#Witchcore: The Trending Aesthetic
Anything from Sabrina the Teenage Witch to witches of Hogwarts all the way to Paganism, Wicca, esotericism and the occult. Witches are taking the world by storm with the witchcore aesthetic trending across the board in fashion, interiors, arts and culture. If there was ever a time to find a star-studded dress, a moon crescent necklace, a gothic pair of candlesticks, and all-things-witchy in décor and accessories, this is the time to find it, and it no longer is only in the ‘Halloween’ section of home décor at Poundland!
‘Witchcore’ is an aesthetic movement coined by the youth influencers of the TikTok generation and has spread like wildfire. The aesthetic is about expressing yourself whether through clothing, make-up and beauty or home décor and creative visuals. Think of taxidermy, cloaks, crystals, bell sleeve dresses, potion bottles, plants and herbs, moons, stars, the sun and planetary systems in designs and decorations. With over 49.8 million views on TikTok, the aesthetic without a doubt has taken off to dizzying heights.
But why?
During the pandemic the world has taken on ‘survival techniques’ or ‘new beginnings’ to get through the global health crisis, locked behind closed doors. With the loss of financial freedom, and mourning the death of loved ones, this period has been a time of mourning, reflection, self-caring, and appreciation. Simultaneously, with the #BlackLivesMatter movement the world has risen against the establishment and broken down society’s barriers through establishing support, diversity, and inclusion. It seems that, as ‘The Atlantic’ mentions, ‘Whenever there are events that really shake the foundations of society, people absolutely turn towards the occult’. The youth – as well as most of the population in the UK, USA and most of the world – have lost every confidence in the establishment, and with constant broken promises being at the core of politics it is little surprise that they turn to magical and other-worldly means to find solutions.
However, Witchcore is not to be confused with witchcraft.
Practicing witches have expressed their concern regarding the Witchcore aesthetic and consider it ‘extremely disrespectful’. In clarifying their concerns, they have mentioned that, although witchcraft is a practice and not a religion, like other forms of spiritual practice it is considered a disrespect and a sort of mockery to use it as an aesthetic.
Therefore, Witchcore and witchcraft are hugely disparate in their representations. A quick look on TikTok will show that #witchcore looks at the fashionable and decorative side, the ‘aesthetic’ while #witchcheck comes up with results of witches practicing witchcraft and spellbinding.
Practicing and self-proclaimed witches have expressed also the positive side of their acceptance in the mainstream through the Witchcore movement. Witches have been portrayed as ‘scary’ and ‘evil’, and during colonial times have been persecuted because of these views, you only need to read up on the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Though witches can crossover between Witchcore and witchcraft by practice and through aesthetics, the same cannot be said for those who are not Wicca, Pagan or witches who can (or should) only enjoy the visual aesthetic of Witchcore. Personally, though I am not Pagan or Wicca, I openly enjoy elements of the Witchcore as I have a beautiful dress from Collectif which I thrifted from the ‘Alternative Bring and Buy Market’ which takes place in the Dome, Tufnell Park (a place I frequented in my university days listening to rock and nu metal music). I own a selection of delightful moon and stars jewellery which adorn and complete my outfits when I am out and about, especially when going to Slimelight to enjoy some goth music and 80s synth pop, like Sisters of Mercy and Depeche Mode.
For me, being outwardly Greek Orthodox Christian, enjoying Witchcore is a ‘respectful nod’ to my powerful female counterparts, regardless of their practices or faith. There is a resounding feminist movement that is essentially at the core of witchcraft, though being a witch has no gender. Practicing witches are female, transgender, gay, lesbian and everyone in-between; it is a collective which actively shows their distaste towards the patriarchy. Being a feminist myself, following Witchcore means I not only enjoy fashion, interiors and art which I naturally am attracted to and interested in as a visual aesthetic, but I also get the chance to diversify my connections and networks which includes those who are Pagan, Wicca, and even atheist. My motto in life is to love all. As long as there is mutual respect, I live in peace with all humankind.
There are ‘aesthetic movements’ that have been inspired by different practices and faiths.
You only have to scroll through the interesting list by Aesthetics Fandom Wiki to find a few of the aesthetics that modern society and youth culture especially are driven by. I had a peep to decide for myself whether Witchcore is at all a mistaken form of ‘disrespect’ towards my fellow witches out there. I came across the aesthetics: Angelcore, Christcore and Sacricore which essentially fall under the realm of Christian belief and reading up on the aesthetics I came to the conclusion that, speaking for myself, the aesthetic use of Christian symbolism for is not an issue. I practice my faith with prayer, listening to psalms from the bible at church, taking holy communion, and visiting my most beloved Makhairas Monastery in the Troodos Mountains in Cyprus to offer my respects. I wear my cross and, being Greek, we also wear the blue eye which protects against the evil eye. Should the Christcore aesthetic all of a sudden blow up into national media or should some sort of new aesthetic like – I am going in way over my head here! – ‘Orthodoxcore’ come into fruition: with an intense dramatic gold-leaf interior design aesthetic adorning deep crimson red carpets and a large wooden ornate cross, I wouldn’t suddenly feel that my faith is being ‘disrespected’ as such. Aesthetics are just that, a look, an expression, a creative visual. Though it can come with a faith element for a ‘believer’ or a ‘practitioner’, you can follow an aesthetic out of pure ‘fandom’ – and I strongly believe I am a fan of the gothic, the dark-romantic, and Witchcore.
