Member-only story

Do You *Really* Want To Go Live In A Cottage Somewhere To Get Away From Modern Life?

The deeper truths hiding behind cottagecore, escapism, and our endless getaway fantasies.

Emily Sinclair Montague
8 min readMar 20, 2021

When I first learned of the aesthetic known as “cottagecore,” I was immediately both amused by and endeared to it.

The concept of living in a ramshackle cottage in an idyllic forest somewhere isn’t actually a concept, for me. My family literally owns a ramshackle cottage in the idyllic Shenandoah Valley, with almost 200 acres of unbuildable land around it to boot. It even has some ivy on the walls.

But I don’t live there. No one does. It’s actually somewhat neglected, though my parents and I have been working on it and keeping it clean.

The fact is, living in a forest cottage seems like cute idealism even when it’s very, very possible — why is that?

When did simplicity and quietude become such a foreign concept it ceased to hold any sense of realism?

Because life got really freaking complicated, that’s why.

--

--

Emily Sinclair Montague
Emily Sinclair Montague

Written by Emily Sinclair Montague

Author & Full-Time Writer. Embracing life’s chaos one word at a time. Get in touch at emsinclair@wordsofafeather.net (or don’t, but I love the attention)!

Responses (1)