Mar 18, 2022
Whilst lockdowns have now technically lifted and almost all restrictions have disappeared in the UK, that doesn’t mean that everyone is ready, or wants to, give up some of the lockdown-comforts we discovered in the last 2 years.
Goblin mode is the anti-trend to the highly curated aesthetic that’s been around on social media for the last 5+ years. The high-achieving, bircher muesli preparing, 12-step skincare, 5am running, perfect parent with the instagram-filtered lifestyle. The kind of lifestyle typified by the privileged children of multi-millionaires who tell the rest of humanity that they ‘aren’t working hard enough’.
“At home there’s no social pressure to follow norms, so you sort of lose the habit. There’s also a feeling that we’re all fucked, so why bother?”
So What?
Many may be raring to return to the old normal. But the past 2 years have taken a toll on all of us. From the impacts on our mental health from restrictions, isolation and lockdowns, to the lost loved ones we never got to mourn. And those who are still isolated due to continuing risks to their health from covid or lack of support in order to regain a fraction of their previous independence.
Goblin mode is an example of self care. Inherent to the phrase is the idea that it can be switched on and off. Goblin mode is not a permanent identity, but a frame of mind. Sometimes we all need to engage goblin mode for just a little bit.