2026 or 1426? Gen Z’s current obsession with the Middle Ages

All across media and pop culture, we are seeing depictions of the Middle Ages. Unicorns, illuminated manuscripts, castles overgrown with greenery and medieval iconography have aesthetically taken over in the past couple of years. 

But as people worldwide are picking up medieval fantasy books and putting on princess hennins, I can’t help but wonder why we are currently so obsessed with the “Ye Olde Days.” 

This 2020s medieval revival is taking all types of shapes and forms through style, media and aesthetics. 

The style pays little regard to historical accuracy and is more interested in the archetypes from the Middle Ages. Silver armour for Joan of Arc, hennins for princesses, swords for knights and amulets for witches. 

Celebrities like Chappell Roan have been seen on red carpets in their middle-aged getups, along with classic styles being featured on runways of designers like Ralph Lauren. 

We are seeing Medieval trends outside of fashion as well. Fantasy romance books have been dominating bestseller lists; social media timelines are full of medieval aesthetic edits and history lessons on the Middle Ages.

Renaissance fairs and festivals, events where visitors dress in medieval and fantastical attire while also participating in practices like jousting and trading, are also gaining massive popularity. 

This isn’t the first time we are seeing a boom of medieval aesthetics. People have been replicating the fantastical style since the 1960s, 1970s and the 2000s. 

But why now? Why in the late 2020s are we seeing this boom of medieval iconography and culture? 

Past medieval movements have coincided with political unrest and turmoil. When people were uncomfortable in their current reality, they turned to the past. 

The medieval style was adopted during the industrialization of the Victorian era, amidst counter-culture and the Vietnam War in the 60s and the beginning of the digital age in the 2000s. 

“The nostalgia mixed with the ultimate form of escapism, romantic fantasy, gives people the chance to escape the pressures of the real world under a chainmail hood,” Fashion Designer Rosie Evans said.

Following the 2020 pandemic, the creation of AI applications like ChatGPT and Claude, alongside ongoing political unrest, has made people turn off their phones and instead pick up swords and goblets. 

We are also seeing a massive shift toward being offline, and what’s more offline than the 5th to 15th centuries? 

Is this shift towards medievalism just a fun way for people to express themselves, or are we uncomfortable in the current age and looking for a piece of history in the modern era?