Tumblr Girls
Tumblr is a social networking site that experienced its heyday around a decade ago. Originally, it was meant to serve as a space for running microblogs and sharing one’s art. Most people chose a different way of functioning in this online space, however, and merely reposted graphics, short videos or GIFs created by other users. It is still popular, and nothing indicates that it will share the fate of the internet dinosaur that naszaklasa.pl turned out to be. New users continue to appear there, while Generation Z is falling in love with the possibility of joining online fandoms started on Tumblr by millennials. Gen Z was precisely what reminded the internet of the existence of mood boards – these mini-collages were a graphic expression of inspiration, a presentation of associations, a loose collection of visual clichés on a given subject. They often depicted dream outfits and makeup – this is exactly where Tumblr girls came from.
Do I wanna know?
Tumblr girls were undoubtedly inspired by the biggest mainstream music stars: around 2014, The Arctic Monkeys, Lana del Rey, 5 Seconds of Summer, the Kooks, Marina, Lorde, Twenty One Pilots and the xx drew the largest crowds in front of festival stages. The dark, though highly contrasting, aesthetic combined many elements from previous eras, creating an eclectic cocktail of trends. Faux-leather and denim jackets in a grunge style ruled in autumn and spring. Must-haves included band T-shirts, necessarily faded or featuring an acid-wash effect. Black skinny jeans were everywhere, giving way only to denim shorts in summer, obligatorily with a frayed hem. Dresses – exclusively mini-length – were worn with sneakers and Dr. Martens boots. The combination of pleated miniskirts and knee-high socks was one of the most popular fashion pairings. In makeup, matte skin and a thick line on the eyelid, drawn with black eyeliner, absolutely ruled.
Instant Nostalgia
As soon as people on TikTok and Instagram began remembering the Tumblr girl style, millennial women started creating nostalgia-filled videos featuring photos of their outfits from ten years ago. Selfie compilations taken with the first generation of smartphones, set to “Do I wanna know?” or “Young and beautiful” in the background, became a sensation, evoking a range of emotions among viewers. Some were accompanied by humorous comments gently mocking the clichéd combinations of black knee-high socks and shorts or the crooked, oversized eyeliner wings painstakingly applied every morning. It is clear, however, that Generation Y feels great fondness for this style, declaring that they remember that time as a very happy one and would gladly return to those years. No wonder – for them, those were the years of high school and the beginning of university, a period they enjoy revisiting. If you feel like treating yourself to a small nostalgic journey through time, find your Dr. Martens boots and pleated miniskirt in the wardrobe, and play Lorde in your headphones.