What is ‘aura farming’? Gen Z’s viral obsession with looking cool

An 11-year-old boy stands at the bow of a boat, sunglasses on, face unreadable. As the boat cuts swiftly across the water, he dances rhythmically, arms slicing through the air in slow, deliberate motion.

He’s effortless. He’s unbothered. He’s aura farming.

What does it mean? It’s about the optics of cool: being seen doing something that looks casual, mysterious and vaguely cinematic.

The term merges “aura” – the intangible vibe or energy someone gives off – with “farming”, borrowed from gaming culture where players repeat a task to accumulate resources and level up. In this context, it’s about methodically cultivating charisma with a calm face, a dramatic setting, a well-timed gesture.

Though the phrase only recently entered the mainstream, it first appeared online in early 2024, surfacing in anime and film fandoms to describe characters who command attention with a single glance or grand entrance.