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If you’re anywhere near #bookstagram or #booktok, you’ve probably seen#darkacademiaor #lightacademia.
Today, there have been over309.8 million viewsof TikTok videos tagged #darkacademiaaesthetic.
Light academia is even more popular; the hashtag has483.7 million viewsat time of publication.
But the academia aesthetic isn’t a utopia for everyone.
One of its biggest critiques is that there’s a sense of elitism and a heavy Eurocentrism, perRefinery29.
Is the light academia aesthetic problematic?
For Rowan Ellis, that “idealized version of campus life” was far from her reality.
“Anyone can contribute and add their own ways of seeing and experiencing dark academia,” she said.
For others, the academia aesthetic’s emphasis on the unattainable is kind of the point.
Is there a difference between light academia and dark academia?
Even since dark academia started trending on Tumblr in 2014, the aesthetic has evolved.
Anyone can be feminine and anyone can be masculine."
Sorry, no black turtlenecks here.
Other key players in a light academic decor are anything vintage.
But unlike dark academia, light academia favors warm and natural lighting (via The Other Aesthetic).
Bright candles and sunlight are encouraged here.
