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The internet aesthetic that romanticizes education, Dark Academia, channels the glamour of Oxbridge intellectuals, mixed with a heavy dose of gothic mystery. Dark Academia yearns for a less practical, more beautiful education, and while presenting an idealized vision of scholarship, it sheds light on the failings of the actual academic world. It replicates the trappings of exclusionary institutions, but in itself is democratic and accessible. Here’s our Take on Dark Academia and what its darkness illuminates.
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the video is hella white lol
Yeah get the token black girl to talk about “dark” because it sounds colorist and racist if you didn’t
Come up with better titles and thumbnails please
I’m tired of you guys using the term “dark” to describe something as bad or negative. I’ve been noticing that from you guys. Find better words please
So i have just decided that i need to watch all of your videos. Do you have any idea of how long it would take to watch ALL of your videos back to back?
The thing is I always thought I hated studying in school, but turns out the idea of needing to study just to pass a test that everyone pressure us for is what I hate, I do actually like the idea of exploring and reading more
Same here. I hated my high school English classes but I actually love reading when I get to choose the books and read them as slowly or quickly as I want without being tested.
But do you like studying or just the idea of studying?
@@mawley3266 they like learning not studying for an exam
@@rosieblue1689 that’s not what I meant I could just as well rephrase it as do you like learning or the idea of learning
@@mawley3266 ah okay. Personally I like both learning and the idea of it. however I hate studying 😂😂
Our grandchildren will watch this at school and make projects about different aesthetics
I am genuinely happy about it
That's amazing! Thanks for sharing it. How weird is that history is being constantly created, isn't it?
@@Foodfry122 same.
then i have no choice but to take over that project in the future and relive my youth for just one day
Why do I find this comment strangely ironic
I’m def older than Gen Z, but what I like about this aesthetic is that, at its best, it’s a way of reclaiming the humanities and the pleasure of intellectual achievement for its own sake. The humanities don’t need to be the realm of the elite. With technology and access to books and media like never before, it’s time to democratize and diversify intellectual life for everyone regardless of background and class. If you want to learn Ancient Greek, why not also try learning Classical Chinese? If you want to read the Romantic poets, why not also try post-colonial African literature. Vintage aesthetics need not have vintage values.
wow. love this one
Same.
This comment is everything.
totally. But hey, so manny millenials had the idea as well, not you think, since harry potter its a milenial product, or the Vampire Weekend imagenery, hehe
For anyone who's interested in some African authors/stories, some fantastic examples are: "A Girl Named Disaster" (Nancy Farmer, takes place in Mozambique), Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe, Nigeria), and _Anansi the Spider_ historical folktale series (Ghana), and much more.
"People study STEM cause it pays" Me, a third world conservationist biologist: broke af
Third world physicist, equally broke af.
Ugh! 🙄 Tell me about it. We are doomed no matter what.
"First-world" conservation biologist here, and it's one of the least lucrative fields in STEM. I knew that when I got into it though. As soon as you're looking at fields that focus on "care", whether it's caring for humans or caring for the environment, you're usually at the bottom of the pay ladder.
I get that, I was in biology for a year and left because I didn’t think I’d be able to make money with it. I’m currently in computer science, and I solely went into it for the money, and I absolutely hate it. So I use DA as an escape. When people say STEM is lucrative they really mean that the male-dominated Tech and Engineering fields are lucrative.
@Deborah Oyebade which is why everyone flocks to it and jobs become very hard to obtain
Dark academia is romantic, because how many of us would LOVE to pursue higher education and be completely absorbed in topics that fascinate and stimulate us, but can't because the financial side of higher education makes that inancceible to so many of us. Plus it really is a cute aesthetic 🥺
True
As someone who graduates university this year, I hated it. The whole point of modern university is to pursue the career; there is no time for fascination or stimulation because the curriculum is hell bent on churning out as much work as possible without giving you the time to inspire, enjoy or think about the content you are making. University isn't worth it.
No.
You can teach yourself a lot better than many programs can. Sorry to tell you, but I am well beyond a Ph.D. and it turns into a business transactions. We are in the age of so much information in front of us. Stop buying into the outdated idea that you need some old man and a chalkboard to learn. It's lame!
Romanticize your life. If you truly long for a higher education in far off places, i think that's wonderful. Personally i think people forget the romantic and blissful experience of reading what you love. And people also forget that aspect as soon as they get into uni. They replace long study hours at the library with parties and booz and going wild. Never forget to be fascinated by what you are reading and i doubt you'll get bored of education
Wild take, but: Indiana Jones is the ultimate dark academia hero. A college professor that goes on archaeological adventures in the name of both knowledge and imperialism. Yet no one is giving him the credit.
Yesss i never thought of him, he's literally perfect
The video doesn't talk about this, but much of dark academia is also about mental illness and drug abuse. The Dionysian, so to speak.
As someone majoring in archeology, saying indiana jones does anything in the name of knowledge is painful to hear lol, but I get what you mean.
In the name of …imperialism ??? Yeah we can forget about him … no credit deserved for colonists and imperialists!!
Indy was more of a tomb-raider/treasure hunter than anything, but to be fair most archeology was just that in the time the films were set lol
When looking "smart" is glamorized while actual education is being devalued
Didn't the video refute that tho
Is it not a part of life to play? To find joy at the silly and the equally profound? Why does dressing up have to be demonized? Though I myself do not partake in this...culture? I can not also speak on the broader actions of those who claim this label. Non the less... It has really inspired me in my older age to dream again...So why does this too have be taken to task? The idea of making learning fun, giving learn a element of play, even THEATER! OH MY! Really captures my imagination. When so much of intelluctualism is seemingly gatekeeped. I think their is a power in just enjoying yourself.
But it's not just about the look. It's about valuing knowledge, sharing books and art and things you've created. I agree certain aspects of education are being devalued though. If you can't sell it on Wall Street it must be a waste of time.
@@garbledsand-which2321 Beautifully said love 👏
Yeeep, look smart and rich lol. So dumb. Not into this at all.
As a philosopher, that's exactly what I want to teach my students--- the joy and beauty of learning and thinking deeply about the world. The one thing I dislike most about philosophy is how it's treated as some elite subject, but philosophy is a subject of the people! I want to make philosophy accessible to all people. I am hoping to teach at a community college or to teach at a high school (English infused with philosophy) so that I can help guide people (especially young people) to find truth and meaning and beauty in an often bleak capitalist landscape.
You will be a beacon for all the young moths yearning for the flame of knowledge.
@@Scentofrain. That's very kind of you to say, I hope so!
You can teach on KZhead, there are philosophical KZhead channels you know
@deadphilosopher I am very keen on philosophy. I want someone to guide me but where i live it's not possible to find any who teaches. If you open a KZhead channel or something like that online please do it. It would help a lot of people like me who really love philosophy.
You sound very uplifting. I wanted to ask who do you think treats it as an elite subject is it people who don't study or pursue it or is it the ones who do, because just in personal experience meeting the latter has left me feeling pretty unpleasant towards the subject and the people, they've often been difficult to connect with unless you talk philosophy with them, you're unable to speak comfortably around them because they turn everything into a philosophical dilemma, treat you like you dont understand or want to understand truth, constantly quote philosophers out of context and expect you to know what they're talking about, if it's not to do with philosophy it's not worth while and shallow, how does this attitude inspire anyone?
The market is turning all of us into robots, what’s more important passion or survival? That’s the real question facing youth.
Dead Poet's Society's message is more relevant than ever.
Survival... You'll easily die despite passion still pumping in your veins due to the lack of glucose intake your brain takes...
You have to survive first in order to have any passion. And a survival without passion is meaningless. Why there is this or between passion and survival.
If you're lucky enough your passion will bring you money, and at that point you'll start hate it, so choose some job you like enough and leave your "real" passion for fun, unless your passion is medicine or engineering, in that case there is no need to keep it a hobby
One more thing to thank capitalism for, along with anxiety and depression 👍
whoa thanks for including my video and great analysis :) for me, dark academia started with my love for vintage/analog things and any books including boarding schools. it’s kind of a fantasy of living in this “pretentious” boys club, even though at that time i wouldn’t have been allowed into any of those schools. especially as a kid that was often lonely and grew up on books (aka harry potter lol) i loved the idea of having a group of mischievous friends and running around beautiful libraries! now i go to a school that looks very much like the cliche dark academia look, and the aesthetic helps me to keep my spirits up in an environment where the history of the class and wealth associated with it is VERY present (and is a background i do not come from). so it’s been kind of a fantastical escape for me to imagine a world where the aesthetic exists without the elitism.
Well said Ris!
Well said. You made me understand your point of you by the end of the paragraph. Thank you ❤
These people are wearing the ugliest clothes to have ever existed. If I'm going to look like a boarding school attendee...I'll dress like the chicks from the Mexican version of "Rebelde" instead: with those sexy black (and/or red) blazers, red ties, blue (and/or white) buttoned up shirts, micro black (and/or jean) skirts and knee high black (and/or blue suede) heeled boots. Those outfits in the video are all ugly and make them look "old". I mean, if I'm going to read my political philosophy books (I have almost every inconceivable book in that discipline: from Plato's "The Republic" to Frederick Hayek's "The Road to Serfdom" and nearly everything in between), I rather look like a sex vixen than some freaking grandma.
