The Simple Life: Sourdough, Cottagecore & the Stay at Home Girlfriend
Unit 2: Modern Aesthetics of Gender Roles; Topic 1: Intro
Hello Angel,
A quick note on how to engage with this article.
1. Like a class curriculum, each topic is part of a larger unit that dives into a distinct subject. Think of it like a vinyl record, each topic can be enjoyed as a track or fully experienced like an album. Subscribe to get them weekly in your inbox!
2. No knowledge gatekeeping here! We’re neophytes ourselves, presenting our laywomen’s research from topics that make us curious. If you see a bolded term, it is defined in the glossary at the end of this article.
3. Look out for underlined passages, these are your portal down the knowledge rabbit hole and lead to further reading. Insatiable? Original sources are merchandised on our interactive reference page at the end.
4. This is a *reciprocal* experience! We invite you to contemplate the discussion questions at the back. Or even cooler, forward the topic to a friend, colleague, or your crush and start a meaningful conversation.
Curiously,
Ambi & Abbey
Cottage Core
It’s 2020, the fresh smell of focaccia is showering your nose neurons. You’ve perfected breadmaking, and your windowsill garden of parsley and basil is absolutely thriving. You have become the type of person with the wherewithal to document the process for your IG stories. Click, click, you’re snapping videos for an audience of adoring fans (see also: Mom). The money shot of the bread rising in the oven is sure to inspire pixel hearts.
Ding! Time to reap the fruits of your labor. You pull out your phone to savor the moment, made sweeter by its documentation.
You tuck your hair behind your ears and position your phone on the counter, in that spot where the lighting hits just right when you open the oven.
Anticipation rises like a yeast time-lapse video as you take the first bite and… F**k! You forgot to hit record. End scene.
Do you ever feel a strange sense of nostalgia for the sense of profound accomplishment of making your own bread during quar? Or [insert analog domestic activity] that you took up in the chaos of global catastrophe? Us, too.
This sourdough surge is just a single thread in the tapestry of back-to-the-land escapism content that flooded our feed circa 2020 under the hashtag #cottagecore.
Breadmaking and other life-sustaining domestic practices have undergone a rebrand and folded into an aesthetic movement. What is it about this Luddite, pastoral culture that is so appealing to our modern lives?
Cottagecore, a stylized portrayal of pastoral life popularized by adolescents and young adults celebrating an idealized rural life, exploded into the zeitgeist in early 2020.
This ethos of escapism romanticizes domestic labor, a growing trend among Gen Z internet aesthetics.
Stay at Home Girlfriend (SAHGF)
Parallel to cottagecore has been the stay-at-home-girlfriend aspirations. While cottagecore as an aesthetic is not inherently gender-coded, the stay-at-home girlfriend tropes wholeheartedly embrace traditional gender roles.
While the term “stay-at-home moms” imply legal security through marriage or paternity, their girlfriend counterpart does not have the same sense of stability. The SAHGF is a kept woman and earns her keep through domestic chores and fidelity, tasks she performs cheerily in lieu of a career.
Both cottagecore and SAHGF trends idealize domestic labor, work that has typically been performed by women without remuneration.
And while society has come a long way in the range of opportunities for women, the aspirations of cottagecore and SAHGF archetypes are sentimental for the days of yore. Across time, the deep and profound satisfaction of baking the perfect loaf is undeniable.
Buckle up, buttercup. In the next units, we will consider what our fascination with domestic duties reveals about the current cultural climate and reminisce on the roots of domestic roles and unremunerated work. This is a dialogue and invites you to consider your own ideas with the discussion questions in the comments, a journal, or with a loved one you email forward this.
Discussion Questions:
What do you think the Barbie movie asserts about gender roles?
Do you think this romanticism of domestic labor is harmful or liberating?
What do you think these archetypes say about our desires?
Glossary:
Cottagecore: Refers to an internet aesthetic and lifestyle trend that romanticizes rural, countryside, and idyllic pastoral living.
Remuneration: Compensation for work performed.
Stay-at-Home-Girlfriend (SAHGF): A stay-at-home girlfriend is a woman who does not have a job and is financially supported by her partner. She takes care of household tasks while her significant other typically works and provides for both of them.