#CozyCore
What does "Cozy" mean? Is it an attitude? Is it a thing? Both?
Cottagecore. Cabincore. Goblincore. We are world of never-ending aesthetics (and thank god). One such aesthetic I keep coming across (probably due to the Instagram algorithm) is Cozycore, and my god do I love it.
Cottage, Cabin, and Cozycore are similar. Each romanticize feelings, visuals, and “vibes” that are slow-moving, soft, and relaxed. These aesthetics are antithetical to capitalist societies. We are told to hurry, to be hard, to stress. In a world that pushes us to always be doing and rarely, if ever, feeling, Cozycore asks us to just be. Cozycore flips capitalism on its head and says, “I’m gonna check in with my body first. I’m gonna take time to pause. I’m gonna rest and feel soft and at ease.”
For the sake of this essay, I want to use the definition of cozy from Project Horseshoe’s group report from 2017. They defined cozy specifically for video games, but I think it works more generally as well. The report states:
Coziness itself refers to how strongly a game evokes the fantasy of safety, abundance, and softness.
Safety: …an absence of danger and risk… Familiarity, reliability, and one’s ability to be vulnerable and expressive without negative ramification all augment the feeling of safety…
Abundance: …a sense of abundance. Lower level Maslow needs (food, shelter) are met or being met, providing space to work on higher needs (deeper relationships, appreciation of beauty, self actualization, nurturing, belonging). Nothing is lacking, pressing or imminent.
Softness: …strong aesthetic signals that tell players they are in a low stress environment full of abundance and safety. These are gentle and comforting stimulus, where players have a lower state of arousal but can still be highly engaged and present. There’s often an intimacy of space and emotion, with a slower tempo pace and manageable scope (spatially, emotionally, and otherwise). Soft stimuli implies authenticity, sincerity, and humanity.
The video games Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, and my current favorite, Cozy Grove, all are considered cozy.
Cozy goes really well with video games and other types of media. How many times have you heard someone refer to a tv show or movie they watch religiously as “cozy”? Extending beyond media, cozy relates well to the outdoors and nature. Though we often think of nature as spacious, which, for many seems to be an antonym to cozy, I believe the two are not at odds with each other. Cozy can almost always be created in spacious spaces. Cozy doesn’t always need to connote small, tiny, and enclosed. It can feel freeing (or spacious).
A while ago I read the book, Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World, by Isabel Gillies. Though the book didn’t bring about any new information, I appreciated the thoughts and feelings it stirred in me.
I highlighted just two parts:
Did they understand that coziness doesn’t just appear out of thin air? That it’s a constant endeavor, it changes in the light, it readjusts as you grow, and when you get to know yourself it takes on new meanings?
And:
Cozy is an attitude, not a thing—a shortcut to bringing the most essential parts of ourselves with us wherever we go.
The thing about cozy is that it takes a bit of effort. Coziness is really a self-soothing technique, after all.
Unlike the author, I think cozy can be both an attitude and things/spaces. For example, I always find twinkle lights to be cozy whether they’re in a dive bar, an elegant hotel, or strung amongst trees outdoors. Spaces can feel cozy whether you’re familiar with them or not. Sometimes this is due to feelings of nostalgia or a soothing memory. That being said, in order to feel cozy, our basic needs (food, shelter, safety) must be met first.
Feeling cozy is a bit different than being in a space that is cozy. You can feel cozy anywhere if you work on creating CAP: Cozy Access Points. My own CAP consists of the following:
Grounding/Orienting
Holding/touching something soft/wearing something soft
Drinking a warm beverage
Things that almost always help me feel cozy include:
Cold weather
Dusk/night time
Twinkle lights
Mint tea, hot coco, coffee
Fireplaces/candles
What is cozy to you? Why does the English word feel so inadequate at describing how immense the feeling/vibe is? What feelings does the word evoke in you?
Feeling cozy was the anchor that saved my mental health during the pandemic. It definitely involved Fuzzy blankets and sweaters, flickering flame light bulbs and soft warm lighting, but the main thing was my cozy youtube playlist. I'm very sound-oriented, so I had videos of natural sounds playing, like a library with a crackling fireplace, rain falling on a window, a creek with trickling water, ocean waves, birds. The lush lo-fi playlist on spotify was also playing on repeat.
I love cozy. I don’t have my own definition, well I probably do but honestly am too tired to write much more.
I just love cozy.