@@covfefe_drumpfh you don't have to like the clothes to like the aesthetic jo just vibe
@@storm3927 lol, not even that.
"what's dark about dark academia?" me: literally, their filter. the take: eeeeeeeeeeeeey....
Sheeeeeesh
GEN Z Hipsters
Yeh. I love the video but i think The Take got it wrong. I get all of what they are saying, but for me its more about having fantasy full of classic music and a dark gothic aesthetic. The movies and books inspired by DA are most of the time coming of age and fantasy, which is what personally makes it so desirable, rather than me actually studying literature in oxford idk
@@catalinabustamante319 I guess what makes it interesting is how many takes there is. That pun was not intended lol.
@@catalinabustamante319 all takes on DA is valid imo, but as someone that's been here since the early days I think The Take really hit the head on the nail with the aesthetics origins and the dark elements. I'm often sceptical of channels like these, they tend to just gloss over things too much, but they did a great job with this video!
There's a saying in the vintage community, "Vintage clothes, not values". IMO, it's perfectly fine to appreciate the looks of Dark Academia and even the hobbies such as typewriting and reading literature. It is, however, important to be aware of the elitism that early Dark Academia perpetuated, and to break that portion of the aesthetic. I think that there are ways to reclaim Dark Academia and to make it more widely accessible to different people, such as including literature of all genders and races and incorporating various cultures in the aesthetic. At the end of the day, the Academia subculture boils down to a passion for intellectual achievement just for the sake of it, not to get paid and I think there's something quite idealistic yet cool about it. We should deconstruct Dark Academia and reconstruct it with accessibility and inclusion. With this in mind, I think that anyone can participate in this aesthetic, and make it their own. And in my personal experience, Dark Academia brings me joy because it validates the pursuit of Humanities. I've always loved poetry and writing and literature in general, but it's starting to die off and it's becoming simply a luxury or a hobby. It's no longer something practical to pursue. Dark Academia gives me an escape from the overtly utilitarian society we live in today, and it gives me a community in which I can pursue the studies of literature and poetry.
I think part of the reason its so appealing is because it's usually more of a non-rich person's fantasy of being rich. Most dark academia stories focus on a person from a working or middle class background suddenly getting the opportunity to participate in upper class society. At least from what I've seen, dark academia is a way for people who aren't rich to experience some of the luxuries onlt afforded to the rich in the past (even if it is just through pictures, videos, books and movies).
@@marieoconnell6191 I'm confused about the association between Academia and upper-class society. Is the goal of Dark Academia to become academics (who aren't upper class at all)? Or to study Greek at an elite institution for four years before taking a job at Goldman Sachs?
@@dipset4016 Probably because the glamorized time periods have a lot to do with class. I highly doubt anyone who likes dark academia would want to work at a place like Goldman Sachs. It’s more a way to explore the humanities/fine arts without the pressure of how capitalism prioritizes stem subjects over poetry, art, and music.
@@dipset4016 I'm not sure if I'm answering the right question, but I'm pretty sure it's the romanticism of the ability to be able to study anything you want (no matter how 'useless') without having to worry about it being a waste. It's generally associated with upper class people because they have the ability to study things that don't make them employable that other people don't really have.
@@marieoconnell6191 Oh. I get it. The use of the word Academia is what confused me. I don't count undergrads as part of Academia. But I agree, getting to study whatever you want, even if it's not obviously practical, is pure upper-class privilege and usually is not romanticized or celebrated openly because 1) it's their normal and 2) I guess it's taboo to flaunt that kind of thing...Thanks for the answer.
I didn’t know that the dark academia aesthetic was related to the high elites education and literature, i loved the aesthetic do to its gothic architecture, the feeling that is always raining and the beautiful clothes.
it's based on vintage universities. you can't really separate the elitism because the old education system was incredibly classist, racist and sexist. But the way you interpret the aesthetic doesn't have to be elitist :)
@@charlierees5020 You’re right. Even the elites are outdated for our times. I misplaced my words. Besides, i might not be the only one who loved the aesthetic for its connection to world of Harry Potter.
@@charlierees5020 Why is this a problem though, nobody who practices Dark Academia follows those elitist rules? You guys are making problems out of nothing.. just because racism existed doesn't mean it was the main point of Dark Academia. That's like saying living like it's the 1950s means you have to be racist. People were racist but their whole lives weren't just centered about racism. Like gosh all these things like racism and sexism weren't something that people who lived the lifestyle of Dark Academia in the 19th century thought about 24/7. They were mostly focused on their work. The current AESTHETIC, has never really taken into point racism and sexism, it was everywhere in the 19th century, not just in the Dark Academia Lifestyle... it's so stupid because an Aesthetic is not taking in every aspect of an Era, it's taking in the Aspects that are most important.
@@mimim6015 I think you misinterpreted what I was trying to say. It's just that because that's where the aesthetic is rooted that aspects of elitism can bleed into the way it's interpreted. You don't see explicit prejudices but there is a trend of rich, white men being portrayed within the aesthetic (in photos, the kinds of literature and music that you come across). But I completely agree that each individual will interpret the aesthetic in their own way, so many people who follow the trend won't feel any effects of elitism :)
@@charlierees5020 Elitisms is not the root of it at all, literally nobody who practices it thinks about that when practicing the Aesthetic. There literally is no way of elitism bleeding into the modern day Aesthetic or any prejudice at all.. That's literally NOT A problem that rich white men are portrayed in the Aesthetic. If you don't like it get colored people to get photographed to. I guess people with pale skin just look really good with the clothing. And because that it's rooted in Europe and European style.
I studied chemical engineering out of survival. I went to an institution that didn’t offer me any other choice (pure STEM, no liberal arts programs). I chose it because I’m good at math, not that I particularly like it, and I had a scholarship. I used the scholarship to study abroad at Oxford for a year. I fell in love. I witnessed a culture that embraced knowledge for knowledge’s sake, infusing passion rather than necessity. And I came out of the experience horribly disillusioned bc I was never given that luxury of choice or a community which valued passion. My parents quite literally said “either you study engineering or we’ll cut you off” because any liberal arts program would have been a “waste” of my talents (and their money). My true passion has always been creative writing, but I was denied that passion wholeheartedly. Yet now I’m an engineer. I just graduated. And I can’t help but grieve the last 4 years of my life to the passions I lost and the time I’ll never get back. That’s why this aesthetic seems to appealing, at least to me. It’s giving me the space to grieve, albeit in fantasy.
I'm in nearly exactly the same boat right now -minus going to Oxford. My dream has always been to write novels, but because of my environment and the desire for job stability I've been focusing most of my energy on school. I'm about to go into my 3rd year of chemical engineering, and it feels like I've lost a part of my identity. I hardly ever get time to write, nevertheless read for my own pleasure. I've decided to see my degree through to the end, but ultimately I'm stuck in a major that I wish I could change. I keep trying to convince myself I like it here, but it's getting harder and harder. So I agree with you there, part of the appeal of this aesthetic for me is it's reflection of a sort of bittersweet fantasy.
@Squishy Soft Ducky Extremely busy. Personally I do try and write when I can, but I'm going to be honest most of the time I'm extremely sleep deprived and my brain's too tried.
*Tired sorry, haha there's a good example of my sleep deprivation right there
You can still write. Please do. Most writers don’t get to follow that dream right away. You write when you can and remain true to that path, even if time is limited. Your voice and life will mature together.
@Squishy Soft Ducky So here's my take. I wanted to be a singer and a performer but I ended up studying chemical engineering as well. Engineering is still "Academia", although the aesthetic is mostly inspired in humanities I've adopted it into the stem world. I like to thing of Curie and I picture myself going back to campus with a round skirt underneath my lab coat. When it comes to the actual studying I ended up seeing science as beautiful after watching Cosmos, I really recommend that documentary to everyone but specially if you're interested or somehow related to the sciences. I've let my singing, writing and reading passions (among others) for my free time, and a plus that much people do not realize is that capitalizing your passions might end up killing them. By not having that pressure I just get to enjoy them. I guess what I mean by all this is that, there's also beauty in science and nature, and that humanities and other kind of interests can coexist without the need of one asphyxiating the other.
I’m 30 so not Gen Z, but for lovers of learning, I’m guessing dark academia is less about the aesthetics, than a reflection of our desperate longing. In a life without capitalism and the mounting obligation to make as much money as possible to take care of the people you love and avoid homelessness, many of us would love to be perpetual students…waking up with no other obligations than to fill our minds.
I would love if it was just how you beautifully described it, but unfortunately people do focus mostly on the aesthetics. It's bad when people try their hardest to put a facade for their viewers though "their dark academia vibes life" (like any other trend). It ended up leaving people clueless, detached and thinking they would be happy if they owned a brown blazer.
Thanks for this comment
Wonderfully said! And for the comment about “people just doing it for the aesthetic” so what? Let them love their hobby. It’s like casual readers of a series vs the die hard fans. Who cares if you’re not living and breathing dark academia? As long as it is accessible and a positive influence on education, then it doesn’t matter.
