Round 1, Match 114 — Korean Cozy Beige vs. Ethnogoth
Korean Cozy Beige describes the aesthetic community in Korea that largely centers around images of domesticity in a neutral color palette with ivory, brown, and beige tones. People in Korea generally post these photos to cohesive Instagram accounts, which later get re-uploaded onto Pinterest. These images carry across a cozy yet mature tone, with clean and simple compositions. It often has a blog-style component, with Korean residents showing the cafe they went to, events in their life, places they have traveled to, etc. All the images in the aesthetic have a majority neutral color palette, with beige, ivory, white, and occasionally brown as the primary colors. The lighting in these photos is natural, such as bright and clear sunshine to more muted lighting. One of the most common photo subjects is of cafes and bakeries, which are very trendy in Korea. Bottled milk tea and coffee, lattes, iced beverages in minimalistic white or clear bottles and cups are often the center focus of the image, and are subject of home cafe videos, which are a popular trend in Korea that teaches viewers how to make fancy drinks at home. All manner of sweets and baked goods, such as croissants, cookies, toast, tiramisu, etc. are also photographed. Interior design is another common subject, and largely features cozy and neat homes filled with minimalist furniture in neutral colors.
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Ethnogoth is a niche fashion substyle within the Goth subculture that originated in the mid-2010s. The aesthetic is defined by its fusion of traditional and folk clothing (primarily from the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe) with a dark, 80s-inspired Goth foundation of dramatic makeup and accessories. The term itself, a portmanteau of "ethnic" and "goth," was coined by its proponents to describe their style, which they viewed as a thoughtful invocation of history and tradition. The style gained visibility within the European Goth scene, particularly around the annual Wave Gotik Treffen (WGT) festival in Germany, and was popularized on Instagram through the #ethnogoth hashtag. The Ethnogoth aesthetic is characterized by loose, flowing, and often full-body garments that conceal the silhouette, in stark contrast to many other Goth styles. The most common centerpiece is a kaftan or kandoora, typically in black, made from natural fabrics. This simple base is then heavily adorned with a multitude of metallic accessories. The style emphasizes excessive layering of silver and gold jewelry, including large pendants, bracelets, and elaborate headdresses. A particularly influential source for this jewelry is traditional Kuchi ornamentation from Afghanistan. The approach to fashion was intended to be gender-neutral, with participants wearing traditional garments indiscriminately of their original gendered use. Inspired by artists like Sopor Aeternus, hairstyles in the Ethnogoth scene often feature shaved or partially shaved heads. The remaining hair is sometimes backcombed in the style of Trad Goth. Makeup is typically dramatic, with a focus on dark, smokey eyes reminiscent of the Romantic Goth style, often paired with facial adornments like a nath (a nose ring connected to the ear by a chain).
Which aesthetic do you prefer?
Korean Cozy Beige
Ethnogoth
