Internet aesthetic

An Internet aesthetic, also simply referred to as an aesthetic or microaesthetic, is a visual art style, sometimes accompanied by a fashion style, subculture, or music genre, that usually originates from the Internet or is popularized on it. Throughout the 2010s and 2020s, online aesthetics gained increasing popularity, specifically on social media platforms such as Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok, and often were used by people to express their individuality and creativity. They can also be used to create a sense of community and belonging among people who share the same interests. The term aesthetic has been described as being "totally divorced from its academic origins", and is commonly used as an adjective.

Definition
Internet aesthetics are characterized and identifiable by their visual style. Sarah Spellings from Vogue stated, "Over time, 'aesthetic' has evolved from an academic word and something utilized by artists and auteurs to something to categorize our own identities by. It can mean both personal style and a vague stand-in for beauty. " Kaitlin Tiffany from The Atlantic stated:"At this point, the word aesthetic is totally divorced from its academic origins. While Tumblr users mainstreamed it years ago, many teenagers use aesthetic as an all-purpose adjective—'that's so aesthetic' as a shorthand for 'that's so aesthetically pleasing to me.' But in broader Internet parlance, it now means a collection of signifiers or, more precisely, a 'vibe.' "There are five primary categories of internet aesthetic: space, core, wave, group/subculture, and academic. Specific aesthetics use suffixes, such as -wave and -core, which, according to The Washington Post, originates from the word hardcore. Other aesthetics come together under a central theme such as Space or Academia.

History
In 1735, German philosopher Alex Baumgarten derived the term "aesthetics" from the Greek word "aisthetike", establishing it as a field of study. The term "aesthetic" has evolved to reflect current trends in digital communication and multimedia art. Many Internet aesthetics have been credited with originating on Tumblr, including Dark academia, Cottagecore, Art Hoe, Coquette/Nymphet, and Weirdcore. With the influence of new social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, however, internet aesthetics are being dominated by micro-trends such as mob wife and tomato girl summer.

Aesthetics Wiki, a wiki hosted on Fandom, has frequently been cited for its large database of information on online aesthetics. According to The Atlantic, the wiki gained a 9,974% increase in traffic during the 2020 pandemic due to chronic online participation and desires for self discovery.

In 2022, Rebecca Jennings from Vox argued that many trends from TikTok fall under one trend, calling it "TikTok couture" and describing it as a "way to describe the coalescence of trends that materialize on TikTok, whether from teenagers experimenting with clothes they've drifted from their local charity shop, from older folks revisiting the subcultural styles of their youth, or from professional and amateur trend watchers combining aesthetic clues into a single theory of what's coming next", adding "with the help of the supercharged TikTok algorithm that blasts viral content to millions of users within hours or days, these videos shape what mainstream culture considers stylish, which therefore can affect what we choose to wear ourselves."

In July 2022, Sarah Spellings from Vogue stated that there was a "rise of hyper-specific Internet aesthetics".

Corecore
Corecore or CoreCore is an aesthetic and artistic movement aiming to capture post–2020 sensibilities. A product of youth culture in the 2020s, the corecore aesthetic was largely found on TikTok, where it juxtaposes various video clips while emotional music plays. Meant to evoke strong emotions, the corecore aesthetic juxtaposes imagery with its content made up of "seemingly unrelated clips" culled from a variety of sources including news footage, social media, films, livestreams, and memes, often overlaid on usually emotionally rousing, somber, or ambient music.

Frutiger Aero
Frutiger Aero was an internet aesthetic and UI/UX design trend based on Windows Aero, which was popular from roughly 2004 to 2013. This aesthetic was named after typeface designer Adrian Frutiger whose font and UI theme developments influenced the design choices of other major companies. Frutiger Aero term was coined in 2017, as a portmanteau of Aero and the Frutiger typeface. The aesthetic resonates heavily with Y2K, focusing around gloss, CGI renders of scenes with nature and technology together, transparency, nature symbolism, bokeh photography, and elements of skeuomorphic design. It began to decline after 2012, but made a comeback in the 2020s among members of Generation Z.

Dark Academia
Dark Academia is an aesthetic that focuses on higher education, specifically during the 19th century and early 20th century, and Collegiate Gothic architecture, along with a dark color palette. It also reportedly "emphasizes inclusivity and gender fluidity" and "has a dedicated LGBTQ+ following". According to The INSIDER, the aesthetic dates back to 2014 on Tumblr, later getting popularized in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically on TikTok and Instagram. Kristen Bateman of The New York Times states, "Though it's unclear how and where, exactly, Dark Academia began, many users discovered it on Tumblr".