It's what school is supposed to be
YES
When you are from a third world country, this type of videos feed that feeling of otherness, of exclusion (at least for myself. That's what I feel). When you are a minority in a first world country, you still have opportunities to grow, but when you are a minority in an impoverished country, all of this just seems unbelievably unattainable. It's like looking through a window at another world that is light years away from us. And it's also necessary to say that a lot of people don't even have the chance to look through that window at all.
even thought you live in the third world you don't have nothing to envy , i live in europe and here this kind of behavior is rather bizzare. we want to develope new avanguarde but in america they're stuck in the past, also the use of the term gothic is over used and the meaning itself is almost lost. this style is just victorian and the real gothic style is from the high medieval times not the victorian era.
So people from first world countries should stop making videos because you feel excluded? Why not watch content creators from your own country/countries outside of Western Europe an North America? Guys like there is a whole world out there outside of the West.
The commentators from Europe and other "first world" are NOT PASSING THE VIBE CHECK. This person expressed themselves and y'all are dictating how to let this person think. As someone who is from a " 3rd world" and also lived in a "1st world" , I can definitely see BOTH SIDES argument. I can truly do, but I hate when people in the "1st world" dictate how minorities of the "3rd world" should feel or see a perspective, no honey, you listen and validate. LISTEN.
@@taopanda98 The person expressed an idea/feeling and we expressed ours as a response. Nobody's dictating anything. And to calm you down, I'm not from the "First World" either Also a minority from anywhere can be wrong. Nobody is owed automatic validation, what a bizarre worldview.
@@lasha3688 But we should at least listen rather than throw their opinions to the window. Thats how we can have a good discussion. We can debate, but first listen before having an opinion. That is all what I am saying. Thank you and have a good day! 🌻
First. Interesting. I am in the performing arts. The lack of respect for the arts and humanities has has been apparent for a long time in the US. I wanted to go to an Ivy League institution; went to a state university. I am still paying off my - now old - BA.... College was not worth it for me at all...Plus there was very little that was intellectually/esthetically enriching at my uni, I am sorry to say.
I'm sorry to hear that experience. And I agree, the arts are not respected at all. People who love those academic areas are mocked for being future Starbucks baristas. I understand that those interests are't very marketable in today's economy, but damn. It doesn't deserve to be disrespected. Those are still very important subjects.
In France at least we have all that education for free. Still difficult to find jobs tho with liberal arts degreee.
I wanted to study Literature but ended up choosing Accounting and Information Systems, the market transformed us into robots. What’s more important passion or survival?
@@andreblackaller3560 I studied Literature and I'm doing good 😬
@@andreblackaller3560 Hahaha I studied accounting first, worked for a few years but wasn't happy. Now I'm in university again, studying Art History. I don't know what I'm gonna do later but I'm happy now
English major here! I'm sort of conflicted with the idea of Dark Academia- it does appeal to me due to some of my interests (literature, foreign languages, mythology, classical music, etc), but also, I have noticed that there's an unhealthy lifestyle that seems to be perpetrated by some influencers, like a romanticization of smoking, drinking, and sacrificing sleep for long hours of studying. So, that I'm definitely not on board with. But on the positive side, I am absolutely thrilled that so many people in the community advocate for diversifying the canon! Like, don't get me wrong, I love Shakespeare and Wilde as much as the next literature nerd, but at the same time, I want more focus on Chinua Achebe or Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. Dark Academia seems very Eurocentric, which is what had me worried in the first place, because if you romanticize Victorian England, you often end up ignoring the colonialism and prejudice of the day, and I was worried that's what the aesthetic was doing. The pursuit of knowledge is a wonderful thing, but, as the video said, higher education is often rooted in elitism or colonialism. So I'm glad we're seeing a deconstruction of that and a push to make academia more diverse and accessible. Just make sure to go easy on the coffee and cigarettes!
This!
I'd never heard of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, so naturally I had to do what a booknerd does when confronted with a new author: I looked her up and made a note in my "books I want to read" list. Thank you for introducing me to a new author! :)
@@badwolftina8716 Of course! I recommend her poem "You Foolish Men"- it's a short read and surprisingly relevant for today!
The only problem is that it’s not like white girls can really ‘aestheticise’ cultures outside of Europe.
@@sophiatalksmusic3588 will do, thanks!
Is it just me, or do other people feel like an old man watching some of these TheTake videos? This one and the cottagecore vid both made me go, "Is that what the kids are doing these days? Well by golly!" I felt obliged to adjust my suspenders and go yell at kids to get off my lawn, even though I own neither suspenders nor a lawn.
lol I'm in my late 20s and I too, feel similarly out of the loop. Oh well, it's all good
I'm 25yo from Italy and this is more like "Is that what the US kids are doing these days?" I mean, I saw these aesthetics on the Internet and I'm pretty sure they're appreciated here but I can't imagine Italian kids actually following them in real life if not just of some outfits. It all looks so pricy, buying all that stuff. (If some Gen Z kid from Italy can correct me, please do). Plus if a kid is into humanities we have some public high schools where you do study Ancient Greek, Latin, philosophy, literature. No need to idealise if you can straight out access them.
Ikr! I'm 30, and when I watched Cottagecore my first thoughts were 'glorified country life'. I lived the cottagecore aesthetic, but I sure didn't where dresses and cute hats lol
@@homuraakemi4680 it’s really common in dark academia to thrift clothing or buy it second hand, to make it more affordable
@@KazKindred613 ok then! It makes sense indeed. Thrift shopping is getting common here too especially thanks to Internet
I personally think the “darkness” in dark academia connects more to the rejection of modern technology and nostalgia for a fantasised European past, which was, literally, dark, due to the lack of modern lighting, the gloomy weather in the U.K. and its greyish looking building (which inspires a large part of the aesthetic). It wouldn’t be dark academia if it’s filmed in a modern school with those ugly fluorescent light or in sunny California. Darkness also means mystery, which means adventure and escapism, that nowadays students lack and desperately want.
Brilliant!
I don't know about that. The Sunnydale High School library was a bit of dark academia in the midst of sunny California.... The show made it work.
Excatly! Thank you, very well worded.
Please tell me I'm not the only one who got super excited when Jack Edwards showed up!
I did too. I love him
You're not the only one🥰
You're not the only one. I absolutely love him.
7.7 billion in this earthly plane is, the answer should be simple
Please make a video about “asylum” in movies and shows, and what it shows about mental health in history and the media.
This
Only female side
yes please!
Yes. I agree
I'm so fed up in the way psych wards are shown in movies and TV. No *MODERN* psych ward looks like any psych ward shown on any (current day) movie or TV. For starters: *NOBODY WEARS WHITE GOWNS!!!!!!!* People just wear regular streets clothes. Same with the personnel: I've never seen *ANYONE* wearing white either: techs wear one particular color and nurses another color, but always a very bold solid color. On Fridays most are allowed to wear normal clothes as well.
hyper-labelization is a term I am coining. We are much too obsessed with categories and labels for everything. We crave to belong to a community, but doing this through aesthetic is not the best way.
I really love how they included a lot of different youtubers/tiktokers who have contributed to the rise and different approaches/possibilities of the aesthetic- it makes the video feel holistic
Yessss, I love seeing smaller creators get recognition for their hard work
It’s iffy at the same time since this channel is earning money for those small creators content so they don’t even have to try.
@@nagisa0931 I'd disagree with that, the clips are much too short for that to be the case. I like that they acknowledge different small creaters cause it's shows they did their research and actually put effort into the video. Besides that the creaters get exposure which is cool.
@@alleifloyd245 same, they gave credit by showing how these creators have helped with the trend, but they used them more as support for their claims rather than having the creators do all the work. I also hope that these creators get more recognition through this
And no link or mentions to all that creators, or images used. So they make money with the content from others..
As a person who studied Anthropology at Cornell, romanticized being sad and broken, took up smoking at the clock tower and walking the grounds at night....this ain’t it. I was a depressed person of color in a white elite institution, and you can’t tell me this aesthetic isn’t at least a little harmful.
I'm sorry that happened.
Every aesthetic that happened on any social media is always (a little) harmful
Everything is. That is the nature of the post-colonial world. Everything that exists is built on a harmful history and therefore is harmful no matter how much people try to excise the bad stuff. Yet, to throw the good out with the bad would also be stupid. All beauty is bittersweet, bloodstained, tarnished by evil. Part of the point of aesthetic movements like Dark Academia and Cottagecore though is for people to indulge in the aesthetics their ancestors were denied *precisely because they were once denied access to these things*. It can also be a form of protest for people who are still frequently excluded. Women, people of color and queer people are still far too often excluded from real academic spaces. Wearing the aesthetics of academia is a way to stake your claim to those spaces. I grew up in academia, my father is a professor. But, my queerness and gender, mean I am frequently excluded. Academic spaces are familiar to me, so is the language, culture and mannerisms associated with them. I have the degree (Anthropology, just like you). I’ve read their journals. One of my family’s friends won the Nobel Prize. I belong in the world of academia because I am a product of it. Dressing like a professor and making an amateur study of linguistics via Tolkien and running a literary criticism blog are all ways for me to muscle into a world that unfairly excludes me. And indeed a way of forcing the people within that world who aren’t comfortable with me to confront the fact that I am a product of their world. Basically: “hey fuck you homophobic classicists, I’m your daughter and I know all your secrets”.
