TikTok Has Created A Whole New Kind Of Cool Girl Egirl Tik Tok
The TikTok opens on top of a teen female child with half-green, half-black hair, a compact about rosy blush inside only fist also a broom inside the other.
“Don’t worry, I’m not gonna perform what everyone thinks I’m gonna do,” says the voiceover, a cut from the 1998 film Half Baked.
As she mouths along with the words, she cakes the blush on top of her cheeks also her nose, creation her see similar to she spent too extended inside the sun.
If you haven’t spent time on top of the TikTok app, none about that makes any sense. But intended those inside the know, it’s a correct encapsulation about egirls — a new good about cold female child who was delivered also lives on top of the platform. She’s funny, she’s cute, she’s totally ’90s, also she knows accurately how to amuse yourself with expectations.
TikTok lets users make videos up to 15 seconds long, set either to well-liked music or sounds they upload themselves. That’s why it made a lot about sense when TikTok merged with the app Musical.ly inside 2018. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is currently considered . It now has additional than 800 million downloads worldwide.
At earliest blush, TikTok might see similar to a lip-syncing app, similar to Musical.ly was. But its users own evolved it into thus a lot more. TikTok now plays master or mistress of ceremonies to memes, trends, also challenges that sole exist on top of the platform. It’s been called the new Vine (RIP), also with good reason.
TikTok is being embraced via a younger generation that snubs Facebook also Twitter however loves Instagram. It’s not sole a spot intended creativity however a spot intended the exercise about own branding — a spot to stress your character or craft only from the ground up. As a lot when TikTok is about memes, it’s also about recently looking cool, being funny, also getting likes.
Somewhere inside that mix about teenage wish intended identity also the go (by car) intended likes, the egirl was born. And she’s cooler than you.
Egirls own become a very visible demographic on top of TikTok — and, it appears, sole on top of TikTok — consisting mainly about teenagers. The traits about an egirl are when ironic when they are oddly specific.
The makeup is the nearly all iconic part about the see — thick black eyeliner with wings also appealing little shapes drawn with the similar eyeliner under the eyes. Usually the shapes are hearts, however sometimes they’re dots or x’s, also they’re drawn with the sure fist about someone who grew up idolizing beauty bloggers. Across the cheeks also nose is a bright sweep about blush, with a touch about highlighter recently on top of the button end, generally sitting above a septum piercing. Lips own either a clear gloss or a murky matte lipstick.
The go-to hairstyle is half-pigtails also perhaps a modicum about snap clips at the hairline, provided the person isn't wearing a beanie. The color is likely to be present odd inside some way: half-black, half-something-else is a well-liked option.
The nearly all joked-about see is an oversize band T-shirt above a striped long-sleeve top. On the bottom is either belted high-waist pants or an A-line edge similar to the appealing girls inside animes wear.
Many amuse yourself video games — they’re not to be present bewildered with “gamer girls,” though — watch anime, also listen to sad songs via Billie Eilish also Lil Peep. Discord is the stand intended catching up with fans.
Egirls know what memes are motionless amusing also how to perform the dances from Fortnite. PewDiePie’s “Bitch Lasagna” diss path is a familiar earworm.
You can think about them similar to a modern-day “scene girl” from the mid-aughts. And similar to scene girls, egirls own a reactionary factor. Scene girls also emo girls were a top to the preppy, Juicy Couture see about the era (see: Paris Hilton) the method egirls may be present a top to the polished, Facetuned Instagram influencer.
While there are definitely variations, also no only female child embodies each sole stereotype, you sole need to fork out a few moments on top of TikTok’s For You folio to start seeing egirls popping up on top of your screen.
The egirl has become such a ubiquitous presence on top of the app that there’s a whole genre about “egirl factory” videos. In these videos, persons evaporate into a room with that label also are transformed into the aforementioned style. And while these could be present seen when mocking the trend, there’s a tone about jealousy and, perhaps, admiration. “If I become an egirl, drive I eventually become likes?” they ask.
But there’s also the term itself — egirl. It didn’t start on top of TikTok. The earliest definitions about “egirl” on top of Urban Dictionary, dating back to 2013, relate them when “internet sluts.” They’re girls who seek away gamer boys, luring them inside with good looks also flirtation inside hopes about getting their nearly all prized commodity — attention. In short, it’s a misogynist insult delivered about boys fantasizing that girls who share their hobbies are clamoring intended their time also energy.
“Egirl” is yet an extra entry inside a extended line about words thrown at immature girls to diminish their interests — inside this case, video games — also place up the egos about immature men.
But the egirls about TikTok aren’t afraid about the word. Yes, sometimes it’s used ironically, also yes, there are motionless plenty about persons competing to take them to the other end of a notch. But TikTok egirls know that they’re well-liked — their follow counts on top of the app also their many imitators prove that. They don’t experience insulted. They experience cute, also they experience empowered.
Marley is 16 also lives inside Colorado with her parents also 21 pets. On TikTok, she goes via thiccbeefcake69, with the display name “juul rips intended jesus.” She has additional than 150,000 fans on top of TikTok, also 2.3 million hearts (the equivalent about a “like”).
“I become called an egirl daily. It’s not that big about a deal to me, because it’s good about similar to a title,” she told me.
In her videos, she embraces the ironic humor that defines both TikTok memes also the whole egirl thing, similar to the only where she defiantly cakes her cheeks also nose inside blush. She knows who she is on top of TikTok, also she knows how to fuck with it.