Witch aesthetics come in all forms and do not necessarily mean you wear a black dress with a black pointy hat and live with a black cat.
If Aesthetics Fandom Wiki is anything to go by there are cross-over aesthetics when it comes to witch aesthetics. For example, with the rise in self-care during the pandemic herbs and potions have been at their peak with the need to offer relaxation to the mind and sweet-smelling calming essences to the home, or taking much needed peaceful hikes in the forest, your local nature reserve or national parks to connect with nature and exercise to increase those endorphins or even to take up meditative hobbies like baking, cooking and gardening. This post-apocalyptic hell has catapulted humankind towards reverting to the grassroots of nature which can be found in the Cottagecore or Naturecore aesthetics as well as Farmcore and Forestcore. Self-care can also involve the ‘spiritual’ which is at the heart of Fairycore and Crystalcore. Whatever ‘core’ aesthetic you choose, all of these have a deep-rooted connections to Witchcore and the essence of everything that is beautiful about witch aesthetic, though these are far from the only ones – ever heard of Bubblegum Witch?
The core of the aesthetic is to celebrate beauty surrounding different witch elements. There is no ‘one’ fashion sense – what does that really mean? – though Witchcore covers anything from the nature-loving boho chic, folk and hippie style all the way to dark, romantic, leather-bound, lace-infused, velvety gothic style (which reigned in the early 80s with synth pop music culture). If you need inspiration just look up the famous lead singer of Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks and you can’t go wrong.
Inspiration is everywhere.
Inspiration is in the world of haute couture fashion, of which Alexander McQueen is the most infamous. His deep love for the romantic gothic is present in his published book, suitably titled ‘Savage Beauty’ by Andrew Bolton, the curator of McQueen’s astounding exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In high street fashion you only have to look as far as H&M’s collaboration with The Vampire’s Wife, a collection which, as The Stylist comments, ‘With puffed sleeves, ruffled hems, high necklines and decadent fabrics – it’s a bewitching gothic dream’.
To be honest, personally I am a huge haute couture fashion with designer items I have found as bargains or have stocked up during the 20 years my mother has worked at Harrods and bought me beautiful gifts from Chanel to Dior. My bookcase represents my interests from ‘Vogue The Cover’ to The Devil Wears Prada. And yes, I do own The Vampire’s Wife X H&M collection items like the silver lace dress and fang necklace and I own ‘Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty’. I did a Foundation in Fashion back in 2016, where I explored and combined my love for gothic romantic with my intense interest in Greek architectural antiquity – for which I got a distinction!
When it comes to Witchcore I can safely say I have well and truly absorbed the essence of it and can to point you to the right direction in the aesthetic - whether it’s a cosmic creation for your living room or a beautiful bell-sleeved number for your wardrobe.
Whether or not you agree with my viewpoint around the distinction between Witchcore as an aesthetic and witchcraft as a practice, as Wired magazine states, ‘it [witchcraft] has become embedded in popular culture’, and I am inclined to agree. Since witchcraft is an age-old practice and not just ‘pop culture’, which anyone can take or leave at a whim or when in vogue, I think the definition of Witchcore as an ‘aesthetic around the fandom of anything witch related’ will suffice.
For those just dipping their toe into witchcraft, you only have to search #babywitch to explore the world of spellbinding. If, in fact, you are a convert into the practice of witchcraft – nobody is here to judge you. For the rest of us, who stand in adoration of the artistic elements that surround the world of witches, we live in awe and contentment satisfying our aesthetic desires with Witchcore.
Written by Maria Nicolette
Maria Nicolette is a Writer and PR Assistant, and a “constant contradiction”, she won’t hide her taste for ‘prestige’, is proud to announce everywhere she goes her achievements ‘graduating with MSc Management from Cass Business School’ or ‘worked at Coutts Private banking and in KPMG as an intern’. She loves luxury and fashion, and loves her mum too - who works in Harrods and buys her the best designer clothes! She seems a snob, but really a life of hard hits has grounded her, with a disability she strives to live according to her values; fairness, equality, helping others, female empowerment, disability inclusion. She enjoys giving back, she volunteers at the Brain Injury Hub as PR assistant writing articles for the ‘news’ section. She loves art and culture; she volunteers for Camden Arts Centre and spends a lot of money investing in street art and a lot of her spare time visiting galleries and museums. She is the dark horse in her family and a bit of an entertainer; she worked as a feature film extra for Mission Impossible 5, has taken part in the NHS 111 video, has done modelling for four years, and been amateur singing with her friend’s band. She loves graphic novels and would love to write her own in collaboration with an illustrator (apply within) – and is a bit of a goth and a geek, she isn’t impartial to some MMO gaming, loves fantasy fiction and sci-fi, and has cosplayed as Abigail Whistler.
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