@@sophiejones7727 Wow you're amazing and you said that way better than I ever could. Don't let people exclude you, we've been kept out for too long. Now is our time, and that goes for anything you want to pursue.
I went to Colgate. I submit that a certain amount of misery is built into the idea of “winters upstate.” But, I take your point. Gothic arches and “Carl Sagan slept here” do not a worthwhile education make.
I’ve been waiting for a detailed critique of dark academia for so long! The whole aesthetic has always bothered me I figured out it was because of the romanticism of classism. Being from the UK and coming from a working class background seeing these institutions like Oxford and private schools being glorified when they encourage elitism really annoys me. It is great to see people who have been excluded in the past trying to reclaim the aesthetic though. Screw the Bullingdon Club and the toffs!
Never got into it bc of the same reasons. Being an immigrant in the UK, my experiences with Oxbridge and the Russell Group just... irk me, despite being grateful for having had amazing professors. The aesthetics are also so off if you go to a campus, which I guess is a bit funny. Glad that people can enjoy it whilst still acknowledging its more contentious aspects, though!
Oxford is rlly shady for sure idk abt glorifying what is basically just the definition of old money and elitism (they are literally fucking loaded lmao) but the architecture is nice :) i think there’s a difference between enjoying art and architecture because you can and generally romanticizing your life and being obsessed with moving to ireland without a real understanding of the politics of the place you’re glamorizing
exactly, it's really shallow rich people signalling, like the Harry Potter aesthetic for man/womanchildren. Most of it is office wear and nobody cares if the Not Like Other Students read books.
@@zcalhoun3638 Oxford is recently more famous for rape gangs locally.
@@zcalhoun3638 How is Oxford “shady” exactly? They were established in 1096 (2nd oldest continuously operating university in the world) so will obviously have strong ties to old money and class, however in the 21st century they are actually very inclusive.
Im from Greece. Both ancient Greek and Latin are part of the high school carriculum. They are two of the most hated by students classes due to how boring we find them. I find it very funny and ironic that you have all the foriegners wanting to learn those two subjects and literlly creating an entire fashion out of it while we here are complaining about how unnecesary they are.
Americans always romanticise the shit out of other cultures, even the mundane, boring parts. I find it so weird.
@@k.c7655 You should know that I met many people that also romanticize other cultures. There is a phenomenon where Japanese people go to Paris, France only to be disillusioned by the realities. Its called the "Paris Sickness". Everyone romanticize something. My Mexican aunt she romanticise Italy a lot. For her, nothing is much better than Italy. At the end, we are humans and definitely romanticise no matter where you come from.
This is just the internet. People who are interested in it gathered and it creates that "everyone likes this" impression. Don't be fooled, in real life most people still find this boring. I'm from France, and only half of the schools here have Latin and Greek classes, and they are optional. I'd say only 30% of the students would take these subjects, and among them almost none found it interesting, they were only in to boost their grades. I took Latin and while I did find it okay, it was definitely a pain in the ass to stay at school super late for extra hours when everyone else headed home.
@@taopanda98 I feel like thars what human are. We need to 'want' something to keep us sane. We need a purpose. When we achieve that 'want' or purpose, we need another 'want'. Thats why we never get enough of anything. Cause to be human is to 'want'.
I just feel incredibly grateful for all that ancient Greek culture has given Europe. Especially being from Spain, I just feel we owe you pretty much everything lol. Your philosophy, mythology, and language have given us so much beauty, so much art and so many words. The Roman Empire founded a closer approach to the world we know today, but I still can't get over what my History teacher told us in 7th grade about the Ancient world. “The Greek looked for all the beautiful things, the Roman looked for all the practical”. Thank you for showing us all the beautiful things
Thought this was gonna be bout student debt, casualisation of teaching, sexual harassment on campus, academic burnout and supervisor bullying of doctoral students. I'm too old and out of the loop.
At least you’re not insufferable like those who are in the loop.
Me too tbh
this is such a good comment
Right? I thought we were gonna spend some time talking about the realities of academia vs this aesthetic of dark academia. But we did none of that. What we actually got isn't bad, but I am a little disappointed.
Me too. I knew this was an aesthetic from social media, but I thought they were gonna tackle those issues too. They need to be talked about more.
FYI, some Schloss (castles) in Germany are repurposed as university buildings, such as in Münster (Westf). Definitely don't look like Dark Academia. In fact, the interiors are usually already renovated and bright. As higher education is socialized in Germany, I guess Dark Academia aesthetics idea usually come from countries where higher education is more 'higher class'.
Well, when I studied in Münster in 2015/16 and attended lectures in the castle, there was definitely the charm of old and small desks and no air conditioning :D I know what you mean, but lectures in the castle did had another vibe than those in F1 (Fürstenberghaus). Even if it, of course, never felt full Dark Academia or anything.
It seems more like a very old things. Because currently in Europe it's very hard to see a higher class in school who looks like dark academia. Even in Asia, it's freaking rare. It's the same case for the rebuilding of old school buildings in France, outside they all looks old af but inside it's all modern. Actually, you will see that mainly in butler/maid/governance schools or in private high pricey high schools.
Oh, most US colleges were renovated in the 1970s and are thus very bright and sterile on the inside. The Dark Academia aesthetic is very much a romanticized outsider’s perspective on Academia. Although romanticism is very much a part of Academia. If you aren’t a hopeless romantic you won’t last very long in academic environments. The pursuit of knowledge for it’s own sake, is the reason why colleges and universities exist. On the other hand, romanticism is inherently elitist. To do something for it’s own sake requires that you have some other way of earning a living.
If you want dark academia interiors but don't want to pay the fee they have in the Anglo Saxon world, I recommend coming here in Italy. We have classrooms straight up from the 19th century because... We don't renovate them.
God, what I wouldn't give for socialized higher education!
I can’t wait to see what other aesthetics The Take is gonna cover!!!
I really hope they do soft girl aesthetic next
I can’t wait to see them do indie and kidcore
same, it feels like these nostalgic aesthetics have been here for a while, but not really explained to their core I love how they take a timeless and inclusive form today , neglecting the problematic traits while being a source for people to be inspired and feel good. It's art after all.
@Sophie did it already!
@@sketchios5158 yes and it's beautiful art. It helps us to take a deeper look at human society. If Dark Academia didn't exist we wouldn't know there's a class hierarchy in education.
To me a Humanity student with MA in art history, I find academia to be a very overrated and disappointing experience. Sure, I am lucky to have an education because I can tell it makes a difference in this world but I had such high hopes for university, thinking it was going to be this place full of exciting ideas, instead, I entered a brutal world of apathy and mediocrity. The aesthetic of Dark Academia makes me nostalgic for a time where education was actually worth something and I was not forced to pay 45 000 pounds for a reading list, some slides and someone answering my questions once in a while (and a really shitty accommodation). Luckily I love books and I am quite capable of educating myself because it sure was not my teacher doing this, they are not paid enough to care, unfortunately. so PAY YOUR FUCKING TEACHERS A GOOD SALARY!!!
Life isn’t a fairy tale.
It’s so true. Second year Ancient history. I thought I would be surrounded by intellectuals and people who want to discuss stuff you know . But it’s the same shallow secondary school way of thinking. I had high hopes and with COVID and all. Still love the colours and outfits. I love reading and studying so I love an aesthetic that celebrates that
@@aikaterineillt9876 nobody says it is.. but people just wants to have their money's worth and a few slides, teachers regurgitating memorized lines and tons of work we could very well just assign to ourselves isn't education which OP pays for.
How does art history make a difference in this world? When oxygen is rationed, it's these people who should be disposed of.
@@theywalkinguptoyouand4060 Woah there, Hitler. Still salty bc your art was too bad to matter?
To me, I love it because I love dark things and the gothic aesthetic. However, Goth felt very kitschy and over the top with the bat jewelry and the heavy makeup and the big thick demonia boots. DA feels like a more grown-up, classier version of that dark, mysterious, spooky aesthetic that I love so much
@@mindoablues yeah that’s what I’m getting at. I still love actual goth music for its dark and spooky themes but I find the actual goth aesthetic too campy and goofy
Same! My reasons are the same!
@@sbel6626 Yeah, the Dark Academia aesthetic is a natural fit for people who would've been "goth kids" in my generation. The color palette, the dramatic but subdued lighting, and the general vibe of "things unseen."
same
Hey, I’m actually a gen z who is interested in this aesthetic so i thought I’d offer my perspective. For me, dark academia is just an aesthetic, I don’t take it too seriously. I use it to figure out how I want to dress, what I want my room to look like, a way to romanticize reading and learning a language etc. but as a black girl, I recognize how white the aesthetic is so I try my best to diversify my DA content. I try to read as many books by poc authors, I look for pictures of poc that fit the aesthetic on Pinterest and look for poc on social media, i’m trying to find movies with poc that fit the aesthetic, and I’m also against the idea that only learning a few European languages (Latin, French etc) fits the aesthetic. To me, learning any language is very DA. That’s all I have to say, if anyone else interested in dark academia has something to say feel free to reply.
