Calling All Effy Stonem Stans—The 2014 Tumblr Girl Is Back -

There’s no question that the biggest trend to come out of 2022 is one we never suspected—nostalgia.

From Y2K to the controversial indie sleaze, it seems that the 2014 Tumblr Girl has now also fallen victim to Gen-Z’s prey. While most trends are cyclical and can be tracked by the “20 year rule”, given this look is only eight years out of fashion we’re a little surprised that the aesthetic has made a comeback so recently.

For those of us that were there, you’ll know this era was characterised by an unprecedented obsession with Skins golden girl Effy Stonem and our subsequent efforts to channel her enviable soft-girl grunge style and mysterious allure.

While quality blogs were all the rage in the early 2010s, and the controversial influencer Acacia Brinley the style’s poster child, the increase of black-and-white moody screenshots of shows like Pretty Little Liars and The Vampire Diaries soundtracked to The Cinematic Orchestra’s ‘To Build A Home’ surfacing on the platform paved the way for the early editions of the Tumblr girl.

The pseudo-alt Tumblr girl was set apart from other subcultures of the time by her penchant for American Apparel tennis skirts, grid print and striped patterns and Doc Martens. Indie artists including The 1975, Lorde and the Arctic Monkeys were their soundtrack, played exclusively on vinyl obviously, and the only photos the ones that were intentionally grainy with vintage style filters.

The Tumblr girl romanticised smoking cigarettes and wrote depressing Rupi Kaur-style posts about how misunderstood they were. It was an era of trying hard to be unconventional, yet ultimately resulting in being just like everyone else.

It was also the time where the Hadids and Jenners were counted as emerging wannabe models by the industry, rather than the fashion mavens they’re known as now.

With the appearance of being an alternative and underground, we can understand how Gen-Z idealises what a 2014 Tumblr Girl is.

The hashtag #tumblrgirl boasts over 19 million views on TikTok alone, and while Skins has been replaced with Euphoria, Tumblr forgone for TikTok, and the only chunky loafer in site the likes of Prada and Miu Miu, we can’t help but wonder if the 2014 Tumblr Girl will always be a part of our cultural fabric.

If, like us, you were lucky enough to live through this time, then you’ll recognise the resurgence is rooted in nostalgia and a yearning for simpler times. We’re not sure about you but considering the unpredictable last few years we’ll happily relive our adolescent fantasies again and again.

Now, if only we could remember our Tumblr passwords.

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