By the Numbers: TikTok Aesthetics Gain Search Traction

The e-girl craze taking over TikTok — and Google search — was just the tip of the iceberg. A multiplicity of alternative aesthetics from TikTok are bleeding into search engine traffic, growing as much as 5,000 percent, in the case of the cottagecore trend. “Even the term “aesthetics” has seen a strong growth over the past few years, but it really took off in 2020,” said Yarden Horwitz, cofounder of Spate. “What I’ve seen in my own online research is that these aesthetics are tied to a few different things, like clothing and makeup.”

The aesthetics most popular include cottagecore, named for its emphasis on prairie dresses and agriculture. More fringe are nostalgia-oriented ones, such as the Nineties and Y2K aesthetics. More eccentric looks include angelcore, which focuses on white dresses, angel wings, ethereal makeup and kidcore, which plays with oversaturated primary colors. “When it comes to standing out online, the more bold your look is, the more you’ll be noticed on social media,” Horwitz said. “So, I think these looks are just going to get bolder.” Here, the top 10 growing aesthetics by search volume, year-over-year through December 2020.

 

Top 10 Aesthetics by Search Volume:

Cottagecore: 286,190

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Baddie aesthetic: 80,590

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