Cuntry , a portmanteau of the words ' Country ' and ' Cunty ,' is an aesthetic that emerged in the late 2010s and early 2020s. The aesthetic was created by people of color, LGBTQ people, and women who seek to enjoy the aesthetics of country music, and the southeastern United States in general, without the conservative, heteronormative, and patriarchical values that many people associate with them.

While the aesthetic was originally mostly internet-based, in recent years many modern country artists have emerged who embody the aesthetic visually, and it has even become popular enough that artists from other genres (perhaps most notably Beyoncé) have embraced the style, or even made country songs of their own.

Under Construction

In the 2000s, there was an influx of female country singers, such as Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, who wrote angry songs about men who had wronged them, often accompanied by darker visuals in their music videos, and vandalism, violence, and even murder as revenge. While Cuntry did not exist as an aesthetic at this time, the feminist nature of these songs, combined with their energy and campiness , is believed to be an influence on what would later become it. To this day, music from this era is often associated with the aesthetic, and was the first step in disassociating the music genre from the patriotic, hypermasculine Country Rock and Bro-Country that dominated the charts following 9/11.

Additionally, many people have reclaimed the more 'silly' and 'campy' songs from this era; particularly "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" by Big & Rich, which has become a slogan of sorts for the Cuntry aesthetic.

In 2017, South African gay alt-country singer Orville Peck, known for his BDSM -influenced western looks and his half-covered face, released his debut single, "Dead of Night," which became a cult hit. While it did not immediately launch him into the mainstream, it was rated very positively by critics, and served as many people's first introduction to the world of LGBTQ country music.

Also in 2017 was the musical debut of drag queen Trixie Mattel (real name Brian Firkus), with his album Two Birds. As Mattel is one of the most famous contestants of Rupaul's Drag Race of all time, and has also gained success from his makeup brand Trixie Cosmetics and his YouTube series Unhhhh, his music served as a way for LGBTQ people to learn about and be open to the idea of listening to and even making their own country music, in addition to, like Peck, being among the first to combine country and western aesthetics with ones more associated with the LGBTQ community such as drag , BDSM , and camp culture.

Soon after, many artists began fusing country music with other genres, most notably with Rap Music . In 2018, rapper Lil Nas X's song "Old Town Road" went multi-platinum, following its popularity on short-form video app TikTok; perhaps the first song of its kind to do so, and the first by an openly gay black man. In 2019, he released a remix featuring country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, which was nominated for three Grammy awards, and, in 2021, was certified as being 16x platinum, and the second-highest certified song in history. In his following photoshoots and live performances, Lil Nas X often wore western -inspired outfits, including cowboy boots, jeans with large belt buckles, and brightly-colored cowboy hats and fringe shirts.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic halted the festival, many people attending Coachella in 2019, notably makeup artist and social media personality James Charles, wore outfits inspired by these looks.

In 2022, singer-songwriter Ethel Cain released her debut album, Preacher's Daughter. Although the album is mostly rock music and not country, it sparked a renewed interest in reclaiming country and southern aesthetics online, as Cain's songs became popular among Gen Z on TikTok, and Cain herself is a transgender woman from the southeastern United States. Cain herself criticized the discourse around the aesthetic and her image, however, as many people believed that her fashion and visuals were satire or parody of the south, and not simply her wearing the same clothes that everyone else wore in rural Florida where she was born and raised.

In 2023, this new wave of country music was solidified, with mega-popular artists such as rapper Post Malone and R&B/Soul singer Beyoncé releasing country singles, and beginning to dress the part. In 2024, the two both released full country albums, and other artists, such as rapper Jelly Roll, and pop singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey, began releasing country songs of their own.

Notably, Beyoncé's 2024 album, Cowboy Carter, received 11 Grammy award nominations, and won 3 of them, largely being praised for its genre experimentation.

Also in 2024 began the superstardom of lesbian pop singer Chappell Roan, who often wore bright, colorful, drag queen- and often western-inspired clothing and makeup, following the release of her hit single, "Good Luck Babe." In 2025, she released a country song of her own, titled "The Giver."

Although it is not known who coined the word Cuntry itself or when, it has been cemented in western popular culture since at least 2023, following both when the new 2020s country began with these artists, and the popularization of the words 'cvnt' and 'cunty,' which originated in drag culture.

Cuntry fashion is very much like regular Country fashion, except more colorful, flashy, and/or revealing.

Tops

Bottoms

Accessories

Under Construction

Under Construction

Under Construction

Online, many have criticized the aesthetic for potentially romanticizing poverty, or for 'gentrifying' southern music and culture. Additionally, it is often criticized because it was believed to be created due to negative stereotypes about southern people, that typical country and southern culture is inherently conservative, heteronormative, and patriarchal; which is untrue, and ignores the large amount of people living in the south who do not share these beliefs or are minorities themselves. Many people also believe that in order to 'reclaim' country and southern aesthetics, you must be from the south yourself.

Many brands who also make clothing within this aesthetic are also expensive and designer, which is controversial as they are profiting off of the aesthetics of impoverished people while also often negatively stereotyping them.