A Look Back On 2022

2022 was a wild year for me and taught me a lot of new lessons. I learned to stand up for myself, how to love myself and others more. I also discovered my aesthetic and found a community of people that are into the same things. 2022 had its ups and downs, but I think it made me a better, wiser, and happier person in the end. 

Growing up, standing up for myself had been a struggle. When I was younger, I had to defend myself against bullies at school. Now that I am older, I find myself defending why I might want a shirt from my parents because it has the y2k vibe or it fits into my aesthetic, which we will get into later. All summer I had been working on spicing up my wardrobe, trying to purchase things that are on trend, but items that I won’t want to throw out in a few years. I tried to show them some tiktoks and color schemes for inspiration, and what they thought could be a more appropriate version. I realized I would have to compromise with them if I really wanted this. So, I showed them a few pictures of both things they would approve of and things I like. Some were more basic but I knew I could embellish them by wearing them a certain way or have accessories to go with the outfit. This is what I have been doing ever since. I learned a few things- one, not everything I have has to be totally trendy or special, and two, I actually like jazzing up my outfits on my own because it makes me more confident and gives me a chance to show my own style. 

What do dark fairies, Effy Stonem from Skins, tramp stamps, butterflies, pictures of cigarettes, and Tracy Freeland from “Thirteen” have in common? They are all part of an aesthetic called dark fairy core. There are technically many other names for this aesthetic but I see this anime most often. Girls wear dark jeans, grommet belts, pendant necklaces, and a black crop top that either is striped, has lace, or has some punk-rock style graphic on it. In 2022, I was totally obsessed with this style. As mentioned earlier, I had gotten new clothes to fit this style, and it got to the point where I was dressing like this at least once or twice a week. Aside from video edits and pictures, there are also subliminals you can listen to to truly transform your life to be more like this. I don’t recommend this because some of the affirmations in these videos involve doing drugs and such, but others are just for if you want to have a certain wardrobe or hairstyle or things like that. 

Through the dark fairy core aesthetic, and my new found confidence, I’ve truly learned to love myself. Not that I have not learned to love myself before this, but discovering this new world has definitely helped with that. Whenever I am having a bad day, I can go watch my favorite clip, reimagine an outfit of mine, or think about all of the memories I have made in this community. It lifts me up when I’m sad, and I know the tv and movie characters will always be there for me.

2022 helped me learn more about myself as I found new interests and made new memories. There might have been some hardships along the way but overall I think I really changed, and grew into a new version of myself. Usually I am not the type to want to reflect like this, but since I did a lot of self-growth and reflection, I think it would be safe to do so. Hopefully in 2023, I’ll learn more about my interests and other parts of myself I didn’t know about.