great for spring and summer with its flowy dresses, pleated skirts, plaid pants, and cardigans. And you can’t forget the most important part to any academic: some wire-rimmed glasses.
Some movies you could get inspiration from include: Little Women, The Dead Poets Society, The Imitation Game, and Dorian Gray. Some classic academia reads would include: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Sappho’s poetry. And there are many playlists available for both dark and light academia aesthetics but some common artists would include: Hozier, Lorde, Lana Del Rey, and Gang of Youths. Some academia songs would include: “Achilles Come Down” by Gang of Youths, “Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene” by Hozier, and “Visions of Gideon” by Sufjan Stevens.
The academia aesthetic was around long before the pandemic but has gained popularity this past year because of its quarantine-friendly non-digital activities. Many highschoolers find this aesthetic helps them focus on their studies as they are able to romanticise it, turning studying from a chore into a beautiful endeavor. The most important thing to remember about academia and any aesthetic is that there are no strict rules—these aesthetics were created to have fun.