Is the ‘cozy season’ trend a secret cry for help?

Coziness has become a powerful aesthetic, but are we using it to chase a feeling that the outside world denies us?

Take a peek on social media, and it's obvious we are burrowed deep within cozy season". It surrounds us with clouds of neutral-toned knits and the steam of freshly-brewed hot drinks. Our socks encase our ankles with seasonal droopiness. Our beanies threaten to envelop our entire heads in their snuggly embrace. We have a candle burning, a new book ready to crack. We are not getting up from this spot.

At the start of the season, I noticed that coziness was coming on with extra ferocity this year, even though seasons always announce themselves so loudly online. Coziness has become a powerful social media aesthetic, probably due to the pandemic and people being homebound. But do we really need another round of buffalo-plaid throw blankets lined with petroleum-based fleece? Do we really want another year's worth of manufactured-to-look-handmade mugs with phrases like Baby, it's cold outside" stamped on them?