Notes on Lit Girl Chic Aesthetic
Do you love or hate the trending Lit Girl Chic Aesthetic? Read my notes and leave a comment to join this dialogue. Then keep scrolling to see today’s writing prompt.
First, I am not a fan of calling grown women ‘girls,’ unless I’m greeting or addressing them as friends (i.e. “Hey, girl.”), and even then, I do so sparingly.
Second, I am no fashionista and don’t follow fashion trends (Are skinny jeans in or out?! Please, someone tell me already and put me out of my misery!) so I must admit right off the bat that I won’t be able to discuss this new Lit Girl Chic Aesthetic trend as if I do understand fashion or the fashion industry. I have nothing against the fashion industry at all. Fashion can be art and I appreciate art in all its forms. I just never got around to following fashion trends for whatever reason. And I think I only learned about the Lit Girl Chic Aesthetic trend because it overlaps with online book communities.
Third, when someone focuses on the aesthetics of something, they’re usually only focusing on its outward beauty or external physical qualities. While there is an entire field of philosophy dedicated to aesthetics, I am only using the basic definition and understanding of aesthetics provided in the previous sentence in this post.
Now that all of that is out of the way, let’s briefly discuss the Lit Girl Chic Aesthetic, then discuss.
I’m not entirely sure where the trend originated, but I’m pretty sure it’s an offshoot of the ‘Cool Girl’ and ‘Clean Girl’ aesthetics and am fairly certain it started on Bookstagram and BookTok. Say what you want about BookTok, it’s still responsible for an uptick in indie bookstores, online book sales, and more engaged younger readers in recent years. 1 Regardless, the trend took off, even landing recognition in last month’s online Vogue as a take on more traditional preppy wardrobe preferences.2
From what I understand, the Lit Girl Chic Aesthetic blends high fashion, intellectualism, and cozy academia together, prioritizing reading as a fashionable lifestyle. Key elements of the trend include carrying curated books, wearing tailored blazers, sweaters, loafers, and reading glasses, while frequenting city cafes or bookstores and reading in public spaces. It also includes accessories like scarves, jewelry, and handbags that are shaped like books or have books displayed on them, especially Classics like Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, Dracula, etc.
So, the trend is basically a merge of a professor’s and librarian’s wardrobe or aesthetic mixed with noticeable bookish accessories… but for people who probably have more money to spend on cashmere sweaters and tailored coats. It’s also worth noting that men can and do partake in this trend as well, especially men who partake in ‘performative reading.’3
At first, as a tried-and-true lit nerd who carries a book around with her everywhere she goes (a book she’s actually reading) regardless of where she’s going, and pops into libraries and bookstores like they have a literal gravitational pull on her body, this trend seriously irked me, as it seems so superficial and performative. And let’s admit that for many, it probably is.
There are probably a ton more people dressing like sexy librarians and cool professors, wearing fake reading glasses and carrying around ‘curated books’ they never intend to actually read, due to this trend. People who are essentially prioritizing capitalism and performance over reading by buying things to wear and carry around that make them look like readers who are smart and intellectual, rather than, well…
However, the more I thought about it, the more I started appreciating this trend on some level. Because, as a tried-and-true lit nerd, I also agree that reading should be considered a lifestyle, as something that is a part of who someone is and how they move through the world, and certainly as something that shouldn’t be hidden away when moving through public spaces. Rejoice book nerds, it’s finally cool to read in public now! At least, for a little while longer.
Seriously though, wouldn’t the world be better if reading were more popular or ‘fashionable,’ and if being well-read was sincerely desirable to most people on some level? Just take a moment to consider all the thoughtful and impromptu conversations about books there would be in public spaces, and what that would mean for our society, if more people adapted a reading-centered lifestyle. Who cares if a good portion of people are faking a reading lifestyle when there are bound to be quite a few that won’t be? Because this trend will inevitably encourage a lot of people to read more, or at least convince them that they should read more, no? And isn’t that a good thing?
Seeing a hollowed-out hardback as a purse, or yellowed tomes turned into dresses, or famous literary quotes stickered onto sweaters and hoodies used to make my skin crawl, especially when they were created and sold by large merchandising departments that could care less about reading lifestyles or classic literature. But then I took a beat to think about it … and I just don’t see us lit nerds defeating or circumventing how capitalism pervades anything and everything we do anytime soon (Seriously though, we need to get on that ASAP!). Just look at major publishers’ merchandising departments nowadays, and you’ll see what I mean. So, we might as well sell more lit merch promoting books with a wide appeal to a wide range of readers while we can, and take full advantage of the Lit Girl Chic Aesthetic while it lasts, which will likely lead to more and more people picking up more and more books, right?
Dialogue to be continued…
What are your thoughts on this topic? I’ll probably revise or add to what I wrote above at some point, so stay tuned. For now, leave a comment to join this dialogue and don’t forget to share this post with others so they can join this dialogue too.
© This work is not available for artificial intelligence (AI) training. All Rights Reserved by K.E. Creighton; Creighton’s Compositions LLC.
Want to express your appreciation for this post and writing prompt?
My writing and I are fueled by loyal readers, caffeine, and kind words, so I appreciate any support you can offer that keeps me writing. Thank you so much!
Today’s Writing Prompt
Writing Prompt: Literary Sweatshirt Slogans
Write 10 to 15 literary slogans you’d put on a sweatshirt. Or write down your thoughts about Lit Girl Chic Aesthetic.
Writing Tip:
Consider your favorite author quotes about reading and writing. And or consider your own style and how you developed it or came by it.
Subscribe now to have future posts with writing prompts sent directly to your inbox.
Join chat threads to discuss today’s post, or to share what you ended up writing based on today’s writing prompt.
You may also enjoy:
The L&L Blog. Scrivener. 9/17/2025. BookTok and Beyond: How Young Readers Are Reviving Physical Bookstores - Literature & Latte.
The New Yorker. 12/2/2025. The Curious Notoriety of “Performative Reading”