dark academic

English

Alternative forms

• Dark Academic

Noun

dark academic (plural dark academics)

1. (neologism) Someone who adopts or participates in the dark academia aesthetic.
   • 2020 October 28, Brianna Carrasco, “The Rise of Dark Academia”, in Pro Tem, volume 59, number 3, Glendon College, page 10:

     So, reading stories and watching films about university students who have it all — rich parents, a cool and intellectual friend group, and a wicked fashion sense (Dark Academics would never be caught dead in sweatpants like I usually am at 9 a.m. lectures) — is a form of escapism for me.

   • 2021 February 7, Ranyechi Udemezue, “The seven teen tribes you need to know now”, in The Times‎^[1], archived from the original on 2 August 2021:

     Dark academics are known for wearing black poloneck tops with simple jewellery, deep brown blazers, tartan skirts and tailored trousers, while light academics might reach for cosy cream knitted sweaters with lighter brown blazers.

   • 2021 April, Dunya Mostaghimi, “How to: AeSthEt!C”, in C Magazine, volume 9, edition 4, Palo Alto High School, page 17:

     Unlike the VSCOs who tirelessly work towards ending global warming by saving one sea turtle at a time or the Dark Academics who remove themselves from the world by pretending to live in outdated times, being a soft girl requires nothing other than maintaining an ultra feminized appearance.

   • 2021 March 17, Aarushi Nohria, “Decolonizing the dark academia aesthetic”, in The Daily Campus‎^[2], archived from the original on 17 March 2021:

     What about the exclusive nature of the Western literary canon, venerated by dark academics?

   • 2021 fall, Jacqueline Kipping, “Dark Academia”, in The Issue, volume 8, number 1, Nijmegen, Gelderland: USA Nijmegen, Radboud University, page 21:

     Many Dark Academics are teenagers, and it is important that they do not develop harmful habits because of an aesthetic.

   • 2021 October 21, Bethany Allard, “29 gifts for the dark academia devotees in your life”, in Mashable‎^[3], archived from the original on 21 October 2021:

     Dark academics love the fall and winter, warm cups of coffee and tea, and getting lost in a good book. […] However, a dark red lip is popular in among dark academics for making you look both put together and mysterious, all with an easy swipe of lipstick.

   • 2021 November 18, Tracy Q. Loxley, “On Dark Academia”, in Splice Today‎^[4], Russ Smith, archived from the original on 18 November 2021:

     It’s clearly making an appeal to the dark academics in its audience, while trying it’s hand at every sub-genre of mystery. […] As I’ve seen bloggers and YouTubers swap reading lists, I’m not especially concerned, because the dark academics themselves aren’t all white or heteronormative. […] The way outsiders worry that dark academics are snooty white supremacists is reminiscent of the fear that goths were Satanists, when all the kids want is to be left alone to read Byron in the moonlight. […] Liberal arts and humanities majors are declining in favor of business and STEM fields, so the dark academics aren’t just reading Homer and visiting museums on their own time, they’re taking their intellectual ambitions seriously.

   • 2021 winter, Lola O’Brien-Dele, “The Secret Histories of Dark Academia”, in FLUX, page 9:

     Dark academics prioritise learning disciplines like Classics, Literature, and History; […]

   • 2021 December 14, Alexandra Pauly, “Goblincore? Dark Academia? TikTok's Weird, Confusing Aesthetics, Explained”, in Highsnobiety‎^[5], archived from the original on 21 January 2023:

     Styles favored by Dark Academics encompass anything worn in the TV adaptation of Brideshead Revisited: houndstooth, tweed, crisp button-downs, cardigans, and vests.

   • 2022 January 20, Lauren Bravo, “'Dark academia' is Gen Z's favourite look – but can a grown-up wear the collegiate trend?”, in The Telegraph‎^[6], archived from the original on 20 January 2022:

     Caffeine is a key accessory for dark academics, needed to fuel all those late-night cram sessions and possible dionysian rituals.

   • 2022 January 29, Scottie Andrew, “A guide to 'dark academia,' the TikTok-popular aesthetic with preppy style and an intellectual focus”, in CNN‎^[7], archived from the original on 29 January 2022:

     Imagine spending your days tucked inside the Wren Library at Trinity College in Cambridge, England. Dark academics sure do. […] And because prestigious institutions for so long excluded Black students and people of color, when their history goes unquestioned or even celebrated, dark academics may perpetuate the same exclusion, [Rowan] Ellis said. […] Dark academics from all backgrounds are adding them to lists of recommended reading and viewing.

   • 2022 February 11, Mary Frances “Francky” Knapp, “The Best Erotic Novels, Because Reading Is Sexy”, in Vice‎^[8], archived from the original on 11 February 2022:

     The ancient poetess Sappho walked so that dark academia [links to “The Year in Aesthetics, From Dark Academia to McBling”] queers could run; […] Granted, these works were written purely for money, as Nin was commissioned by a mysterious man known only as “The Collector” for a dollar per page (a lot of money in the 1940s), but you can still see kernels of her budding interest in psychoanalysis, flowery prose, and surreal romance. Dark academics, come hither.

   • 2022 September 28, Adrienne Raphel, “A Brief History of (My) Dark Academia”, in Literary Hub‎^[9], archived from the original on 21 January 2023:

     I had an eating disorder, a common refrain of dark academics, said with shame and sanctimony. […] For a primer, see accounts and posts from online dark academics such as ca.tk.in, cosyfaerie, Dark.Academia, DarkAcademiaLibrary, finelythreadedsky, jasminlibrary, Graviphantalia, MyFairestTreasure, quartzdelta, outfit.trends.tt, TimelyWitness5638, and theyluvv_.s, among many others.

   • 2022 October 27, Olivia Giovetti, “A Dark Academia Playlist: Music to murder your Greek classmates on an isolated New England campus by”, in VAN Magazine‎^[10], archived from the original on 27 October 2022:

     One beginner’s guide suggests that aspiring Dark Academics “delve into the realm of philosophy,” “stay late at your university library,” and “listen to classical music as you sleep/read/study.”

   • 2023 January, Valeria Oneto, “The Trend Setting Anti-Icon”, in HUB Stye, number 37 / year 07, number 01, Sport Press Srl SB, page 30:

     Dark academics love reading, writing or expressing themselves through art.

   • 2023 January 12, Aditi Kushwaha, “Academia Style: Dressing Like Whipping Dalgona”, in First India, volume 4, number 217, Jaipur, page 9:

     The distinction between light and dark academics in terms of style is made by the colour schemes used.