Yeah!!! I completely agree!! My languages that I learned early in life are European based and spoken communication. I am Mexican and so I have an interest in Nahuatl, as well as Mandarin and Turkish. So, in my life, I learn languages that are not necessarily European-based and it still pays off. Trust me- THEY DO PAY OFF by knowing another language. I am more of a witch aesthetic tbh but I appreciate DA 's positive side of learning for passion.
Exactly !!! I know there is a dark side of academia too but I love the fashion sense and the good positive side of it...and the thing is I don't take it too seriously. It's fun and we can add our own touch. We can include even our own culture in it. ☺️😊😌 So rather than blaming it completely I think we should try to construct it in our own way and make this asthetic more inclusive 👍❤️
That's the problem in my opinion. Dark Academia's original understanding is about knowledge and learning things just for the sake of learning. But people like you just made it about dressing like it or choosing some home decor for the aesthetic. And I don't like it one bit.
I was always interested in English literature but I'm from a middle-class family so had to choose a more 'practical' major. I chose computer science. I really enjoy coding even if it's tough. My main interest is in entrepreneurship and I know the combination of these two can make me extremely successful. In India, academic elitism is heavily prevalent. Not making to an elite college like the IITs becomes a matter of life or death for some students.
I’m taking a digital humanities course and i have found it has shown me a way to use my literature major in a computer centered world. I think the problem with humanities in academia (at least in the us) is that is is seen as disconnected with the modern world. While I disagree with that idea, i believe through coding the humanities could be revitalized, at least in the eyes of the people.
Totally agree with you on this....A degree from SRCC and the same degree from another college in Delhi University are two entirely different things.
@@annalabagaba oh, that's interesting. I love literature, history, philosophy and even psychology a lot. I think humanities needs the introduction of 'skills' in it's curriculum. I believe people value skills over knowledge these days. Even in computer science major, in India, we're taught all sorts of theory and outdated syllabus. I mostly ignore that and focus on coding. I've heard Economics majors are learning coding too. It's about making yourself as marketable or resourceful as possible. I never thought we could merge literature with coding but I'm pleasantly surprised. It's not just coding but many other skills that when added to subjects of arts can enrich it. Also, I think people should be taught how to 'monetise' their knowledge or skills. Love history? Make a YT channel.
@@nehanagpal378 I couldn't agree more. A friend told me that there's a huge pay gap between a B.Com(hons) from Kirori Mal to that from SRCC. We need to stop focusing on academic elitism. In India, it's less about money but more about how many students you can defeat to get a seat at your dream college. This attitude needs to change because a college isn't really the indicator of one's potential rather there should be focus in encouraging students to develop 'skills' including interpersonal skills to make them most employable at the end of their course.
@@taiyabazaheer9492 I think it's sad that English Literature isn't considered practical. It has transferable skills. I'm from a lower middle class family and I pursued a Joint Honours in English Literature and History....I work in finance now but the research skills and the communication skills and the ability to pick up details that I apply in my job I picked up from my studies. There's something incredibly narrow-minded to think that English Lit and other humanity subjects can't be useful in the working world.
What I like about 'Dark Academia' is that it glamourizes the hunger to learn while not setting standards of how you acquire that knowledge. Almost everything and anything is accessible on the internet, public libraries, social media - you can learn a new language through one app or take a course at a university. Of course it isn't all that black and white, and yeah you can't become a practising heart surgeon via Wikipedia. But there is definitely something amazing about this whole idea and I hope it sticks around, maybe even topples over some old ways of thinking. I'm glad the younger generations are getting a chance to play with this aesthetic and in the process bring back the beauty of just wanting to learn whatever makes them happy. God knows I could have used this during my school/uni days. Education, learning, a way to share a love for something should be accessible and open to everyone.
The disillusionment I experienced when I went to university and realised it was basically a factory for churning out qualifications :(
@Rida Athar I think it depends which one you go to and what you study but I went for a STEM degree in a highly reputed Canadian university and there was no real room for any intellectual debate. It was all just absorbing information and regurgitating it well enough to pass and get your degree. Very little taught on ethics, virtually nothing discussed on the philosophies that science is built on and not much space for creative thinking. All bad news for science students and society in general I think, because science depends on all of the above to stay healthy and dynamic. The last thing anyone wants is science that becomes dogmatic. But that's just one opinion ✌ maybe others had different experiences.
@@AR-yi4qn What university? I’m thinking of doing my masters at a canadian university
@@sbel6626 Mount Allison University. It may be top in Maclean's rankings but it doesn't care about its students. Although it's mostly an undergraduate one, so you probably wouldn't go there anyway. I also went to a top uni for my masters (one in the UK) and it was a similar experience. I recommend choosing a less prestigious place that cares more about its students tbh. Good luck with your masters!!
@@AR-yi4qn Thanks for the advice!
@@AR-yi4qn what subject was it?
The amount of Jack Edwards in this video is excellent. I definitely approve.
This is one of the reasons why I love this channel because I had no clue that "Dark Academia" existed or it was even a thing
Me too. Had no idea
true, at first i was like, "wtf is this??"
"Writing in cursive" Brasilians: Isn't that the norm ?
Literally my thought. Been living in the UK for years and I still forget most ppl around me don't use cursive!
Me too..
Também fiquei confusa nessa parte. Escrevo com letra script e não é muito normal.
Ukrainians, too
Actually is quite strange here in Brazil if you don't write in cursive all the time. I guess we don't have the dark academia look in our university campus. Instead we have the "concreto box" with most buildings being made of concrete and glass and having a very contemporary archtecture look. And since most of our prestigious universities are actually state universities, we're not all in debt. Please, let's protect our universities and fight for them.
I am from a very very rough working class city in the Midlands in England. Job prospects where I am are very limited. Low level, minimum wage jobs with 0 hour contracts. It has given people from my city the stereotype of being rough scallies and chavs and teen mums or people who are always on benefits and unemployed and who constantly smoke and drink. For me the only way out to a better life is education. I currently work just as a waitress but I am hoping to study and get a degree to help myself get out of my city and shake off the stereotype it has and prove to the world that people from the place I am from are smart and intelligent and deserve to be respected and want to make a better life for themselves. This is why I feel kind of drawn to Dark academia as an aesthetic. I have that yearning and desire to make something of my life and not be the person the world thinks I am meant to be. I have a brain and I have intelligence and I have passion. I don't want just coast my way through life. I want to make something of myself and prove to the world and myself that good people exist in my city.
Yeah. I'm from London and my area I used to live and grew up in was a very deprived area with lots of gang stuff and general poverty even though my family wasn't that poor, that was just the area, but despite all that horrible stuff happening on your doorstep the community of parents were determined to get people into education because it was seen as the only way to make it properly, other than a few people who did sports. And that education work ethic is really there in a lot of working class communities, especially I found it in ethnically diverse areas like that area was. There's also a lot of pressure I feel to do stem subjects / medicine /law because they pay and what's the use in studying English if you have no money? I'm lucky enough that my family is able to support my studies so I can study what I love which is English and history, but I often feel guilty knowing how many people can't do that simply because they don't have the money. Also I'd be interested to know what you are applying for if you can say? And best of luck with your studies, you sound very passionate about it and I hope you have a good time at university and learn lots!
@@alexstone9099 thank you for being understanding and I am hoping to study History and politics. And in my city most people don't have that work ethic or mentality to want to make their lives better but my mum instilled it into me she did that herself. She was made redundant from her job and then went back tonuni in her 40s and got a history degree and now she and my stepdad are writers. They have a regular column in a magazine and are soon the release their second book. I wanna be like my mum and work hard and educate my way to the top.
@@lucypreece7581 of course. And History and politics is a really interesting thing to study, happy to see another history student! And that's amazing about your mum, that's super inspiring that she did that. And what you said about your city just makes me think how it's such a shame so many smart people don't get into academia because of life circumstances pushing them away from it / not giving them the opportunities like in your city there are gonna be plenty of very smart people who just don't think to go to uni because where they grow up it isn't possible, goes to show the need for accessible education and how bad of an impact tuition fees really have on the exact people that need the opportunities the most. And where I used to live while there are a decent amount of people who are quite academic, there are so many more that never get the chance to even give it a proper go. Goes to show how valuable an interest in education really is. Good luck with uni and everything though, I hope that all goes well for you and for us both so we can make the most of it!
@@mindoablues Thanks for you advice I do appreciate it. I am not studying just history if you read the course I am hoping to do is a combined history and politics degree and I want to focus more on the politics side of this because I am passionate about a lot of political and social issues. My mum did do some work with a museum before she and my step dad moved to Spain but now they work as history writers. They have a regular column in a Cheshire based history magazine and they are soon going to be releasing their second history book. they signed a 4 book deal with their publishers. I know that I need a clear vision for what I want to do but I am willing to work hard. I do appreciate your caution and worry though
I’m a working class girl from Birmingham. Mate I understand your pain
This feels incredibly performative to me. It's faux intellectualism taken to an absolutely theatrical extent. I'm okay with wearing one's intellectualism on one's sleeve, but there's a line. To me, a big part of being cultured, well read, etc. is exploring a wide array of influences, and seeing what works for you personally. The fact that they all read the same books and dress the same, well, that's really not the point of the kind of self directed, passionate education they're glamorizing. Don't get me wrong. I get the appeal here. I'm 31. I have a Virginia Woolf themed tattoo. I'm a Criterion Charter Subscriber. I only write in fountain pen. I just had floor to ceiling bookshelves installed for my art books. I get the romance of intellectualism, but a huge part is developing your own unique point of view. If you're dressing the same, reading the same books, listening to the same music, and watching the same movies, that's pseudo intellectualism at best. Being stuck in the past is also not very intellectual. That's being a stick in the mud. Experience some contemporary art, literature, cinema, music. It can't be all escapism, and you need to consume a broader array of media that challenges your perceptions. The end goal should be uniqueness.
