Aesthetics of Rot

Goblincore is the salvation of all

BY QUINN MCCLURG WITH ART BY JACQUELYN FAY

I wear the telltale signs of rot and neglect: I rarely shave. I do laundry once a month. My room is a mess. My house is infested with centipedes. My clothes are filled with holes. I eat poorly. I abuse my body. I push myself to extremes. This slow decline terrifies me; its imperceptible progression leads to a fear of it consuming me more, making me less of a person. However, my friends consider me the poster child of rot, and I wear it as a badge of honor.

Tell me, what does it mean to rot and neglect oneself? You can call it whatever you’d like: decaycore, a fleabag era, grunge, postmodernism, etc.; but why do we embrace rot and the suffering it brings so fully?

There are just as many answers as aesthetics; however, I believe most of them can be reduced to viewing entropy as inevitable and rejecting our physical forms. Sentiments reinforcing these are emblematic of the forces which push us into these aesthetics; allow me to explain.

Poverty (and living under capitalism) may lead to a lack of resources to acquire what one needs to adequately survive, especially within society’s standards (clean and intact clothes, food, etc.). Extensive work encouraged by capitalistic societies can lead to neglect of one’s body as well, especially in cases where neither workman’s compensation nor employer healthcare is provided. 

Rejection of one’s body or sex may lead to increased levels of self-neglect as well; present societal pressures may provide unrealistic standards or prevent you from reaching your ideal form. The sparseness and costs of specific resources (such as counseling, physical training, access to healthy food, and gender-affirming care, to name a few) put these resources out of the grasp of the average individual, forcing one to live in a body that they reject.

The aforementioned factors can compound into forming or amplifying mental illnesses and negative mindsets, potentially leading one to reinforce harmful habits. 

The relationships between poverty, poor self-image, and worse health (mental and physical) cyclically reinforce abuse (mental and physical) and rejection of the self. Suffering is then seen as the only universal truth; if there is always suffering and there always will be, why should I try to reject it?

A friend recommended a song to me, apprehensive in the way that people who have found profound art want to keep it to themselves. The song was “Don’t Smoke” by the Microphones; I have been listening to it since. “And you are young and rich, for now / You have the ritual of waking up each day and it will fill you,” the band plays. “There's no excuse to start smoking / Where is the rebellion in acting like a fuck-up? Why not embrace simple health?” There are “no more parents or gods taking responsibility,” so what are we doing? 

Like most self-improvement, the process is simple yet slow, often demanding much effort at first. But we must never forget our capacities for action or lose awareness of how even the simplest actions can make a world of difference. This is why I love the aesthetic of goblincore: it advocates for progressive ideals of growth in the face of rot and decay, all within realistic and achievable means. 

Perspectives shift toward a reverence for nature and our place in it, rejecting societally ingrained “ugliness.” For example, rather than being seen as inevitable and abhorrent, death and decay are seen as beautiful, important, and necessary; rather than rejecting and agonizing over one’s body or sex (in accordance with societal pressures), acceptance is fostered as utility is recognized (there’s “no gender, only bugs”); rather than purchasing more clothes, food, or resources, emphasis is placed upon foraging, growing, thrifting, and mending what you need (goblincore is inherently anti-consumerist).

Of course, access to materials and means of foraging may be limited, especially if you are oppressed by societal forces; however, this aesthetic is more attainable than others and it is largely mental and perspective-based. Additionally, I do not have the space nor time here to expand upon the antisemitic roots of goblins in folklore; efforts are being made to reclaim goblin tropes and distance contemporary goblins from their historically racist depictions.

The Microphones play on: “Living in the world on your own, there's no punishment,” concluding with, “Go, improve yourself right now.” The choice is ours, it always has been; our lives have always been in our hands. So I demand that we make the best of it and roll around in the dirt, collect trinkets, and reject societal standards, all while living within our own means.

Wake Mag