E-girls and e-boys

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the Japanese girl group, see E-girls. For the TV series, see E-Boy (TV series). For the pixel art group, see eBoy.

Ines "Irisloveunicorns" Silva, an e-girl, demonstrates the subculture's typical fashion, makeup, and gestures.

E-girls and e-boys, sometimes collectively known as e-kids,[1] are a youth subculture that emerged in the late 2010s and is almost exclusively seen on social media,[2] notably popularized by the video-sharing app TikTok.[3] Videos by e-girls and e-boys tend to be flirtatious and, many times, overtly sexual.[2][4] Eye-rolling and protruding tongues (a facial expression known as ahegao, imitating climaxing) are common.[5]

According to Business Insider, the terms are not gender-specific, instead referring to two separate styles of fashion, stating that "While the e-boy is a vulnerable 'softboi' and embraces skate culture, the e-girl is cute and seemingly innocent".[6]

History[]

Emo rapper Lil Peep is considered influential upon the development of the subculture

Origins[]

The terms "e-girl" and "e-boy" are derived from "electronic boy" and "electronic girl", due to their association with the internet.[7] "E-girl" was first used, in the late-2000s, as an objectifying pejorative against women perceived to be seeking out male attention online. According to an article by Business Insider, the earliest example of e-girls were found on Tumblr,[6] with Vice Media stating the subculture evolved out of the earlier emo and scene cultures.[8] Vox writer Rebecca Jennings instead referred to the Tumblr aesthetic as a precursor of the subculture, as it lacked the cutesy aspect that would come to define e-girl hair and makeup.[9] i-D referred to Avril Lavigne as "the original e-girl" due to her polished take on alternative fashion, contrast to mainstream norms of the time and affinity for kawaii culture.[10] Additionally, fictional characters such as Ramona Flowers, Harley Quinn and Sailor Moon were influential on the development of the subculture.[11][12]

By the late-2010s, e-boys had split from this original all female culture, embracing elements of emo, mallgoth, and scene culture.[13] The popularity and eventual death of emo rapper Lil Peep also influenced the beginnings of the subculture,[14] with the New York Post describing him as "the patron musical saint of e-land".[15] E-boys also make use of "soft-boy aesthetics" through presenting themselves as sensitive and vulnerable. According to the Brown Daily Herald this is due to a transformation of ideal male attractiveness from being traditionally masculine to embracing introvertedness, shyness, emotional vulnerability and androgyny.[16]

Mainstream popularity (2018–present)[]

English musician Yungblud is a notable e-boy

The subculture began in 2018, following the worldwide release of TikTok. According to an article in i-D, the subculture's emergence on the app challenged the polished and edited photos of influencers and VSCO girls common on Instagram, due to TikTok lacking the features to do so.[17] An article by CNN stated that "If VSCO girls are the sunshine-basking hippies of 2020, e-girls are the opposite".[18] The subculture first began to gain mainstream attention in 2019.[6] MEL Magazine attributed the subculture's popularity to the increased interest of K-Pop groups like BTS, Exo and Got7 in the Western mainstream, due to the two's similar style of dress and hair.[19] A trend soon began on TikTok and other social media platforms, where people would upload videos "transforming" into an e-boy or e-girl, according to Vox Media, this is how the culture "entered the mainstream lexicon".[9][20] The July 2019 Murder of Bianca Devins also brought attention to e-girls due to Devins' participation in the subculture.[21]

