In Defense of VSCO Girls Everywhere
On the opening day of my school’s spirit week, I walked by countless girls decked out in oversized t-shirts, shell necklaces, and scrunchies. Hydroflasks poked out of their identical Fjallraven Kanken backpacks. These girls were dressing up in the style of a VSCO girl, but they are, I was assured, dressing this way ironically.
Over the summer, a new brand of teenager emerged out of TikTok: Meet the VSCO girl. In addition to her very strict dress code, a VSCO girl likes to say “sksksksk” (letters frequently used in a keyboard smash). She’s also known for inserting “and I oop” into any and all conversations, and she may have a “save the turtles” Instagram caption on more than a few fire selfies. She is environmentally conscious, and a big advocate of metal straws.
So why, then, is this brand of girl, despite the fact that she is bubbly and trying to reduce her carbon footprint, mocked so mercilessly by the internet? Why are girls who previously wore scrunchies or big t-shirts finding new aesthetics in hopes of avoiding the VSCO association? What I’m saying is: Do VSCO girls deserve better?
Because, tbh, there is nothing inherently wrong with liking scrunchies. I’d go so far as to say that everyone should make an effort to use fewer plastic straws, and big t-shirts are tremendously comfortable. So is this contempt for the VSCO stereotype (which is perpetuated through many cruel memes and general social mockery) just another excuse to shame girls?
That's why I asked some teens what they really thought of the VSCO girl fad and its backlash. Here's what they had to say...
"I think that whenever there is a concerted campaign to categorically mock women, we should be wondering what role misogyny is playing. I think we tend not to take women so seriously when it comes to the things they like and the things they care about. We see them as shallow and conformist. The VSCO girl meme is essentially a caricature of the frivolity of young, white, middle class women.
On the other hand, people have a really unique relationship with viral internet content. The VSCO girl trend is not a product of pure contempt — it’s a mixture of judgement and admiration. The line between what we laugh at and what we emulate is blurry. Since the rise of the trend, I’ve seen bolder and more flagrant donning of scrunchies and toting of Hydroflasks. The VSCO girl is a fun character to dress up as, to imitate. We don’t hate her. Or if we do, we love her just as much. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily indicate that it’s a healthy or kind archetype to perpetuate, only that the mockery isn’t so clear-cut.
It goes without saying that girls deserve better representation across all media — representation that supports positive self-image and self-expression. But the TikTok community doesn’t owe anything to anyone. It’s not a monolith and it’s not bound to any moral code. The onus is really on television, film, and news media — the culture-makers.
I think the VSCO girl trend also makes it clear that young people are desperately seeking a language to talk about class—to talk about status symbols, marks of being middle income, and the perceived pettiness of social causes like 'saving the turtles.' I hope we find a better vernacular for these discussions than 'sksksksksk.'" —Abigail Sylvor Greenberg, 17
"People think VSCO girls emerged this summer, but really the VSCO girl brand has existed for ages. I can recall going to summer camp in 2013, and everyone wore big t-shirts and had stainless steel water bottles.
Now, TikTok memes about VSCO girls made those who originally had this aesthetic feel more self-conscious, and that either culminates in them distancing themselves slightly or entirely. Some of it is ridiculous – I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone in real life wanting to save the turtles with metal straws.
Also, it’s not funny anymore. It’s overdone, and the discourse surrounding it hasn’t expanded, so we keep getting the same tired jokes." —Chloe Alto, 16
"When I think about it, I’ve never actually met a VSCO girl. Of course, I’ve seen them all over my social media accounts, but I have never actually come into contact or talked with one. Yet they are everywhere. People mock the stereotype of the quirky, scrunchie-wearing, hydroflask-toting VSCO girl without actually considering that there are real people behind this stereotype.
I have come to realize that our generation’s brief but pervasive obsession with these girls reflects the fears that adults and researchers have about social media and its effect on teenagers. Not only does the obsession offer a display of the hive-mind nature of social media, but it's a realization of fears of cyber harassment as girls are mocked for their interests on an extremely broad scale." —Rachel Schreiber, 16
"What started as a trend has now become a huge meme. Some people embrace the title of 'VSCO girl', while others use it in a joking way. It has become enough of a meme that people will dress up as VSCO girls and emulate their vocabulary for a day.
The internet exaggerated the changes in fashion and trends and made it something that people consider silly. Wearing 20 scrunchies on your arm is simply ridiculous. Sometimes, the internet takes trends to such an extreme place that they are no longer reasonable."—Anna Falcone, 17
Sasha Tucker, 16, is a junior in high school at The Brearley School in Manhattan. She's also the editor-in-chief of her monthly school newspaper, The Zephyr. Any time she's not spending on the paper is spent working on technical theater. As of writing this, she's stage managing a production of The Importance of Being Earnest.
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