As the years pass and generations change, trends fly in and out like the wind changes directions. From the valley girls and the skater kids in the ’90s, to the E-Girls and VSCO girls of today, the youth finds new and somewhat extravagant trends to follow. 

So what exactly is a VSCO girl? Or maybe an E-Girl? With new trends moving as quick as they do, sometimes it’s hard to catch on to the newest hot thing. Anyone who chooses to fall under one of these social groups takes on its aesthetic as well as all of its fame and glory. So let’s take a dive into what each aesthetic is. 

Our first focus is on the VSCO girl. The ’90s are back! Its scrunchies, chunky white shoes, and oversized t-shirts galore. Some will say the look is basic, perhaps, uncreative. But to those sporting the aesthetic, it is something more than that. 

“I chose this look because I wanted to. I personally like the things that are popular right now. It happens to be my style right now, but it also tends to be everyone else’s style,” said sophomore Jade O’Neill, who claims to be a VSCO girl. 

 The trend started after the app “VSCO” was released, a popular social media platform similar to Instagram. Many of the girls who post on the app use a specific style, the VSCO style which usually consists of certain filters, the standard VSCO outfit, and beach photos.

VSCO can easily be recognized by their distinct “Sksksk” laugh and their classic crying calls “And I oop…” as well as “Metal straws! Save the turtles.”

Since the look has sparked, it’s gained heaps of attention. Though the VSCO girl may be considered basic and those who wear it have a personality to match it. However, O’Neill says otherwise. 

“Some people will try to take on a new personality with this aesthetic, but for me personally it’s just what I wear and how I take my pictures,” O’Neill said. “It has nothing to do with my personality.” 

You could say those who chose to take on the style are also indirectly taking on the meme as well. A joke surrounds the aesthetic, leaving no mercy for those daring enough to take on the look. 

“Everyone is perceiving it as this meme,” O’Neill said. “My friends tend to make fun of me and give me a hard time when really I’m just dressing how I want to dress. It bothers me sometimes but I can’t really do anything about it.”

At the other end of the style spectrum is the E-Girl, the polar opposite of a VSCO girl. E-girls carry somewhat of a modern grunge, often sporting chains, black clothing, flannels, and combat boots in style. 

“I think it’s definitely helped me be more myself because before, I was trying to be like everyone else but as a quote-unquote E-Girl, I can dress however I want and not really worry about what everyone else thinks because its trendy now,” sophomore Britney Boyer said. 

These trends are brought about by social media, influencing people all around the world to dress, and maybe even act a certain way to fit a certain social group and to fit in.

“It’s more of the freshman class dressing like this because they were coming into the school year trying to fit in,” O’Neill said. “This is the aesthetic right now and I think they would be dressed like this.”

So ask yourself the question: Who are you? Where do you fit in in this mess? Maybe you would consider yourself a soft girl, or perhaps, a baddie? Or maybe, you’re just you. Whoever you are, don’t stop being yourself, no matter how you dress. And remember, save the turtles.