Keeping up with the VSCO girls

You can spot them a mile away. (How could you miss them?) Sporting their Hydro Flasks, oversized shirts, scrunchies, puka shell necklaces, and Birkenstocks. For the uninitiated, we’re talking about VSCO girls.

VSCO girls, named after a popular photo editing app called VSCO (Visual Supply Co.), aim to inform the public about the environment. A popular focus is their dedication to saving turtles; which can be achieved through decreasing the usage of plastic by using metal straws and reusable water bottles.

Social media influencers like Emma Chamberlain, Hannah Meloche, and Haley Pham have been the forerunners of the trend. They all hold sway over a large audience of teens as; Emma Chamberlain herself currently has 8 million followers on her Instagram and 8.4 million subscribers on her Youtube channel.

But there is a price to pay for this fashionable trend. Being a VSCO girl can be expensive. Take some of the essentials, for example: A 40 oz Hydro Flask can cost as much as $50, and Birkenstocks cost $140.

And therein lies the problem. It’s a trend not everyone can afford. It comes across as an elite club of privileged girls whose money gives them permission to save the turtles. But let me ask you this: How is this different than any other trend? Sure, the sksksksk and the and I oop has to go, but the trend is harmless…expensive, but harmless.

2014 tumblr girls: who are you

vsco girls: im you, but happier

— ???? ♥ (@kobychill) July 11, 2019

The VSCO girl trend is like any other. In the 70s and 80s, punk became a popular fashion influence. Punks wore cuffed skinny jeans, black leather jackets, and boots. They pieced any part of their face they could. They wore safety pins in their clothes,  and sported mohawks and spiked hair. They were angry and hated authority. The 90s youth adopted grunge, a look and culture made famous by bands like Nivarna and Pearl Jam. They were environmentally conscious, angsty, and anti-authority. But ask a 40something what they think of these trends now, and they’ll all tell you how ridiculous they were. I mean they wore thermal wear under cut off jean shorts.  Trends all come and go; they pass quickly. How is the VSCO girl trend any different? Will they be remembered a year down the road?

The movement is drawing a backlash, but it is truly lighthearted and needs to be accepted as such. It is just a trend for high schoolers that is silly, funny, and actually may have some small environmental benefits. Some cannot afford the trendy clothes, causing irritation. But trendy clothes will always be expensive, and there’s no way around of that. The trend, like others, is not meant for everyone. You can hate on the trend, but that’s no reason to hate on the people.

To see if you’re a VSCO girl, check out:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/melaniercohen/how-much-of-a-vsco-girl-are-you-14x8t7m7tl