Light Academia
Light Academia is an aesthetic and subculture often featured in literature and the world of higher education that emphasizes visually light aesthetics and positive themes, including optimism, joy, and friendship. Books such as Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan emphasize light academia as it romanticizes the pursuit of knowledge and imagination. Accordingly, light academia is often considered to be the visually and emotionally lighter counterpart of dark academia, which has been described as "cottagecore with some more cosmopolitan elements". This aesthetic takes inspiration from school uniforms and early to mid-20th-century college wear, featuring staple and vintage pieces. It is a broad term and can refer to aspects such as architecture, artwork, and ceramics. The term light academia was coined on Tumblr in 2019 and gained popularity during the early 2020s.

Neo-Victorian
Neo-Victorianism is an aesthetic movement that features an overt nostalgia for the Victorian period, generally in the context of the broader hipster subculture of the 1990s–2010s. It is also likened to other "neos" (e.g. neoconservatism, neoliberalism), which do not simply look back to the past but also reiterate and replay it in more diverse and complicated ways. This characteristic makes neo-Victorian art difficult to define conclusively.

Cottagecore
Cottagecore is an aesthetic popularised by teenagers and young adults romanticizing rural life, centering on traditional rural clothing, interior design, and crafts such as drawing, baking, and pottery. The term for the aesthetic was coined in 2018 on Tumblr. The aesthetic gained heavy popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, where economic forces and other challenges facing these young people may have been a significant driver of this trend, along with these generations' emphasis on sustainability, and the recent trend to work from home (initially during the pandemic).

VSCO girl
VSCO girls or VSCO kids emerged among teenagers during the summer of 2019, and are often described as "basic". Named after the VSCO photography app, VSCO girls live by the statement “pics or didn't happen", using the app to create their social media aesthetic. They are stereotyped as having oversized T-shirts, sweatshirts or sweaters, Fjällräven Kånkens, scrunchies, Hydro Flasks, Crocs, Pura Vida bracelets, instant cameras, Carmex, metal straws, friendship bracelets, Birkenstocks, shell necklaces, and other beach-related fashion. A typical VSCO girl outfit consists of leggings, an oversized and vibrant graphic T-shirt, and Birkenstock shoes. Environmentalism, especially topics relating to sea turtle conservation, are also regarded as part of VSCO culture.  VSCO girls have fallen out of fashion since 2019.

E-Kid
The E-Girl and E-Boy aesthetics gained popularity on TikTok in 2019 primarily by members of Generation Z. It is an evolution of emo, scene and mall goth fashion combined with Japanese street fashion (such as anime, cosplay, kawaii and lolita fashion) and Korean street fashion (such as K-pop). The E-Kid aesthetic often features bright hair colors, heavy and dark eye makeup, and accessories such as chain necklaces and beanies. Their wardrobe consists of oversized T-shirts, slim jeans, and checkered Vans shoes. According to Business Insider, the terms are not gender-specific, instead referring to two separate styles of fashion, stating that "While the e-boy is a vulnerable 'softboi' and embraces skate culture, the e-girl is cute and seemingly innocent".

Kidcore/Indie Kid
The "kidcore" or "indie kid" look centers around bright colors and nods to the late 1990s and 2000s. The aesthetic was first defined on Tumblr around the mid-2010s. In 2020, TikTok and Instagram contributed to a sharp increase in popularity. The indie kid aesthetic is characterized by overly saturated photos and "crop tops, baggy pants/jeans, tartan tennis skirts, tight-fitting tops, polo shirts, platform boots or sneakers, as well as skate brands in general", along with Monster Energy also being considered "a staple". Unlike the hipster subculture of the 2000s and early 2010s, indie kids of the 2020s favored a more childlike style that took inspiration from the late 1990s and 2000s, Japanese subculture, bedroom pop, skater fashion, energy drink culture, and hyper pop.

Clean Girl
Popularized in 2022 on TikTok, Clean Girl aesthetic is “[I] just got out of the shower, and I’m effortlessly gorgeous”. According to Bustle, it is "about oversized, sporty basics", and consists of items such as "simple crop tops, loose-fit, high-rise denim, dainty gold jewelry, matching athleisure sets (probably from Aritzia), and the latest Nike drop". Clean Girl takes on a minimalist approach to wardrobe, makeup, and essentially, routine. According to Refinery29, the aesthetic "is basically just minimalist makeup" and "significantly low effort", citing that as the reason for its popularity. Influencers such as Hailey Bieber and Bella Hadid have mastered the Clean Girl aesthetic, contributing to the rise of slicked-back buns, chunky gold hoops, and skin-like makeup.