The subculture continued to grow in prominence through 2020, with Vogue publishing an article featuring Doja Cat discussing e-girl makeup,[22] and "e-girl style" being in the top 10 trending fashion terms on Google in the year.[23] Additionally, a number of mainstream celebrities began to adopt the bleached stripes hairstyle associated with e-girls, including American socialite Kylie Jenner[24] and Kosovar-English singer Dua Lipa.[25] In July, high fashion designer Hedi Slimane released a preview of a collection called "the Dancing Kid" for Celine, influenced by the fashion of e-boys. In a July 29 article from GQ, writer Rachel Tashjian referenced this as a sign that "TikTok is now driving fashion".[26] Corpse Husband's song "E-Girls Are Ruining My Life!", which was released in September, gained large amounts of attention on TikTok,[27] eventually charting in the UK Singles Chart for three weeks.[28] In late 2020 and early 2021, a number of high fashion designers, namely Ludovic de Saint Sernin and Celine, began designing collections inspired by e-boy fashion.[29][30][31] Both InStyle and Paper magazine credited e-boys and e-girls as important to the rise in popularity and resurgence of pop punk in the 2020s.[32][33]

Fashion[]

Kosovar-English musician Dua Lipa with a common e-girl hairstyle

The subculture's fashion is inspired by a number of prior subcultures, fashion trends and forms of entertainment, including mall goth,[34][35] skater culture,[36] 1990s–2000s fashion, anime,[36] K-pop,[37] BDSM,[2] emo, scene,[7] hip hop,[38] and rave.[39] Dazed described the aesthetic as "A little bit bondage, a little bit baby".[12] Outfits commonly consist of baggy, thrifted clothes.[2] In particular, some e-girls wear mesh shirts,[2] plaid skirts, oversized t-shirts, crop tops, platform shoes, chokers and beanies,[40] while e-boys wear oversized sweaters[41] or monochrome clothes and band merchandise[42] layered over long sleeve striped shirts,[4] and polo necks.[43] Chain necklaces, wallet chains[38][42] and dangle earrings[44][45] are also frequently worn. E-boys often wear curtained hair,[46][47] whereas e-girls hair is dyed neon-colors[2][48] often times pink or blue,[7] or is bleached blonde in the front.[40] Some tie their hair into pigtails.[7] Hair dyed two different colours down the centre (known as "split-dye hair") is common amongst both sexes.[6]

Both boys and girls may wear heavy makeup, in particular pink blush on the cheeks and nose, imitating anime.[49][5] Fake freckles[49] unkempt nail polish[50] and winged eye liner,[2] are common. YouTuber Jenna Marbles made a video imitating an e-girl's makeup style, calling it a mix between "Harajuku, emo, and igari makeup",[48] the latter of which is a Japanese makeup style imitative of a hangover.[51] Some e-girls draw over their philtrum using lipstick to make their lips look rounder.[52] One notable element of e-girl makeup is under-eye stamps, often in a heart shape.[39][53] While the trend is directly influenced by Marina Diamandis, it has its origins in 16th-century smallpox epidemic in Britain, where patches of paper or fabric would be cut into small shapes and stuck onto the face to cover scars.[54]

E-boys and e-girl's expression of progressive, "woke" politics, often influences their fashion. Sexual and gender fluidity are common within the subculture, with many e-boys expressing themselves in more traditionally feminine ways, such as wearing chokers or makeup.[55] E-boy musician Yungblud often wears a dress on stage.[56] Discussion of mental health is also common.[12]

Music[]

E-boys and e-girls are associated with "Sad Boy" music,[57][58] a broadly defined grouping of musicians, who similarly write music influenced by sadness and mental illness, that often overlaps with emo rap.[59] Notable Sad Boy musicians include Lil Peep, Juice WRLD,[58] Brockhampton, Frank Ocean, Joji, Tyler, the Creator, Jaden Smith,[57] Hobo Johnson, Rex Orange County, and James Blake.[59] The term has been criticized by artists such as James Blake, due to its portrayal of mental illness, which he considers "unhealthy and problematic".[60] Other musicians associated with the subculture include Ghostemane, SuicideBoys, Scarlxrd,[61] Twenty One Pilots and Billie Eilish.[62][6]

In the 2020s, it became common for participants of the subculture to listen to artists associated with the 2020s pop punk revival, such as Machine Gun Kelly and Lil Huddy.[63]

Notable e-girls and e-boys[]

See also[]

References[]

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External links[]

  • Media related to E-girls at Wikimedia Commons
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