Any person who knows anything about aesthetics certainly has already heard about light academia and dark academia. And if you decided to read this post, it probably is because you identify with all the erudite, preppy, mysterious, and nostalgic vibes of the academia aesthetic.
Whether you tend to follow the more mysterious and gloomy path of dark academia or a more artistic and classic track of the light academia, one thing is certain: you love the wisdom vibes and feelings of living in an otherworldy antique and intriguing book surrounding them.
You probably also stumbled on some other academia aesthetics on Instagram and now you want to go deep into the details of visual and lifestyle possibilities surrounding these other types of life that cover the smart-ass vintage core that is presented in the academia aesthetic.
What are the Common Traits of the Academia Aesthetic Subgenres?
Every lifestyle can have an academia aesthetic attached to it. From gothic to ballet, just adding books and vintage details is enough to reach some academia vibes. You can see a complete list of academia aesthetics created by online communities here.
For this post though, I chose some that are not on this list and others that are very popular on Instagram.
All academia aesthetics have these characteristics:
- Scholarly inspired
- Intellectual Focus
- Museums or art in general
- Antique buildings, such as palaces and universities
- Vintage style
- Study and learn
- Classical music
- Galleries, museums, and bookshops
- Candlelit environments
- Delicate vintage jewelry
- Wanderers in the sea of knowledge
So, now that you know that you are an academia person, lets check what is the speifi academia subgenre to live accordingly to the mood that you are more into
10 Academia aesthetic Types: Which one are you?
Dark Academia
Mysterious elegance, academic knowledge, and passion for reading and discovering new truths are at the center of this popular lifestyle that is beautifully represented by the elements below:
🕰 🗝 ☕ Elements of dark academia: library dates, playing chess on a Friday night, wearing darker colors, Hogwarts, private schools, antique typewriters, dark brown, yellow old book pages, coffee shops, and rainy days
⭐ See the complete dark academia aesthetic guide here, and you can dive deep into all the possibilities of this lifestyle by studying and discovering our dark academia guides (hairstyle, gifts, wallpapers, and more)
Light Academia
The optimistic, inspiring, brightening sunny side of academia and university life is highlighted in the light academia aesthetic. An expression of the joy of intellectual pursuits and a reflection of the light colors of ancient Greek architecture and classic sculptures in general. Not too romantic, but rather chic and classic.
🕯✉️ 🏛️ Elements of the light academia aesthetic: optimist, museum dates, notes filled with kind words, positive poetries, white and beige typewriters, daydreams, early mornings, calligraphy
⭐ See the complete light academia aesthetic guide here, and you can enlighten your life with all the possibilities of this lifestyle with our light academia guides (hairstyle, gifts, outfits, wallpapers, and more)
Cottagecore Academia
Go into the woods and run free in the best cottageore style but in academia patterns and colors. There is a darker, more mysterious and less girly romanticism to the cottageore academia that is not seen in the traditional ultra romantic cottageore aesthetic.
🌸🍄📖 Elements of this aesthetic: curiosity, romanticism, feminity, open fields, hot tea, bothanical books.
¨She was a curious girl, a wanderer, who spent her summers chasing fluttering pieces of prose and eating strawberries¨
⭐ See the complete cottagecore aesthetic guide here, and you can channel some simple romanticism to your life with all the possibilities of this lifestyle with our Cottagecore guides (hairstyle, gifts, outfits, wallpapers, and more)
Vintage academia
If you want to look and feel as if you came straight out of a Jane Austen novel. You are smart & intelligent, yet romantic and tough, just like her female characters.
📜 🌾💡 Elements of this aesthetic: linen midi skirts, white blouses, vintage romantic china, rustic decor elements.
Celestial academia
Any Harry Potter fan knows exactly what I am talking about just by looking at the images below. This is the aesthetic associated with the Ravenclaw house. Blue is the color of wisdom and the cosmos mysteries and we can feel it in our souls when we look at the dark or light sky, therefore it is the main color of the Celestial academia. The sophistication of the study of the cosmos and the rare brains of the people who dive into this field is represented by the gold.
🌌🔭 🌙 Elements of the celestial academia aesthetic: Stargazing, smart and quiet, dreamy yet analytical, moon and stars, telescopes, golden and dark blue
Witchy academia
Reading ancient stories about the goddess and knowledge of the occult mysteries, reading old astronomy books, writing spells, and having deep potions knowledge defines the smart and mysterious with academia aesthetic followers.
🔮🕯🃏 Witch academia aesthetic elements: dark mysterious woodland creatures like frogs mushrooms and bats, the woods, crystal balls, tarot, mysterious behavior and aura, nocturnal and lover of the night, black corsets, dark brown hooded coats, occultism books and grimoires, creator of potions and spells
Dark Feminine Academia
Hue of Red, a vintage seductress femme fatale comes as the spice of the wise and powerful mysterious women in this aesthetic that is perfect to channel the classy, sexy powerful, and, of course, intelligent women.
🥀💋🍷 Elements of this aesthetic: red lipstick stained letters and glass of wine, red Mary Janes, candles, red velvet, museum, Moulin Rouge vibes, pearls, sensuality, hints of dark academia goth details, satin dresses in red and black.
Coquette academia
A girlie girl Parisian ballerina with their laces and ballet slippers marries the darkness, vintage tea cups, mysteries, and typewriters of the dark academia.
Chaotic Academia
For the enchanting messy minds out there, who think about so many things at the same time, as if their minds were a cluster of opened tabs, that are reflected in their lifestyle. This one is about loving all the classy, illuminating, intelligible academia elements, but living and embracing a chaotic mind.
Elements of the chaotic academia aesthetic: Buttons undone, scribbled notes in pencil, extra coffee, rebellious energy, napkin poetry, coffee stains on book pages
Cozy Academia
What feels cozier than books and autumn vibes? The cozy academia is a visual aesthetic honor to the ultimate comfort and coziness of the fall palette, book magic, and cozy elements
