The folks that I know that enjoy cottagecore aesthetics most are a married black lesbian couple 😅
I'm kinda finding myself wondering if I just haven't really existed in the parts of the internet where the shittiest folks youre talking about exist and make up much of the culture
Cause like, my first thought is that theres no reason you can't just have a cozy domestic life in a cottage with pretty wildflowers where you just do the labor yourself 😅 thats what the friends in question I'm thinking of want. I enjoy cottagecore aesthetically, though not as much as other aesthetic generes, and I'm more than happy to do my own labor 🤷🏻♂️
Like even in the excerpt you quoted the people living in the cottage ARE the laborers. Maybe I just don't engage enough with cottagecore folks online, but I don't see anything that really links cottagecore to someone else doing the labor. You can do the labor. While living in the cottage.
Edit: Yeah the Wikipedia page for cottagecore isnt really giving the impression cottagecore means wanting someone else to do the labor for you either
Cottagecore[1] is an internet aesthetic and subculture centred on rural way of life.[2][3] The aesthetic centres on traditional and vernacular architecture, clothing, interior design and crafts. Cottagecore was first named on Tumblr in 2018[4] and is related to similar internet aesthetics including goblincore and dark academia. A subculture of Millennials and Generation Z, cottagecore developed as a response to economic pressures faced by young people; the aesthetic emphasises sustainability, agrarianism and slow living.[5]
Agrarianism:
Agrarianism is a social and political philosophy that advocates for rural development, a rural agricultural lifestyle, family farming, widespread property ownership, and political decentralization. Those who adhere to agrarianism tend to value traditional forms of local community over urban modernity. Agrarian political parties sometimes aim to support the rights and sustainability of small farmers and poor peasants against the wealthy, powerful and famous in society.