For months, many people have noticed increasingly popular but very different fashion trends pop up – eGirls and VSCO girls.

However, most people aren’t sure what they’re looking at when they see a group of VSCO girls. 

Considering that Granite Bay High is filled with both eGirls (and eBoys) and VSCO girls, it’ll help to know an eGirl from a VSCO girl when they walk by every day.

The eGirl trend found its start on TikTok, an app used for making 15 to 60 second music videos and was started by influencers like Belle Delphine, Anthony Reeves and Instagram influencers like @mochidoll.uwu. The trend’s primary focuses are makeup and a semi-grunge style.

eGirls first started to surface around mid-January and have since taken off.

eGirls are notorious for dressing grunge but cute, with well-done makeup, fishnets and chains. There are so many different versions of the look, so one description doesn’t fit all eGirls.

“I just found a random chain in my house and started wearing it around,” said sophomore eGirl Athena Sese.

After deciding it was too hot to wear sweats in the summer, Sese made the switch to being an eGirl. She found the look online and decided to run with it.

“It’s a pretty good style … it’s unique in comparison to the VSCO-girl trend,” Sese said.

In contrast to other eGirls, Sese isn’t as into the influence that TikTok has to offer.

TikTok is an app that was released in September 2016 that used to go by a different name – Musical.ly. That name died back in August 2018, and TikTok took its place.

Since its rebranding, TikTok has become a much more notable social media platform. According to neoreach.com, TikTok had 500,000 more monthly downloads than Facebook, and a million-plus more than Instagram.

Users have turned TikTok from the simple music video-making app that it used to be and turned it into a much larger platform to make memes, share art and fashion, and a platform for users to make a name for themselves.

TikTok has been the birthplace of many popular trends, including eGirls.

“(TikTok) is kind of extreme, I would say – I wouldn’t go full striped-shirt-under-polo,” Sese said, bringing up a notorious eGirl trend that came from TikTok.

Other students are more into the look.

“(Fashion) seems to be the focal point of the trend,” said sophomore eBoy Nate Stebbins. “Most people are pretty behind it.”

eBoys like Stebbins are similar to eGirls, but instead of going for a softer grunge, they dress more in skater clothing with oversized, tucked-in shirts, lots of black and lots of chains. Makeup is optional.

Though Sese said she spends minimal time on makeup, junior eGirl Antoinette Montano reported it takes her about one hour to do her usual makeup.

This isn’t uncommon for a lot of eGirls and even some eBoys.

And it turns out, the eGirl/eBoy trend isn’t the only new fashion phenomenon affecting GBHS.

VSCO is a photo-sharing app similar to Instagram where users can edit photos and share them online with the rest of the VSCO community. As of its release in 2011, it has gained more than  30 million active users.

Many users downloaded it initially for its photo editing features, but fashion influencers have brought up the app to boost their platform. And so, the VSCO girl trend emerged.

In comparison to eGirls, VSCO girls are the “basic girls” of 2019, complete with big T-shirts, scrunchies and hydroflasks that cost in the vicinity of $40.

“I have a lot of scrunchies, a metal straw on my keychain, a puka shell necklace … all of that,” said senior VSCO girl Kara Kleinbach.

Kleinbach said she sees the VSCO girl trend a lot in the freshman and sophomore classes.

Junior Makena Brister agreed.

“I feel like every Granite Bay girl has (a hydro flask) … I think a lot of girls look on VSCO or Instagram and think (that it’s cute),” said Brister, who’s active on VSCO.

With the growing popularity of the VSCO trend, it’s been labeled as “basic” by many.

“I like what I like, and if the music and clothing that I like is basic, then that’s OK, because everyone likes what they like,” Kleinbach said. “It’s OK to be basic if that’s what you like.”

VSCO girls aren’t opposed to the eGirl and eBoy trend even if they do get hate from them.

“It’s not my style, but there’s nothing wrong with it,” Kleinbach said. “There’s a lot of cute eBoys out there.”

The VSCO trend exploded when the VSCO app became increasingly more popular, and the eGirl trend grew with TikTok, but there is one common platform that the two trends share.

“I usually follow fashion hashtags, and then a lot of style like this popped up,” Sese said. “It’s mostly on Instagram.” 

The common ground between VSCO girls and eGirls is the fashion influencers that are on Instagram.

According to stayhipp.com, more than 500,000 posts have been labeled with either #eGirl or #eGirls, and more than one million posts have been tagged with #VSCOgirl.

There are plenty of accounts on Instagram that share tutorials and images related to being either a VSCO girl or an eGirl. 

For eGirls, it’s a bit more of a struggle since many popular eGirls on Instagram post memes, but one popular eGirl figure who’s a GBHS alumni is Steph Kang (@cyb3rgirl or @stephkangbird). Most eGirls find clothing inspiration from Instagram models like Steph and icons on TikTok.

So for a reference on where to shop for either of these styles, consider looking online and seeing what to buy.

Brister recommends Brandy Melville, Tilly’s, Lululemon or PINK for the VSCO girl look.

Sese says to go to Freestyle, Ross, Forever 21 or go thrifting for good eGirl styles.