Internet Girl: The Fairy Godmother of Modern Punk

Ask and you shall receive—for a price, of course.

Some people are just really good at social media, to put it mildly. With the average social media platform grossing billions of users, personal branding is what differentiates one user from the rest, propelling those who have accumulated a large following into influencer stardom.

Not one to shy away from self-expression, Bella McFadden is familiar with social media based popularity. After gaining a loyal following on Depop, an online selling platform, and Instagram, she has evolved into a self-made business woman, with her username “Internet Girl” proceeding her.

Her penchant for ‘90s and Y2K era nostalgia has attracted more than half a million Depop followers and 300k on Instagram. Capitalizing on this attention, McFadden chose to elevate her Depop business, becoming one of the first influencers to offer curated style bundles. These hot-pink packages, dubbed “iGirl Bundles”, combine McFadden’s punk-inspired ensembles with the buyer’s own style aspirations. Price conscious by nature, Internet Girl sources from thrift stores, as well as her own closet, gifting buyers with pieces from her personal collection. 

The demand for this service has proven to be overwhelming, resulting in the reduction of offered bundles to 20 per week—with the first 20 buyers each Sunday being the lucky recipients of her personalized packages. McFadden has also raised the price per bundle to $150, plus shipping—a feat that has not been taken lightly by some followers.  

Despite any recurring negativity, McFadden has carried on, choosing to grow and evolve her image through social media rather than addressing controversy. Instagram remains her primary outlet for creative expression. With the focus constantly shifting depending on her current aesthetic, Internet Girl’s page reads as a portal into her own fantasy land, in which a mixture of punk, butterfly clips, and gothic fairy combine into one, creating a cognizant storyboard that showcases her brand to perfection.

In addition to her Instagram, Internet Girl posts the look books and styling of select iGirl Bundles on her YouTube page. YouTube has also risen in popularity within recent years, with many influencers making their debut on the platform. Internet Girl uses her channel to show subscribers a behind the scenes glimpse into her creative process. From the thrifting excursions to the styling, her interpretation and care for her buyers resonates.

Intentional or not, Internet Girl preaches a gospel of community and individuality. In her world, sharing seems to be caring, with her haphazardly regifting her own belongings in the name of fashion. Although her profile rose due to her own style, she uses her platform to encourage and grow her followers’ own sense of individuality. When purchasing a bundle, buyers are asked to include a short description of what they are looking to gain from the package, whether that be a designated aesthetic, celebrity inspiration, or certain silhouettes that they prefer or are looking to avoid. Measurements are also requested in an effort to best curate items to the buyer—a factor that has proven to be perhaps the most difficult. 

With the continued growth of YouTube, reviews and criticism are even more detectable, creating a mass effect in which the trend of live “unboxings” have become the new norm to provide interested viewers with an unfiltered glance into the contents of those sought-after bundles. Depop seller and YouTuber, Helena Briede, referenced this point in her review of a bundle that she had purchased in October 2019. 

“For the price, I expected it to be more curated,” said Briede. 

For what would be her third iGirl Bundle, Briede had asked for a Y2K princess theme, specifying that she did not want pants and preferred a monochromatic color scheme. However, her personalized note did not seem to make much of an impact on the styling of her bundle. As seen in her unboxing video on YouTube, Briede was left with a pair of pants and an assortment of items that she deemed as “fine.”

“For the price I was paying, I expected the outfits to be better,” she stated. Her subpar reaction was not helped by the fact that the majority of tops and bottoms she received did not fit.

“I ended up returning almost all of the clothes,” Briede shared, adding that “She gave me about 75% of my money back.”

With what could be considered a silver lining, Briede claimed that she was satisfied with Internet Girl’s customer service. However, she made a point in stating that buyers should not be dependent on the bundles, as this could lead to a stressful situation.

Briede was planning on using the styled outfits for an upcoming music festival.

“I was really relying on them, and it was annoying to have to go find new ones after not fitting into or really liking any of the clothes,” said Briede. However, she did keep the iGirl accessories that were included in her package. Hair clips, earrings, and necklaces, all designed by Internet Girl, have proven to be crowd favorites that are sold both individually on her Depop account, as well as add-ons to each bundle.

“I wear the necklace every day; it’s really good quality and super cute,” said Briede.

Although critics have been quick to judge Internet Girl’s styling abilities, the majority of reviews have raved over the exclusive line of jewelry created by the influencer. Quality pieces that fit her own style as well as her customers, Internet Girl is differentiating herself from any competition.

Depop user, Gillian, was gifted with a set of iGirl Pearls in her bundle back in May 2019. Clearly classified by the inclusion of anarchy signs, the popular necklace had previously been sold out as a separate piece. An expensive item when listed by itself, Gillian claimed, “I think that the jewelry made up most of the price of the bundle.” With two shirts, a modest dress and jean skirt (all thrifted), this could be the case. Although she recognized that the price tag was hefty, Gillian paid for the experience.

“I get that people are saying that I could just go to a thrift store myself and get all of the outfits for a lot less, but I see it as paying for the styling.”

Bella McFadden’s business is a service-driven model that is comparable to Stitch Fix, a corporate-run business that offers a similar experience at a greater span of production. However, unlike Stitch Fix, McFadden is catering to Generation Z for the most part—a new wave of consumers who carry out the “cancel culture” mindset. Undeserving or not, negative comments snowball into preformed opinions that prove to be a disadvantage to online figures such as McFadden.

“I was actually really excited about my outfits,” said Gillian, “But when I read the comments, a lot of people were saying that they did not fit the theme. It made me second guess myself.”

Coming full circle in an unfortunate but unsurprising twist, the platforms in which Internet Girl was able to grow her brand have now contributed to the spread of hate and criticism. To put the scope of her work into perspective again, McFadden is tasked with supplying 20 bundles every week, each filled with more than one outfit—all bundles individually curated to a different style. In terms of resources, McFadden has thrift stores and her closet. While buyers have a right to be angry over purchases that they deem underwhelming, when taking a quick step back, perhaps their overall judgement could benefit from stepping into the platformed shoes of Internet Girl for a day.

YouTuber Madison Moore reflected on the backlash, saying “I think that everyone is too hard on her. There were so many rude comments on the video that I posted.” This was Moore’s first style bundle, and while she was less than impressed, she remained fair in grading.

“I get that it’s a lot of money and I think that if I ever got another bundle, I would just tell her to do whatever she wants,” said Moore.

Curation reappears as the main point of criticism, with some insinuating that the business has grown too fast, leading to a decrease in quality.

“I heard that the bundles used to be better when they first started,” Moore stated. “I think that it's just a lot for her team to deal with. I’m not even sure how many people even work with her.”

As Depop and YouTube bring her content to the forefront while contributing to the growth of her company, the evolution of Internet Girl’s bundles is to be questioned.

If she continues to scale back production while not necessarily heightening quality, McFadden’s business will eventually plateau, with the supply not meeting the expectations of the demand. Taking her business to the next level, which she has done in the past while moving to Los Angeles and renting a larger work space, ultimately means hiring extra hands to focus on curation. Working to revert the image of iGirl Bundles to their original glory is vital.

In an optimistic take, Internet Girl has grown her business from the ground up, with one considering an increase in demand to reflect her talents. Her originality is truly what separates her from competitors. She is setting the trends in both fashion and business. Therefore, Internet Girl will once again rule, finding her footing as she did when first building her brand. Her message of individuality will prevail, and she will continue to uplift her followers through her fearless descent into style bundle stardom.