VSCO girls or VSCO kids are a youth subculture that emerged among teenagers around mid- to late-2019. Named after the VSCO photography app, VSCO girls “dress and act in a way that is nearly indistinguishable from one another”, using oversized T-shirts, scrunchies, Hydro Flasks, Crocs, Pura Vida bracelets, instant cameras, Carmex, friendship bracelets, Birkenstocks, shell necklaces, and other beach-related fashion. Environmentalism, especially topics relating to sea turtle conservation, is also regarded as part of VSCO culture.
Fashion trends
Clothing
Crocs with pins
VSCO girls often wear oversized T-shirts, sometimes long enough to cover their shorts. Though VSCO girls are primarily associated with wearing shorts, such as Nike track shorts, some also wear “mom jeans” and include them as part of their style.
Shoes popular with VSCO girls include Birkenstocks and Vans. They often decorate crocs with charms. Black and white checkered slip-on Vans are also popular. The “ugly shoe trend” popularized many of these styles.
Accessories
They adorn their wrists with scrunchies and Pura Vida bracelets or similar handmade friendship bracelets. Puka shell chokers are another popular accessory.
Hydro Flask water bottles, often decorated with sea turtle conservation-themed stickers, are popular among VSCO girls. These bottles are often paired with reusable straws.
VSCO girls use instant cameras and Fjällräven backpacks.
Makeup and hair
Makeup and hair are often kept simple for a natural and light look. VSCO girl hairstyles have been described by many as low maintenance. Many VSCO girls often wear a messy bun with a scrunchie or beach waves. Common cosmetics include Burt’s Bees and Carmex lip balm, blush, such as Glossier Cloud Paint, and skincare products, such as Mario Badescu’s Facial Spray.
VSCO girls are sometimes identified as an opposition to the heavy make-up and unnatural perfection commonly associated with Instagram.
Brands
Among VSCO girls, use of the same brand-name products is a major component of the subculture. Popular brands include Pura Vida, Hydro Flask, Nike, Brandy Melville, Lululemon Athletica, Fjällräven, and Urban Outfitters.
There is controversy about the high cost of products associated with VSCO girls, especially due to the emphasis on brand-name products. Fox Business estimates buying all of the products associated with the subculture would cost $229.89. Some teenagers associate the look with private schools and wealth.
Social media
VSCO subculture emerged on and was named after the photo editing app, and spread to TikTok (notably), as well as Instagram and YouTube. Many parodies of VSCO girls, often by the subculture itself, exist. Roisin Lanigan of I-D believes this points to empowerment rather than mocking. This combination of self-deprecation and celebration is also popular among Generation Z. As of August 2019, The New York Times found “more than 422.4 million videos tagged #vscogirl on TikTok, most of them parodies”. On August 30, 2019, TikTok added a VSCO girl filter, which included a water bottle decorated with stickers and a side ponytail with scrunchies.
Elle credits YouTuber Emma Chamberlain with popularizing the VSCO girl aesthetic.
Environmental concern
There are differing opinions on VSCO girls’ environmental concerns. While products like Birkenstocks, metal straws, and Hydro Flasks are associated with environmentalism, some view VSCO girls as only caring about the environment when convenient, pointing to the popularity of the disposable cameras that inspired the popular filters on VSCO.