Nostalgia Aesthetic
From time to time, I’ll come across an Instagram reel in this format — a carousel of images in grainy quality layered by big, bold text that reads, “POV: it’s a warm, sunny day in…” 2005, 2006, 2007 — somewhere like that. The background music is almost always playing the same soft, morning dove chirps, and in the description, I’ll see a set of hashtags that include at least “#childhood,” “#2000s,” “#nostalgia,” and “#nostalgiacore.” Sometimes I’ll read the comments to see everyone else’s take on this topic and often recognize the same conflicted feelings of sadness and longing.
The term nostalgia can be traced back to the 1700s when it was first introduced by Swiss physician Johannes Hofer. It is derived from the Greek root algos, meaning “pain, grief, distress” and nostos, meaning “homecoming.” Holfer had been observing the behaviors of young Swiss mercenaries and remarked how fighting far away from home had caused them to develop a heart-aching yearning for home. Thus, he came up with the term nostalgia to define their emotional state. Nowadays, this word is used to describe a sentimental longing for past memories that typically evoke feelings of comfort and a sense of security. It’s also common now to find the suffix -core at the end of words that serve to categorize different aesthetics on the Internet. Nostalgiacore refers to the aesthetics of nostalgia. It focuses on the deep appreciation for something from the past, like past time periods.
Our generations are categorized by varying age ranges. Generation Z consists of those born between the years 1997 to 2012. The youngest of Gen Z babies are currently nearing the end of their childhoods, and will soon be reaching adolescence. But for older Gen Z babies, childhood is a time period that they like to revisit because of its simplicity. Digital technology was still relatively new when I was growing up. I can still remember the earliest smartphones that my parents used, when it was only the size of their palms and unlocking the lock screen required swiping a button instead of inputting a passcode. Since digital technology was still in its early stages of development, kids were more inclined to spend time outdoors and engage with their physical environment. Recently though, as digital technology is becoming increasingly more relevant in our daily lives, I’ve been seeing children from the following generation with phones even bigger than the palms of their hands. They are so immersed in the digital world that I wasn’t even introduced to until somewhere around the beginning of my adolescence.
Gen Z is probably the last generation to grow up with a childhood free from the influences of digital technology. Because smartphones were still new, my dad would always take my childhood photos with a small, traditional camera. Those pictures would always have this grainy, vintage texture to them with highly saturated colors. This is the aspect that nostalgiacore captures. Everytime I come across any nostalgiacore related content, I get to briefly relive my fondest childhood memories and feel the pleasant, but also bittersweet feelings that come from revisiting them. And when others share their own personal experiences and or thoughts in the comments, I feel connected to a larger audience. Adolescents around my age in my generation that I can reminisce about the past with.
It is the common ground that helps connect me connect with my generation.
Everyone has their own unique experiences, but the essence of childhood is similar. There was always this feeling of comfort and reassurance.
It is the common ground that helps connect me connect with my generation.
