Oversized t-shirts, Birkenstocks, scrunchies, Fjällräven Kånken backpacks, and Hydro Flasks: five essential things that make a VSCO girl.
This summer, a new trend showed up on a Vine-like app called Tik Tok, labeling girls who dressed a certain way as, “VSCO girls.” VSCO is a photo editing app that has nothing really to do with the girl. Personally, I have used VSCO for quite some time now, and have no idea why these girls are being called out.
Alex Long, a sophomore here at the College, recalls a time when she was brutally mistreated by a group of tweens at Target.
“I was just minding my own business when four girls started running at me yelling ‘Look, a VSCO girl in real life! And I oop, sksksksk!’ I walked away, super fast, and turned the corner. That probably was the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me.”
Alex is a graphic design major, who wears oversized shirts because they are comfortable, and has Birkenstocks because they are also comfortable. She has a Kånken because it’s the perfect size to hold all of her art supplies. She drinks out of a Hydro Flask because it doesn’t condensate, and it’s a, “damn good water bottle.” She uses scrunchies because they don’t crease her hair. And she absolutely does not understand why she was attacked like that.
When asked about the language that VSCO girls use, Alex said “And I oop,” started because of this video made by Jasmine Masters, a drag queen on Youtube. He said it after something happened on screen, and since then, everyone has been saying it. As for sksksksksk, it’s just a sound that they make, and I really have no explanation for that.” It’s really interesting how this trend came to be, since it just started popping up on the “For You” page on Tik Tok.
The interesting thing is, Alex Long did not try to become VSCO girl. She has been dressing like one for a few years now, and all of a sudden, it became a big thing. When I asked her if she considered herself to be one, she said, “I look like one, so yeah, I guess I am one. But I never asked for this label. I just didn’t.”