light academia

English

Alternative forms

• Light Academia

Etymology

Coined as a logical opposite of dark academia, said to be from a popular Tumblr text post by Ella (@plantaires) posted on 17 January 2019.

Noun

light academia (uncountable)

1. (Tumblr aesthetic) An aesthetic which romanticizes classic literature and academia with a lighter and more cheerful vibe than that of dark academia. [from 2019]
   • 2020 April 24, Caroline Edwards, “Dark Academia is the witchy literary aesthetic sweeping TikTok”, in i-D‎^[2], archived from the original on 25 April 2020:

     Gen Z have reclaimed dark academia and have built a growing community on TikTok, alongside other budding aesthetics like cottagecore, grandmacore, goblincore and light academia.

   • 2021 February 26, Maija Kappler, “Gen-Z Fashion Trends Include Goblincore, Crochet Bucket Hats”, in HuffPost‎^[3], archived from the original on 18 September 2021:

     Light academia, as you could probably guess, is a more normie, pastel take. […] “With 48 percent of our active users being Gen Z, we saw overall engagement increase around light academia timed to back-to-school in September,” Tumblr’s trend expert Amanda Brennan told Nylon.

   • 2021 spring, Daniel Kang, Rachel Ker, Ivanna Tjitra, “Letter from the Editors”, in Beckman Chronicle, volume IV, edition II, page 03:

     The 2021 Spring Magazine’s theme is “Spring Picnic.” This theme encompasses all things fairy[-]tale, cottagecore, light academia and a hint of scrap-booking.

   • 2021 December 28, Emilie Friedlander, “The Year in Aesthetics, From Dark Academia to McBling”, in Vice‎^[4], archived from the original on 28 December 2021:

     Light Academia is softer, underlining how calm, happy, and marvelous student life is: an almond latte, freshly picked oranges, book-pressed flowers, a newly bought nib.

   • 2022 March 25, Jason Diez, “Looks to Slay Bloom in Spring”, in The Collegian, number 8, San Joaquin Delta College, page 4:

     For those who’re fairly aware of Dark Academia, know the twin sister “Light Academia” that focuses on softer and brighter tones.

   • 2022 October 1, “The Light Academia pack”, in Cosmopolitan:

     Any Light Academia girl would have these ~sophisticated~ games at home.

   • 2022 October 12, Sarah Beck, “‘Fall’ in love with autumn fashion”, in The Merciad, volume 96, number 04, page 10:

     Lastly, a good chunky flat Mary Jane or loafer is another absolute must this fall, playing into the trending dark and light academia aesthetic.

   • 2023 January 8, Adele Cardani, “Trend Zone”, in The Independent:

     The last year brought us a slew of style aesthetics that materialised on TikTok – regencycore, clean girl, dark academia, light academia, crustaceancore, plazacore, pilates princess, 2014 Tumblr soft grunge, and perhaps most recently, “frazzled English woman” – just to name a few.

   • 2023 January 14, Daisy Woodward, “Gen Z and young millennials' surprising obsession”, in BBC‎^[5], archived from the original on 14 January 2023:

     Digital microtrends Dark Academia and Light Academia – dedicated as they are to the romanticisation of a passion for art and knowledge through imagery – both make rousing use of classical music in order to create the desired ambience.