During 2015 and 2016 the world got introduced to the term “Hygge”. Coming from a long history in the danish culture, it fastly became the new health trend and it was chosen as word of the year in 2016 by Oxford Dictionaries. Question is, has the trend managed to survive?
From culture to marketing
Hygge is described as “A quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being”. Meik Wiking, author of The little book of Hygge describes that it is about creating an atmosphere and an experience, rather than about things.
However, the term has appeared more frequently in sales ads for candles, blankets and other things that are associated with hygge. “Far from being a radical new concept and sexy lifestyle trend, hygge is festive twee, repurposed for an Ikea-addled generation”, The Telegraph wrote in the end of 2016.
Marketing device
Kayleigh Tanner, author of Hello Hygge blog agrees that the trend has become somewhat of a marketing device and that we seem to have lost the core meaning of its definition. “I think most people in the UK kind of discarded hygge as just another trend” says Kayleigh.
The question is, does hygge has the potential to get rid of the commercialism stamp, or will it fade away? Even though Kayleigh Tanner will continue to spread the word of hygge through her blog, she can’t imagine Hygge to carry on the years to come.
Kjellin journalism 