Irony is a staple about Gen Z humor, regular provided they’re not always using the word correctly. Meme pages, intended example, own given method to ironic meme pages. “Funny” TikTok compilations on top of YouTube own been replaced with “ironic” ones. What it signals, additional than anything, is self-awareness. And Marley has heaps about that.
She got started on top of the app last October however quickly got discouraged after posting a few videos. “I’ve always suffered with eating disorders also concern also depression, also persons called me fat also ugly, also it was hard,” she said. She deleted it soon after.
But then she establish away only about her videos had blown up to 20,000 likes, also she re-downloaded the app. Her account took off, getting 10,000 followers inside recently a few days.
“I thought, 'Maybe I own some good about talent with this,’” she said.
Although she definitely fits into the egirl style, Marley said that’s recently the method she’s always dressed, thus it’s strange to see it now being cold on top of TikTok.
Marley grew up online. She had her earliest YouTube channel when she was 9. Although her TikTok videos are amusing also filled about app memes, she takes her presence seriously also isn’t afraid to speak her mind.
“I perform talk about things” — she discusses transphobia, also how she is bisexual — “like it’s not OK to make transphobic jokes recently intended clout,” she said.
“People attack me intended it however I don’t care, because I experience similar to provided I’m going to own a platform, I desire to employ it inside a method that’s helpful.”
Being a well-liked female child on top of the app has downsides. Some users are say to her, also she gets contacted via older men with inappropriate erotic requests, sometimes offers about money intended photos.
“It’s really creepy, because it happens to a lot about my friends,” she said.
Ashley Eldridge, 19, is an art student inside Massachusetts who is well-known when ash.jpg on top of TikTok. She sole got started about two months ago, also she already has 38,000 fans.
“I thinking it would be present good about fun also I was joking with my friends, saying, oh, provided I dress up when an anime girl, I’ll become famous — also then I did,” she said. “And then it sort about transformed into this whole egirl thing.”
Eldridge’s TikToks are a correct example about how self-aware some about these girls are. She knows accurately how boys her age respond to girls who are well-liked online, especially to egirls.
“OK, riddle me this, why is it that men become thus mad above girls being egirls,” she says inside a recent video. “Listen, Jonathan, you’re going to sexualize me anyway, thus why can’t I perform it intended a swift buck on top of the internet?”
“Sure, being valued also respected via your peers is cool, however perform you desire to know what’s regular cooler?” she says inside an extra video. “Being moderately famous on top of a kids app.”
There’s a heavy dose about irony inside her videos, also they seem part performance, part real, never truly letting you know which it is. And she always keeps up the egirl look.
“That’s everything recently joking also acting also totally ironic, however I perform dress similar to this each sole day, also see similar to this each sole day,” she said.
And she’s received her share about hate on top of the app intended it, mostly from men also boys. Because similar to each cold female child that’s come ahead of them, egirls are largely hated intended bold to be present girls getting positive attention also enjoying it. Eldridge pointed away that it recently shows the hypocritical, sexist attitude to girls that’s not controlled to TikTok.
“I don’t think it’s rude when persons name me an egirl,” she said. “And I don’t think it’s rude when persons comment that I’m looking intended attention, because that’s what anyone’s performance on top of the app.”
Like Marley, she’s gotten gross messages from older men. And, also similar to Marley, she knows that when a lot when TikTok users adore egirls, the app itself doesn’t always. The girls I spoke with told me they’ve had their videos charmed to the other end of provided they don’t strictly toe the line about what TikTok considers to be present family friendly.
“I’ve gotten posts charmed to the other end of because my edge went up too a lot also my shorts showed,” said Eldridge. “If you’re wearing something too revealing, it drive be present charmed to the other end of or it won’t become on top of the For You page.”
For Marley, a video with a short cut about her inside the shower — filmed from the pet up to show her washing away hair dye — was enough to become only about her videos charmed down.
For everything the hate, though, TikTok does provide some protection.
Devan, 19, is from Maryland also goes via Buffi on top of TikTok. She has 43,000 fans also tags her videos “egirl” when she does the look. She said that because TikTok is thus strict, it saves her from getting too a lot harassment on top of the app. Rather, persons seek away more social media accounts to perform that.
“My Snapchat also Instagram are both tied to my TikTok, thus I drive become photos, also I’ve had persons offer me money intended things,” she said.
Unlike Marley also Eldridge, Devan said she’s actually seen the egirl see offline, recently, at a concert. But everything three teens say the tendency wouldn’t be present what it is without TikTok.
Whatever created them, egirls own lasted intended additional than recently a blip on top of TikTok, also they’ve establish community inside only another. All three teens said they stay posting on top of TikTok because about the support they’ve received also the connections they’ve made.
Marley said the app has, inside fact, changed her life.
“I met my man on top of TikTok. I’ve met some about my finest friends on top of there. It’s recently amusing how it works,” she said. “My life is completely altered.”
But on the more side of that, Marley said her TikTok popularity is empowering. It makes her see herself inside a new light.
“All I’ve really wanted since I was immature was to own persons enjoy my comedy also my content, also now I own a next about persons who think I’m funny,” she said. “It’s helped me become through thinking I’m not worth anything.”
And that recently shows that when a lot when egirls could sole own been created inside this moment — a convergence about generational inclinations, a resurgence about ’90s style, also an app ripe intended self statement — they’re also totally familiar.
On any platform, digital or otherwise, teen girls own always establish ways to find themselves. The egirl is recently the latest addition.
CORRECTION
TikTok also Musical.ly merged inside 2018. An before version about this post misstated the year.
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