As the glass of “history always repeats itself” tips over, and spreads into culture; from Tumblr blogs, the 90s-inspired soft grunge, and the romanticization of daily life through overly saturated photographs; the year 2014 is making a return.
Similar to a past article “What are you wearing?” I discussed the heavy influence of fashion trends in the 70s-2000s that impact what we wear today. Yet the edition failed to mention the influential fashion impact of Tumblr on younger audiences starting in 2014.
The app was notoriously known for being a microblogging and social networking app where users could read and create blogs, post pictures of daily life, and a place people could express themselves through aesthetically pleasing photos. Yet the app was also used by popular influencers at the time who increased downloads. Including Bella Hadid, Kylie & Kendall Jenner, Zendaya, and other popular influencers and models.
Yet, why is this era relevant currently? If you have been on social media recently, you might have scrolled past influencers using the song “Tumblr Girls” by G-Eazy featuring Christoph Andersson or using the “2014” filter. Although the song was produced in the peak of 2014, the song has been reintroduced to a new wave of social media users. The song follows the romantic relationship between the artist and a “Tumblr Girl”. Tumblr girl is the term used for a person who posts on social media romanticizing simple things, glorifying the party life, known for their unique or unusual fashion sense, and their alternative or hipster-esque lifestyles. This term was inspired by popular users of the Tumblr app, and these girls created certain personas online that inspired many.
In 2014 Kylie Jenner built her own persona online, and many recognize this area of her life as her “King Kylie era”. King Kylie posted pictures online that portrayed her being this alternative party girl (despite being 17 at the time), who had such a desirable life that thousands wished they had. Through the filters of sepia black and white, Amaro, and XX Pro, this girl’s life became a mindset for so many young women. This era has become not only an “aesthetic” but also a place of comfort. Meaning many look back on this point in time because life seemed to be more fun and lively, and not only just because of the filters. Although, even without the filters life genuinely did feel more vibrant for many, these popular influencers in this era all had an invisible string that connected them all. They were all searching for things that provided happiness visually and mentally.
Regardless of the issues social media provides for its audiences, if you can’t beat ’em join them. If you are interested in accomplishing this Tumblr-inspired look, certain things will pull your look together. As previously mentioned the use of social media and an aesthetically pleasing feed is required. The photos once taken are edited with either a soft grunge or pink and bright tones in mind, which helps build a certain image or persona. Music taste as well is very important when it comes to building this image, as the Arctic Monkeys, One Direction, Ariana Grande, The Vamps, G-Eazy, and Nicki Minaj were all topping charts across the globe. So a mix of Pop, Indie Rock, and Rap is heavily implied. Then finally the choice of a bright, over-saturated, and vibrant aesthetic, or a soft grunge, 90s alternative aesthetic. Both influenced and dominated this Tumblr era, creating a space for aesthetics to coexist.
Although fashion and social media culture isn’t always the healthiest, there will always be trends that will live on. Aesthetics will always exist and one of the reasons we overuse this term is because of the Tumblr era. This era was a time for those trying to create safe spaces on social media where they could express themselves, and either blog or watch life from the perspective of others. Yet, unfortunately with the way social media works eventually people will move on from recreating this era and move on. They will continue to wipe away the remains of this era, but it is always possible for this era to spill over once again.