Frankly I wish I'd never watched this. I didn't know that my aspirations for self teaching and my love for formal attire were all part of some shallow game of dress up that I didn't even know about until now. I'm 19, I've tried so hard to find my identity and become intelligent despite my nagging impostor syndrome. I have been told that I talk and dress like "an old man", yes, but outside of the aesthetic of intellectualism I thought I was improving because I truly wanted to learn a range of subjects on my own and at some point in my life use the intelligence I was trying to cultivate to help the world. I've always known I'm not bright, and it just felt nice to have a goal and know that no subject was beyond me as long as I had the integrity and the will to learn. Having a little aesthetic on the side wouldn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Now I feel like a stupid, ridiculous joke. I don't even know who I am. I'm just embarrassed. I don't even pour my heart out in the KZhead comments section. I just feel very sorry for even bothering.
@@lucasmckenzie8525 Lucas, there's nothing wrong with having an aesthetic that makes you happy. You are valid. Dressing up doesn't have to be that deep, but some people find solace with clothing that has meaning, and that's ok. In a world that has gone topsy turvy due to the pandemic, we're all looking for ways to connect and find a community. Though individuality is important, there's nothing wrong with wanting to participate in experiencing the same media with others because we're all trying to feel less lonely while socially distancing. The end goal of life isn't uniqueness. It's being authentic to yourself, yes, but instead of focusing on sticking out, just do what makes you happy, as long as it doesn't hurt others. There's nothing wrong with "following the crowd". You don't have to feel sorry. There's no need to dismiss your feelings and what's important to you. Being openly vulnerable takes courage and strength that few people possess. Continue to do whatever you feel is right for you :)
Honestly people need to travel out and see how other people live, the food they eat the houses they live, the way they talk and converse. That's the best way to become cultured.
I agree with this wholeheartedly, although I would argue that the end goal should be wisdom (and uniqueness would be more like a consequence of it).
@@lucasmckenzie8525 You are not a joke, and you are not shallow. If this is how you write at 19, "not bright" is not how you should think about yourself. Frankly, I admire you. You and I have a similar life philosophy... but I got to it at 30. And after a decade in university. Don't worry about what others are doing; enjoy the community if you see yourself reflected in it, and if not... well, then they're only shallow imitations of the real deal. Problem solved :)
"The origin of dark academia" Oh like Frankenstein "This book from 1992" Oh...
Right? No mentions of Poe, Victor Hugo, Mary and Percy Shelley, etc.? I was genuinely surprised.
@@AliciaNyblade I don't think it's literally about dark themed literature but the aesthetic of elite education and well.. just watch it lol
@@janehoe. I did, and I still think the above-mentioned authors qualify for the category. Poe, for instance, is famous for his dark aesthetics in both his work and how he dressed.
@@AliciaNyblade the aesthetic is the eliteness, not literally just dark colors
@@janehoe. Okay.
“Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.” ⠀ - Oscar Wilde
Loved this all my life while never knowing that it was a “thing”. Took a seminar at Cambridge University and studied History at Reed College (which holds the Humanities at its core) and can genuinely say that studying the Humanities does actually change the way you view and process the world and life, so I hope that nobody ever genuinely does away with it.
I agree, I got to do a stint at Trinity and got fairly high up in academia...but switched careers our of pure need (archaeology to software engineering). Nothing changed my view of the world more than my degrees in Anthropology and Art History. However, it also showed me horrible reality in a way that often left me feeling dirty. Sometimes I wonder if the restricting of education and opportunities in the humanities is a long con to the creating of an insensitive elite that votes against the welfare of the world.
The idealism of young people is so refreshing lol I grew up attending private academic institutions, until uni and I hav a love-hate relationship with it, for various reasons. Then here comes young people from non-elite backgrounds fantasising the lifestyle that I quite dreaded haha. It's really fascinating tbh. I'm just glad people are appreciating book-reading, the love for quality, recycling old items and clothes, appreciation of classical music, history, and the arts. Perhaps it is really largely an escape to the mundane lives they have. I'm glad that this phenomenon has allowed people of all backgrounds to embrace this culture and make it their own. Then perhaps, it may slightly erode the monopoly of whiteness and elitism, and more towards inclusivity. My question is, "How long is this "fad" gonna last?", "Are people just interested in the aesthetic and is only interested in the superficial aspect of this "lifestyle"?" Having attended elite schools, one big thing I've noticed is that your familial background matters, and it's very difficult to penetrate their very tight-knit, pretentious, cabal-like group. Even if you feel like you're finally part of their group, you'll realise that you'll always be on the fringes. The actual institutions will progress socially in a glacial pace for it's many benefactors are from a very conservative and reactionary background, but this subculture might be good in revitalising and re-taking this culture and lifestyle.
Yea people are only interested in the appearance of it all unfortunately, just look at all the comments...full of superficial juveniles.
It's not a fad, and the whole basis of the aesthetic is inclusivity being in a world you could never actually belong to seeing as in the time period they reminisce on the women wouldn't have been allowed to attend those schools. And it's not superficial either some people just like the style which is cool but others love the lifestyle as a way of escapism crafting, writing poetry, and sharing their favorite books. And photography is huge. It's not about the real world experience of boarding school, it's about being the main character in your favorite stories. The world they live in exists only in dream and movies.
Same everyone was extremely pretentious and really mean to the children of weaker economic status and I remember how image obsessed the children were from a very young age. Despite growing up in a middle class family I was too ashamed to call them over because I didn't live in a huge house I remember being in 3rd grade begging my parents to buy a mansion like all the other kids parents and have a really expensive hobby like some of the other kids. Thank God I got over it in high school and I had to get bullied to realize that these kids were ruthless and mean and would drop you for anything. I loved the fact that my school gave me many international opportunities and the best education and extra curriculum subjects and also that we were trained to win in competitions and was one of the best and most expensive private schools in the country. My parents put me in it because I was having a hard time since I had shifted and couldn't speak the language well and was specially abled and the private school really did help but at the same time it wasn't the school itself but the environment that I hated.Also I had to see my parents struggle with the fee which made me really sad.
theyre not necessarily all interested in reading or poetry though, this came out of social media u gotta remember; at the end of a day its another thing the markets will commodity if the youths dont beat them to it. though it might be true it's a cry for a more meaningful and aesthetically sensible lifestyle, its from people who ultimately have never known it.
Thats how it is its like with me and my love / soulmate he lives in Germany and he just wants to move to the US he said he loves the vibe here and ppl in Germany judge him while I want to move to Germany since I love the vibe there and the ppl in Germany haha but I honestly would stay where ever hes gonna stay since I want to be with him.
People are starting to critsising universities architecture, I hope that in the future they won't tear down these beautiful buildings.
I seriously doubt it
Why are they criticising them? They're gorgeous.
Dark academia actually gives me motivation to study and reach my goals
AMEN...🙏
I never really saw history as a luxury when I choose it. It was just what I loved. I knew that I wanted to be an intellectual and spend the rest of my life learning. I never planned to leave school but now I see how how it would be difficult for others who did not plan on teaching.
@maru chan I just want to tell you that all my life, exactly this has been my goal. I loved history(still do). I wanted to study ancient Greek and Indian pieces of literature. I love the ancient architectural styles. I wanted to be in a big library full of ancient Greek statues and towering bookshelves full of old books and just read. it was my fantasy world. I wanted to research these topics. but soon realised that it needs money. LOTS OF MONEY. so it just remained a wish. so I want to tell you how lucky you are for being able to choose your career. Please motivate whoever you see to choose their own career and work career. (motivation is really necessary)
I love history too! I was so interested in exploring for lost artifacts and writing them down in a lot of books. Dreamt of finding thousand year old writings and art of my country’s pre colonial era. Its not discussed much because we have so little items from that time or the masses just aren’t interested. History class literally skims over the pre colonial era and then goes into detail about the colonizers. The disregard to our ancestors felt so disrespectful and it still leads to massive injustice against the tribal groups who directly descended from those ancient people. I didn’t end up a History student but I still read about it sometimes. I just hope someone else can accomplish my dream.
When you can't decide between being e - girl and being dark academia
Saaaame. Just do both, sis 👌
Do both
Why not do both and become your own variation?
This comment broke my heart...
@@shreyasiroy3579 Out of interest, why do you find it depressive or feel similar to that of 'breaking ones heart' - is it the indecision?
I only went to part-time community college and stopped because I couldn't afford it anymore, but thanks to the internet I still educate myself on matters in a non-traditional way, even if its just a small sample of academic education. Plus I can learn a lot from analytical videos like here on The Take. Henry Fielding once said that “It is as possible for a man to know something without having been at school, as it is to have been at school and to know nothing."
