This just in: the Internet has identified a new subculture – the ‘VSCO Girl’.
If you’re late to the party here’s the lowdown: the name (pronounced vis-co) is based on the popular Android app, VSCO. It’s sort of like Instagram but offers more options for photo editing. The app is less focused on followers and likes and more about artistic expression. The ‘VSCO Girl’ is inherently trendy, arty and deeply submerged in online culture. Essentially, she’s what the Tumblr girl was 10 years ago.
There’s no one way to describe a ‘VSCO Girl’. The Internet is still fleshing out the specifics. So far, we know that she’s the girl with an endless scrunchy collection who wears oversized tees, carries a stylised and reusable water bottle and is never seen without her lip balm. Oh, and she also owns one of those Swedish backpacks everyone’s wearing.
It’s undeniable that the ‘VSCO Girl’ is cute. She’s a colour coordinated chick in a messy bun for Christ’s sake.
However, the Internet is equal parts hating on the subculture and equal parts celebrating it. People have as many opinions on ‘VSCO Girls’ as what they did on that fierce woman who went viral after taking an elaborate train selfie.
And I’m not surprised. It’s pretty hilarious about how accurately the ‘VSCO Girl’ captures a trendy late teen to early 20-year-old woman. The emergence of this archetype highlights how we’re not all as original as we think.
However, this Twitter user does make a fair call:
Anyone who has only neg things to say about the ‘VSCO Girl’ subculture is probs in denial. It’s safe to say that we can all find at least one of the ‘VSCO Girl’s’ markers attractive. For me, it’s a deep-rooted love for scrunchies.
It’s also not quite fair to hate on the ‘VSCO Girl’ for her interest in aesthetic appearances. Fair enough if you don’t ‘get’ people who spend time developing a highly curated Instagram but that’s their thing.
To some extent, we all follow trends. It’s just that the VSCO girl seems to follow, well, all of them.