A 2014 Renaissance: The Origin & Return of Tumblr Girls
Grab your copy of Paper Towns and throw on your old pair of combat boots, 2014 has made its return.
One of the most talked-about years in the 2010 decade is 2014. It is known for its “soft-grunge mysterious girl” aesthetic and the use of the social platform Tumblr.
Have you heard G-Eazy non-stop? That is Gen Z’s attempt to get the feeling of 2014 back. And it’s working. Since March, there has been a constant loop of Christoph Andersson’s remix of “Lady Killers II” by G-Eazy on TikTok.
And then the song “Tumblr Girls” circled back, which is reminiscent of the ‘Tumblr 2014’ era ten years ago. This song was created for these girls; the girls you see with black tights, a pleated skirt, and a Pure Heroine CD in their hand.
Tumblr was first released in 2007 as a small community where you can create your own blog and share photos, thoughts, and opinions. It was the first time you really saw communities being built. Twitter came out a year before, and Pinterest released shortly after in 2010.
At the time, there were shows featuring the “picture-perfect” Tumblr girls, and you can still see people inspired by those iconic characters today. Think of Allison Dilaurentis, Aria Montgomery, and Effy Stonem as the foundation of the ultimate “Tumblr Girl.”
There were three kinds of Tumblr girls around this time: the Victoria’s Secret bombshell, the Summer Brandy Melville California girl, and the mysterious indie-sleaze girl. Three different kinds of girls, that raised generations of teens.
Along with these brands, Pretty Little Liars (PLL) and Skins UK were the guides for teen girls throughout 2014. Both shows came out in the early to late 2000s, but as the years went on, the allure of these characters grew stronger. With Tumblr at its peak, fans made aesthetic mood boards inspired by characters, where millions would reblog and build friendships.
With Freeform’s Pretty Little Liars, many of the main characters fit into the stereotype of the “Tumblr Girl.” All of the liars in this series had a mysterious effect, much like Effy Stonem from Skins. Effy kickstarted the “indie-sleaze” aesthetic when Generation 2 (seasons three to four) of Skins was released in 2009.
Effy Stonem was a character from Skins in Gens 1 and 2 of the series. She played the small role of an innocent 14-year-old girl who had a mysterious side. She sneaks out to party and comes home in the morning right before school. She does not speak until the last episode of the first season. This adds to her edginess and “indie-sleaze” persona.
In Gen 2, Effy continued this perception of mystery. Her struggle with her mental health was displayed as raw and authentic, which is why her character alone gained so much popularity. And you can see the same mystery behind the liars in Pretty Little Liars. These themes were constantly displayed in shows at that time on television.
All of the liars in the PLL series embodied mystery and an attraction that pulls you in. Each of the five liars are different, with several personalities that you could relate to. All of the characters of this series were displayed with different aesthetics that influenced those on Tumblr.
Even though both shows existed before the era that was 2014, the media from these series circulated throughout different blogs on Tumblr. There were blogs dedicated to romance and fantasy, like John Green’s famous reads: Paper Towns and The Fault in Our Stars, and dystopian films like Divergent and The Hunger Games. Overall, so many forms of media were brought to this sense of idolization.
As a teenage girl, the way you are perceived is everything. So when artists like Lana Del Rey, Arctic Monkeys, Lorde, MARINA, and Halsey released songs that were relatable to that audience, it was a similar phenomenon that impacted Tumblr.
With the popularity of these artists and shows now rising, TikTok has recirculated the topic of “Tumblr 2014.” Video edits and mood board slideshows have brought the era to life again, along with filters and trends using some of the most relevant songs of 2014.
With the revival of G-Eazy’s “Lady Killers II” and “Tumblr Girls,” mass amounts of TikTok trends have sparked. A decade later, the Tumblr aesthetic has come back in full force. It is the renaissance of 2014 and only the beginning.
Will you be having a “Tumblr 2014 girl” summer? Leave a comment below!