DA is still a 50/50 for me. While I do like how it romanticizes pursuit of knowledge, learning for the sake of self-improvement and not grades and appreciating classics, I can't help being put off by how the aesthetic is exclusively narrowed to white, upperclassmen style. Like, if I spend money on books and love studying classics but I don't dress like an English elite then I'm not DA, I'll just be a nerd. It's like lowkey telling us youngins that to appreciate knowledge, you need to embrace a certain aesthetic and only that aesthetic. Sounds very superficial to me.
I mean, dark academia is largely a style too, just like punk or cottagecore or any other aesthetic. And you don’t have to be rich or white. A lot of the DA accounts I follow thrift shop for affordable clothes, visit free libraries instead of buying books, and advocate for inclusivity. I’ve seen a lot of black women in particular who absolutely rock this style. I’m sure there are people who only like it for superficial reasons or who try to gatekeep it, but that happens with every aesthetic sooner or later imo
You don't have to wear the clothing to be DA!
Do they read about beauty and want to surround themselves with it? Or do they surround themselves around beauty in hopes of finding it beautiful?
isn't beauty a personal preference? how is it 'surrounding themselves around beauty' if they don't find it beautiful?
What I love about these trends with aesthetics is seeing how different people democratize, queer, gender-f*ck, invert, and decolonize elements of the original material. That's the power of it, right there.
It’s still entirely Eurocentric
I majored in film, minored in philosophy, taught myself 3 languages, and spent a ton of time in poetry workshops AND took too many history classes, and worked as private tutor. I'm cool now? I'm confused haha! In all seriousness though, I love the discussion of the traditionally exclusionary nature of elite education. I didn't really know this was a thing. From what I can tell, this is still largely an aesthetic choice but I'm glad that there are still people who give a damn about the humanities.
I have an english degree. didn't know this was a thing either. Ironically, people at my university who got weeded out of stem and business majors typically pursued liberal arts degrees because it was the easiest path of least resistance in terms of being weeded out
@@teddyschlong9063 Same here, everyone thought a film degree was the easiest thing you could get. Haha
not cool because no sweater vest. ~this aesthetic pretty much.
We miss you Robin Williams. We can never forget you
While I love and dress in the aesthetic, the actual institutions people romanticize are based on elitism, classism and racism. As a Black woman I wouldn’t want to be at a private rich boarding school at all.
Same. It seems fun on the surface but I know that the aesthetic wasn't made with someone who looks like me, a fellow Black woman, in mind
I went to a private school and I’m black, quit the victim mentality
@@meiday154 Jesus Christ 🤦🏾♀️
@@hentai7444 as a fellow black woman, I agree. All these people are crying because they want there to be more inclusivity✨ in an aesthetic that is based on European and Greek cultures. Like, no. I like it the way it is, you can't wear Indian clothes and call it dark academia because It won't install the same feeling as the actual aesthetic. You can also like dark academia, be black and go to a private boarding school without dying. Quit whining
Not to be mean, but when that one launched into her Dark Academia fantasy set in Dublin, Ireland, but with a Derry Girls accent. I mean, cool for you, but Ireland is actually a real place.
😂😂😂 I had to replay that bit twice to figure out wtf she was trying to do!
I had to stop the video at that moment and look for comments regarding that. Haha.
My eyes almost popped out of my head from the nonstop intense eye rolling...
Same.
Because of the video or the topic?
@@agnes4606 topic
@@agnes4606 The video, mainly. I've always felt the opposite. Knowledge in the past decades has been actually widely available for all in public libraries and now on the internet for free for all to access. This "dark academia" bullshit is just that...bullshit.
@@covfefe_drumpfh what do you mean with bullshit?
Stop spending money on achieving the DA aesthetic and just use it to buy all the books you want and love. Don't make academia a fad.
Ikr
Why? Get a library card.
I don't know if I'd call myself a dark academic---I'm an actual college student, so I don't have time to look good---but I don't blame people for wanting clothes that they like. If it makes them happy, whatever, right? Besides, you can get most of the classics for free online! That's what I do, especially since I move so often that I can't accumulate any more books than I already have.
Yeah, this is just repulsive to me. There are so many issues with academia too that they are just glorifying, one being the exclusivity and wealth required to become an academic aka an educated, well-read person, which isn't true at all in the internet age.
People like to dump an the idea of an aesthetic as somehow "fake" or superficial. It isn't. It's art. It's life made into art. I wish people were doing this kind of thing when I was that age. When I was a teenager, the closest thing we had to an aesthetic life was clothes and jewelry related to music genres. There is so much unexplored potential here.
I've been waiting on this since you guys put out the cottagecore video
I got a theatre degree and it was actually SUPER classist. We were supposed to get permission from the department to have an outside job even though I had to secretly have two just to get by. How popular you are and how many opportunities you get also depends upon how much time you are able to spend on campus, so if you have to work you are looked down upon as "lazy" and "uninvolved". However, a few professors noticed me and had been in a similar situation themselves, especially my directing professor, one day he pulled me into his office and encouraged me until I sobbed. He was like "I had to work all through university too but things will get better and you MUST direct films, and write screenplays, and novels, and act in films, and you will and it will be amazing, you are capable of so much fantastic creation." Of course, it was 9 am and I was sleep-deprived so all I could really do was cry lmao. Basically the mentorship you can find in universities and the things you are able to learn and the passions you can discover are probably ... sort of .. worth being in crippling debt for the rest of your life. :/ I'd do it again if I had the chance to rewind time. I was poor before, at least now I'm poor and educated.
I have a love/hate relationship to aesthetics. As someone with a bachelors in literature and history and who wants to pursue folklore in grad school, I really love the vibe and of things like dark academia and cottagecore. I love the clothes and the imagery and the whole vibe (I have definitely felt myself thinking about my wardrobe as fitting an aesthetic). However, I have found that they push a narrow, euro-centric (basically colonial) mindset of these fields and miss the mark on what these fields bring. It romanticizes them to the point of stifling their modern importance and never expand on either the issues with romanticizing the aesthetic of privilege or focus on places outside of Europe who have contributed to the fields they love to escape to.
This reminds me deeply of a discussion I once had with several women in a moms' group I was in. The topic for the week was which Era would you have liked to live in and why. I went first and I think I may have traumatized the other women who were all having a fun time dreaming up begone eras "where women supported each other", you know because they had to. I said if it wasn't possible to say I wish I was from the future then present day was the only choice since I would have died in childbirth otherwise. The rest of the women all realized that they or their babies required medical interventions and thus also would have died. While it is fine to romantize the past as a form of escapism, we also need to realize that there's a reason we have labeled elements of it as "problematic" and are actively trying to be and do better.
Then again, how do you think it would go down if a bunch of white girls starting creating ‘aesthetics’ about cultures other than Europe?
@@ravenclawthestral3964 Exactly, everyone would start saying that it's cultural appropriation. Meanwhile, when white girls stick to white culture, it's called being euro-centric and colonialist. Which one is better? (Although I know there can never be a better option, because people will point fingers either way).
@@ravenclawthestral3964 you're saying that as if they don't do that already
@@edithputhy4948 and what is wrong with that?
My initial reaction to this trend was to find it a bit silly, but anything that makes education attractive to people can't be a bad thing really.
Every video about aesthetics needs to have comments like "Oh I have that life and it's not that romantic and glamourous". Like, WE KNOW. That's why we romanticize it XD. If it was perfect we wouldn't have to romanticize it.
True. 🤣 It's like people who bring up the bad side of fashion industry or movie industry like we know it's not perfect but people are still going to romanticize supermodels and movie stars. 😂
.....don’t romanticize it then? what’s the point of this comment. glamorizing or romanticizing anything that shouldn’t be is delusional and harmful. and way to go bring dismissive about people who ACTUALLY live that lifestyle. what a joke.
@@bubbles4897 Romanticizing things is just what humans do. Also, I'm an artist. Art is literally about romanticizing things, taking something and making it beautiful. It's just normal. Romanticizing is not about saying everything is "good", it's just seeing beauty in all aspects of life. The good, the bad, and yes, even the ugly has it's charm. It feels a little like mindfulness? Idk. It's not possible to live without romanticizing things. At least not for a human.
@@Ariel_is_a_dreamer seeing the beauty in things isn’t romanticizing. Literally it’s just making things romantic, which means several things all adding up to idealization and being impractical. Pick up a dictionary or google it jesus. Art isn’t about romanticizing things?? Have you ever read watched a very depressing ass movie that’s all dark and grim? bcus there are hundred of those. art literally can be anything lol. you being an artist doesn’t excuse shit. I write. I create. that doesn’t mean I idealize and romanticize everything. “taking something and making it beautiful” I can’t properly articulate how funny and pitiful it is that you thought you said something here. you don’t know what art is at all apparently
Yup. Literally everything's problamatic if you dig too deeply into it - that doesn't mean you can't enjoy things. Classical music remains nice regardless if people back then weren't very socially enlightened.
