Memes

A Guide To Understanding What A VSCO Girl Is

Another day, another random thing to try and unpack on the Internet. The online world has many communities, some established, some rising out of nowhere. The VSCO girl a rare combination of both. She was just someone who used the VSCO photo app, but her identity has become much more complex.

In fact, you could be a VSCO girl and not even know it!

Their characteristics have moved beyond the use of an app to clothes, sunsets, and environmentalism. The VSCO girl contains multitudes!

So, what is a VSCO Girl?

It began with an app. VSCO is a photo editor and it helps with making your pictures extra perfect for the ‘gram. A girl who uses VSCO cares a lot about how things look on her Instagram, which is why she goes to the trouble of editing them out of app. 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Walk the line between wonder and reality through Teresa Freitas’ (@teresacfreitas) work. Discover how her process is an exercise in imagination. Link in bio. #VSCO

A post shared by VSCO (@vsco) on

But everyone using an app develops a certain look across social media channels, and a lot of people using it have something in common: they’re kinda basic. This is seen as a positive thing, however, because VSCO girls are very supportive of one another.

https://twitter.com/mangospeachs/status/1173520099921162245

VSCO girls like what they like with no shame. So, what do they like?

VSCO Girl Aesthetic

The aesthetic of a VSCO girl is very influenced by what looks good or is popular on Instagram. It’s very important for things to be in pastel or cheerful colors, to look slightly nostalgic, and like all fashion these days, to remind you of the 90s. 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by VSCO (@vscofindings) on


Things should be pretty and very photogenic, just like them.

VSCO Girl Accessories

There are a lot of things that come with being a VSCO girl, but a few signs that you may be one is if you’re wearing scrunchies and friendship bracelets day and day out. You can’t go anywhere without an armful of both:

You probably throw all your stuff into a Kanken backpack:

https://twitter.com/girlsvsco1/status/1173325817591619584

They also love water bottle, puka shell jewelry, and reusable straws:

That’s because the VSCO girls are environmentalists. Well, that doesn’t explain the puka shell thing.

VSCO Girl Causes

Caring about the environment is a big VSCO girl signifier, especially their obsession with turtles. This was probably born from the viral video of a turtle with a plastic straw stuck up its nose. Theses girls care about saving the turtles and hopefully that interest will extend to less cute things, like reducing carbon emissions. They do talk a lot about turtles and their water bottle now:

https://twitter.com/fraya_love/status/1176192298855493633

VSCO Girl Style

The VSCO girl is totally casual. She has messy hair with the scrunchie in place, usually wears an oversized t-shirt, and wears very little (noticeable) make up. They mostly just wear clear lip gloss or basic chapstick:

Though she does care a LOT about skincare, just like the rest of us:

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by vsco (@vscopansies) on

She is sort of like the granola hippie chick reworked for the social media generation.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Kimberly Osburn (@itskimberlyosburn) on

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Sanai Victoria (@iamsanaivictoria) on

VSCO Girl Shoes

In fact, she’s so casual that she wears Crocs on a daily basis. Comfort is key for the VSCO girl. Vans are also very important to her feet.

She’s ready to walk anywhere and doesn’t need fancy sneakers or, god forbid high heels. Even Ariana Grande is down with the Crocs trend:

 

 
 
 
 
 
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baby platypus

A post shared by Ariana Grande (@arianagrande) on

VSCO Girl Activities

The Vans are also popular because they’re a skating shoe. A lot of VSCO girls skate, maybe because it’s the perfect outdoor activity for just soaring through life, taking in the sites, and shooting a few cute pics:

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by vsco (@vscopansies) on

They also love to surf:

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by vsco (@vscopansies) on

They’re just chill outdoorsy types!

VSCO Girl Slang

The VSCO girls are as plugged into the language of the Internet as anyone, so they’ve taken on some verbal ticks. There is a hint of cultural appropriation to the VSCO girl. First, they love literally saying “SKSKSK” which is supposed to represent slamming on your keyboard, and first became a thing on Black Twitter, though some say it’s a joke started LGBTQ people:

They also say “oop” a lot, which originated from a meme of Jasmine Masters that’s very popular online. It’s honestly a bit weird to hear out loud:

https://twitter.com/chilloutvic/status/1159698409542098944

As you can see, the VSCO girls are somewhat ripe for parody, which has led to the:

VSCO Girl Memes

Lots of people now dress up as, mock, and post videos of what they think a VSCO girl is. Some of them are pretty funny, some are a bit mean, but all are totally obsessed.

https://twitter.com/BonnieRaz/status/1174427553723035654

https://twitter.com/joshvardaman/status/1174418560699052033

The VSCO girl can’t be chased away by your mockery, fellas. She’s too busy skating into the sunset.

Aimeé Lutkin