Photo: Billie Dawn Webb
In the world of minimalistic eye makeup, lightly-roughed cheeks, la naturelle lips, and simple outfits, e-girls and boys look truly remarkable. Although the girl (aka soft girl) style isn't 100% new to the fashion and makeup worlds, it is a whole new cultural phenomenon worth researching and appreciating. So, if you aren't afraid of labels and are ready to dive into a colorfully gloomy world of all things cute, unusual, and aesthetically pleasing, here is a dissection of the e-girl's style, its roots, and the innovations this style brought with its popularity.
The Origins of E-Girl Style
The origin of the e-girl style dates back to the early 2000s when the crazy rave parties started to rapidly spread throughout the underground subculture. Understandably, the old-fashioned ravers didn't call themselves e-girls and e-boys, still, they enjoyed listening to electronic music and doing all sorts of illegal substances just as much, as some of their present-day descendants.
The new wave of "electronic" girls and boys was reborn in the late 2010s, together with the popularity of Kpop, and music and video-sharing apps like TikTok and other platforms. The uniqueness of this subculture lies in its exclusive online existence. You will rarely stumble upon an e-girl or boy in a coffee shop or library. The e-youth is not like your archaic hipsters or dark academia dwellers. Most of their free time they prefer to spend online in Discord chats and making new TikTok challenges.
What are The Main E-Girl Style Features?
Visually e-style looks like a mild mixture of the emo and hippies appeal, sprinkled with the best of my favorite grunge. On e-girls, you'll see the usual high-waist plaid skirts, band-branded tees, crop tops, and stripped elements. Knee-high socks with all-stars and platform sneakers are also welcomed together with colorful hair and an abundant amount of hair clips that the e-stylers brought back from the 90s.
To recall some other visual references writer and journalist Rebecca Jenningslinked the visual aesthetics of the e-girl style to the early Tumblr look, while the magazine i-D named Avril Lavigne "the original e-girl", because of her love of all things alternative, skater culture, and even Avril's a "kawaii" phase. Well, her style was definitely inspired by the 2010s emo and scene subculture, therefore I absolutely agree with the huge impact she had on modern e-girl style.
Photo: @douxfairy
- Jewelry & accessories...
E-girl accessories are versatile and can serve multiple purposes in fashion. They not only add a touch of personality to any outfit but can also be used strategically to create a complete e-girl look. These accessories often include items like chunky platform boots, colorful hair clips, chokers, oversized graphic tees, and fishnet stockings, among others.
When incorporated thoughtfully, they can transform a regular outfit into an edgy, internet-inspired style statement that's synonymous with the e-girl aesthetic. Here are some of the most popular elements you can try to incorporate into your look:
‣ Chockers: Choker necklaces are a classic e-girl accessory. They can be made of a variety of materials, such as velvet, leather, or metal. Wear chokers alone or layer them with pendants and necklaces;
‣ Rings: E-girl rings are often bold and statement pieces. Popular designs include chunky rings with spikes or skulls, as well as delicate rings with anime or gaming motifs;
‣ Chain belts: Chain belts can be worn together with distressed jeans, high-waist-skirts, or simple dresses;
‣ Platform shoes: Platform shoes are a must-have for any e-girl. They come in a variety of styles, from boots to sneakers to sandals;
‣ Fishnet stockings: Fishnet stockings are another popular e-girl accessory. They can be worn under skirts, dresses, or shorts. Fishnet stockings add a touch of sexiness to any outfit.
How to Do a Trendy E-girl Makeup Look?
If the fashion style of e-girls is pretty much understandable, what about the makeup? Unlike emo girls, who preferred their smokey eyeshadows to be pitch black, and hippies who actually preferred bare skin, e-girls have a very distinctive makeup look. It is characterized by flushed skin, also known as "hangover makeup" or the Igari look. This look involves both your cheeks and nose having a bright but naturally flushed appearance while the skin still looks perfectly clean and smooth.
Photo: @cwunchie
- Glowing skin....
- Bold graphic eyeliner...
The girl's eye makeup usually features bold, graphics eyeliner, a generous mascara, and eyeshadow. Eyeliner can be the regular black, sharply designed around the top and bottom eyelids. But, it can also be an eye-catching colorful eyeliner look, reinforced with other colorful eyeshadow accents.
- Tiny elements...
Of course, the brightest feature of e-style makeup is various draw-on or stamped elements like hearts, flowers, dots, and stars. These elements should be tastefully incorporated into the look to serve the maximum purpose. The faux freckles trend will work for the e-girl makeup as well as little stickers, and other decorative elements.
Photo: Nyane Lebajoa
What About E-Girl Hair?
E-girl hairstyles are bold, experimental, and often edgy. They are often inspired by anime, gaming, and other alternative subcultures. E-girl hairstyles can be short or long, straight or curly, and can feature a variety of colors and patterns.
‣ Chunky highlights: This look is achieved by bleaching thick sections of hair, often around the face or crown of the head. Chunky highlights can be contrasting colors, such as black and blonde, or they can be more subtle, such as brown and caramel.
‣ Undercut: An undercut is a hairstyle in which the hair on the sides and back of the head is shaved short, while the hair on top is left longer. Undercuts can be styled in a variety of ways, but they are often seen on e-girls with colorful hair or patterned shaved designs.
‣ Pigtails: Pigtails are a classic childhood hairstyle that has been revived by e-girls. E-girl pigtails are often styled with colorful hair ties or other accessories.
‣ Space buns: Space buns are another classic hairstyle that has been popularized by e-girls. Space buns are created by tying two high buns on the top of the head. E-girl space buns are often decorated with accessories such as butterfly clips or scrunchies.
‣ Pastel hair colors: Pastel hair colors are another popular e-girl trend. E-girls often dye their hair in soft pastel colors such as pink, blue, purple, and green.
Final Thoughts...
Like any fashion and makeup trend, the e-girl style will eventually come to an end. However, I believe it will have a lasting influence on upcoming subcultures, just as its stylish predecessors have. The e-girl style has become a popular source of inspiration for many people, and its popularity continues to grow. If you want to learn more about this trend, I can even post a step-by-step tutorial for e-girl makeup. I hope you found this trend dissection interesting and informative. Until next time!
Lots of love,
Liz
