I think the cottagecore aesthetic grew out of representation in anime and Tumblr reposts, along with other less-practical/mundane aesthetics like goblincore. Ra

I think the cottagecore aesthetic grew out of representation in anime and Tumblr reposts, along with other less-practical/mundane aesthetics like goblincore. Rather than an actual back-to-the-land movement. With the pandemic it became sort of mainstream and synonymous for a desired or actual lifestyle and not just fashion and aesthetic sensibility, which is why the core suffix seems out of place.