There’s been a thing going around called “Losercore” – if you haven’t caught a whiff of it, maybe you haven’t taken the “L” yet. But what is it? Think of the very outdated stereotype of that one quiet kid at the back of the class who only lives and breathes anime no one knows about but as an aesthetic. It gives “loser” a new meaning. With the help of media framing, you’ll realize Losercore is, for better or for worse, the romanticization of the homebody life.
Losercore for dummies
Imagine a new trend particularly featured in anime or Nintendo-inspired vlogs. Losercore follows an influencer’s life around the house – usually doing nothing but online shopping or picking up a new hobby – surrounded by everything cute and retro. It makes things once associated with a loser look desirable.
Let’s take a look at this vlog, for example. Zen’s Room starts the video with an intro reminiscent of early 2000s dress-up game you would play on your DS. Then, they simultaneously does their skincare routine while walking us through what they bought at Typo. Zen’s Room do this against a backdrop of pastel, patchwork blankets and plushies.
Walking around Zen’s actual room, we see every nook and cranny filled with stacks of video games, old PlayStations, and anime figures of every genre. They end their day wearing a beautiful, lace-lined checkered top as she makes her favorite, brightly colored drink – a melon soda float – saying “Homebody vlogs are never complete without a sweet treat”.
Almost every frame is shot like it’s a screencap from a slice-of-life anime. Background music that sounds like it comes from Animal Crossing makes the illusion a lot more convincing, too. In other words, moving only ten feet away from your bed looks amazing from this angle.
Why leave the house when your room is already so pretty? This is the part where we get concerned, in case you couldn’t tell.
A loser and proud!
Losercore, in a lot of ways, does promote healthy ideals we should all remember. We have to remember to embrace our hobbies and relaxation. Presenting these aspects in a way that encourages more people to do so can do a lot of good for people who neglect their well-being.
Also, in our current reality of housing crises, barely making it out of a global pandemic, living on a planet about to explode from heat – you get the point – escapism can unironically be a valid form of decompressing after a long day. You are allowed to take fifteen minutes to pretend you’re living in a visual novel if it helps you calm down.
However – I say as I push my glasses up my nose like an actual loser – the term “loser” seems inappropriate. One can argue it isn’t a big deal, however, framing is an important aspect of media consumption.
Losercore and media framing
Media framing refers to highlighting aspects of media so that audiences will perceive that same media in a very specific way. For instance, when we read the term “breaking news”, the frame here is “breaking”, meaning we will see the piece of news as immediate or timely because that’s what breaking means.
In this case, being a “loser” is what creators frame their content as, thus they are telling audiences that the aesthetic things they do are signs of a “loser”. Doing skin care is something a loser would do. Reading a book is something a loser would do. Having time to yourself is what a loser would do.
You could, however, also say that they are calling it “Losercore” to make once “loser” coded things more desirable, which is definitely what they are doing. But that does not make the term any better. Calling these homebody aspects essentials of a loser can discourage viewers from striving for anything more ambitious than staying at home.
Nobody likes a winner
If being a “loser” and having no ambition can be aesthetically pleasing, there’s really no incentive to get out of the house. This mentality is especially problematic at a time when Generation Z is at its loneliest. Socializing, as much as it is painful for introverts, is necessary for having a balanced life, especially for those with underlying mental health concerns.
The emphasis on online shopping in all Losercore videos is also problematic. Audiences may think that, alongside having no ambition, only using their time on shopping is the dream. Audiences will not have a reason to do anything else with their time if online shopping already adds color to their bland life, even for just a split second like on a YouTube video.
Losercore can also have the inverse effect of making people who are not homebodies look like “winners.” Winners, in this case, may elude to people who seem to have their whole life together when everyone else is struggling.
In other words, Losercore implies winners are unlikable. This negative frame, can, in turn, discourage audiences from engaging in activities not associated with Losercore, like exercise, eating healthy, and so on.
With the current emphasis on social media to cultivate one particular aesthetic, people should not feel like being a “loser” is the best thing out there when it just isn’t. People should definitely find joy in the mundane, but Losercore is not always the appropriate lens to look at such.
(Don’t) take the “L”
Losercore, I am sure, did not spur out of any malice. You cannot look at an anime figure and think “Ah yes, this is the end of humanity as we know it.” Yet, it is important to keep media literacy in mind when so many of our lives are influenced by what we see on our screens.
In this case, it is important to catch the subliminal messaging of calling something “loser” coded. Whether intentional or not, labeling different activities with negative connotations can always lead to negative ideas.
All of this isn’t to say you can’t participate in this trend at all, but unraveling the nuances of a simple trend can say a lot about what you unknowingly consume every day. Take the opportunity to learn whenever you can, like the nerd you probably are if you read this far into the article.