Why is it that every time I go "I'm going to change my animal crossing island to this aesthetic" the next day youtube sends me a video that's like "Your aesthetic is problematic and here's why." But I do like the idea of reclaiming the aesthetics. For me I never truly want to time travel back to time that aesthetics are from (I mean, in the sense of living there, but a chance to time travel in general would always be too interesting to pass up [except for the ramifications of messing with time]), I'd rather it be brought forward. Bring back the things you like about it like hard cover books with foiled spines, or old, carved wooden desks, or vintage jackets and shirts/blouses, but inject it with things you like/find essential about the modern era. And I love how we also learn how to do it in a way that makes it accessible to everyone, like mentioned in the video. But of course it's always important to learn about and acknowledge the harmful aspects of things we may like to embrace, like dark academia, in order to not repeat (or defend) the same mistakes of the past and to avoid doing harm.
I had to come on here and say I started sobbing after the clip of Robin Williams in the dead poets society saying "poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for". Hit me so hard in my heart. Rip Robin, I hope you are somewhere beautiful and where you can find peace and happiness.
Thanks for including the tip to skip over to a precise time frame to avoid spoilers on The Secret History. All your videos are well researched and carefully curated and I appreciate and thank you for that. Great job!
Cool, we got hipsters for Gen Z.
Don't talk to me! I am famous! Don't dislike my good good GOOD videos! Don't talk to me, dear min
Yeah, but now it's our entire generation, and I love it xD
@@Ariel_is_a_dreamer Yeah it is! Keep it alive and own it!
HA!
@@mintiestfreshness Wow, thanks! I thought you were going to mock me xD
I literally just curated songs for my DA playlist! The timing is just 😙👌🏻
Very interesting video, I come from an elitist educational background (Oxbridge) and studied a niche subject. You really described the shortcomings of modern-day education well.
I think my version of this as a teen, was reading Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles and wanting to be a member of Talamasca, I also had a heavy crush on Rupert Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Later in life, it was enjoying Diana in Deborah Harkness' A Discovery of Witches. I guess I preferred my Dark Academia with supernatural elements?
To be honest I was expecting some mention of HP Lovecraft and Miskatonic U.
I have been waiting so long for this deconstruction !! Spill the ☕️ I am so ready!! Also I am a teacher and I like the aesthetic. The elitist tune of its dark side is super apparent; however, experiencing clothes that were only accessible to my white peers and seeing it on myself is so lovely and enjoying my book obsession through my clothes is so uplifting during Covid.
My dad studied in a boarding school in the 80s Peru. It was a catholic school so he learned latin and religion. He loves his school and all the memories, but the place was really expensive. My grandparent worked a lot for my dad and uncle just so they could be there. When I told him about dark academia he was happy because he remembered his teen years.
I felt like that it was an aesthetic about education, being nerdy, curious and wearing grandpa clothes, so it clicked with me. Also I liked that it was European, because this time an aesthetic wasn't American
When you go to private school, but not a boarding school: *_So close, yet, so very, very, far._*
This is why I feel that one of the best education systems would be a blend of K-12, Montessori, and Classical. Also, we NEED a revival of apprenticeships.
what i like about dark academia is that it takes time to appreciate education instead of rushing it. it doesn’t focus on only teaching skills to make money but to have a fulfilled mind instead. i think it’s fascinating especially during the pandemic with online school
Hm... I can't help but think: Isn't this just a subset of Goth with a dash of Preppy?
First Cottage-core, then Dark Academia, please tell me Steampunk is coming soon!
I'm guessing you're not really aware of what others are into, but i can say that steampunk unfortunately, hasn't really made an appearance on the internet yet.
@@Vic-dd2ri I'm confused by your comment. Do you really not think Steampunk is a thing? 🤔
@@tshoultz2328 no haha, i like steampunk, it's just not as popular as those 2
@@Vic-dd2ri WHAT?!? Are you kidding?! Steampunk as been around for decades! There are whole movies, TV shoes, TONS of video games, all in the Steampunk aesthetic. I guess, maybe, it's not as common as a personal aesthetic. It would be harder to get away with Steampunk-style clothes at a standard office job; not a simple as throwing on a cardigan or tweed vest. Its also fair to say I am out of touch with what is "popular". I don't do tiktok or Instagram or whatever you kids are into these days. KZhead is as close to social media as I get. But... I'd still love to see The Take do a video on Steampunk! 😉
@@tshoultz2328 Just because it was around for decades doesn't mean it's the most popular trend at this moment. Although a lot of young people still sometimes dress in that style, I'm pretty sure steampunk peaked in the late 90s-early 2000s, in terms of popularity. It might make a big comeback in the future with all the trends from that era coming back though.
I was subconsciously introduced to Dark Academia in elementary school when I first picked up A Bad Beginning from the A Series of Unfortunate Events.
I am a student belonging to the lower middle class in a third world country. I do not have the affluents to have the dark academia fashion or buy hardcover classic books . But I still like to say Dark academia is my aesthetic because i love to romanticize studying , i have to study long hours to afford a college and almost all of my teenage is consumed in academics alone. Dark academia for me is an escape , something that makes my life a bit bearable . Sometimes when i stay up studying for 8 hours , i like to imagine myself as a mad detective in the old world looking for ways to solve the mysteries . I listen to classical music and write mostly on paper, keep a diary and read literature and that is enough dark academia for me personally .
where were the hardcovers paperback books exist. I don't think anyone is gatekeeping the **darness of your book cover** lol but yeah they are w the fashion haha.
I remember a video by Friendly Space Ninja "The Bizarre Legacy of Gossip Girl", that basically said Gossip Girl was meant to comment on elitism just like The Secret History.
I really love this in-depth vibe into an aesthetic and would love to see more like this
Oh wow! Awesome video, thanks for including some of my content🤎
Dark academianis my fave aesthetic, esp the clothes, so autumn
I've always been more drawn to the humanities rather than science oriented subjects. However, where I live, humanities are often viewed as a waste of time or just not important. When I discovered dark academia, I found a community where these subjects were loved and seen as something of actual worth. I do of course see the elitism, but I also see "aesthetics" such as dark academia as a way of reclaiming spaces that weren't earlier available for everyone. The aesthetic can of course be applied on many different fields of study, but for me dark academia was an amazing opportunity to get the world to realise how important subjects such as art history and philosophy are. I also love how dark/light academia is about a true love for learning, because in the real world a whole lot of people can't afford to go to university for any other reason than to eventually make money to survive. And as we all know, studying the humanities in capitalist societies most probably won't result in much money. I think this shows that a lot of people actually are curious and want to learn things, wer'e just not allowed to enjoy learning critical thinking and learn things that won't make us become immediate slaves for capitalism. If there is one thing I wish could improve within the community, it's inclusion of other cultures in terms of literature, philosophy etc. Because atm I feel like history outside of ancient greek / rome is mostly ignored. Well thank you for coming to my TED talk and sorry if my english was bad :)
I LOVE that definition for aesthetics - that's honestly something that speaks to me on a very deep level
What I love about this aesthetic is it reminds me so much if my childhood. Not that we were elite at all, but we lived in a small city that could not afford to build new schools, so my elementary and Jr high schools were beautifully dark and ancient with carved wood everywhere. Miles of old oak bookcases lines with books. So very satisfying ❤️
I went to private school and, for me, Dark Academia is nostalgic but I think that aesthetic would have appealed to me anyway (Even as a kid I really liked my winter uniform because it had a tie and everything matched.) I absolutely love how it's spreading beyond that narrow situation and that people who want it are making it happen for themselves. I love seeing that passion and I love that people are fighting for the arts. Their value really is being missed by politicians who only listened in economics class. The arts mark the soul of the people and teach us empathy and we need that more than ever.
I just though the color combo slaps ya'll
As a language major aspiring my master's, I'm in tears watching this. Well done, guys!
Dark academia aesthetics also situates us in a time where design wasn't necessarily practical or smart, but it was focused on the artisanal virtuosity of people handling materials... the objects from other eras are, I think, closer to ideas, whereas objects nowadays are closer to the already consented representations of ideas (again, falling into practicality). I loved this video essay, The Take!
The Humanities need a revival and with less snobby gatekeepers. Also, every CIS-Het Man should learn Sociology and or Psychology.
And philosophy
Sociology and psychology aren't real fields though. 90% of their studies can't be replicated
Some of the local coffee houses back in my hometown had a similar aesthetic, with a touch of the cottage core look. I loved going to them in winter when I had enough time off work and money. I would buy a hot drink and sit for hours reading history articles on my laptop or tablet and enjoying the occasional conversation with some elderly people about some of their stories of life growing up, many of whom were immigrants. I learned many things for the price of a cup of coffee. I never had the opportunity for college, since I usually worked multiple jobs at a time just to survive in my 20s. The coffee houses were the next best thing
Scarlet Tsubasa, generations ago coffee houses were nicknamed "penny university" because people gathered there and read and discussed and learned together.
I love how many times Jack Edwards has been featured in this. He is my absolute favourite creator and he talked about some very important problems with the DA aesthetic at the end of his video.
Great analysis. Thank you ! Yall do awesome work.
So i'm an intercultural business psychology student and currently in my third (out of four total) online semester and dark Academia honestly is what keeps me sane and motivated sometimes.
Most people love learning in their own way. And we all just hope to enjoy the process! I love it for the music and clothes. But I understand how there are always dark sides to everything. I am choosing to keep on the positive part.
More videos about aesthetics please. Love them.