The rise of technology and the internet has paved the way for a lot of things to surface. Communication is just a series of taps away, memories from a year ago are accessible from every device for everyone to see, no more trips to the nearest music store for CDs and even movies can be remotely accessed while you are in bed.
Along with all of these, is the sudden growth of social media websites, which undoubtedly are the holy grail of the current generation. These websites don’t only give them the attention and convenience they want, but above all, have given them their own authority and freedom.
Admittedly, social media websites, such as FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter, and if used in a good way, really make everything a tad bit better. You can now easily talk to your friend who lives on the other side of the world and even know how someone is feeling without directly talking to them, you sort of just know because of their posts. Social media also gave one thing that was not present in the previous eras and that is an internet identity. These are the individuals you recognize because they are a hot topic on the Internet. And even if they are not, you know they’ve been lurking the web because they seem to fit into that one subculture that has been making rounds on your feed.
While a majority of these individuals seem to have collected their followers by being a little bit too perfect, as observed from their Instagram feed, they have been traveling to these wonderful places and interacting with famous and relevant persons but there is a portion of these Internet identities that have gained loyal followers, not because they have recently traveled the world and posted their aesthetic-laced photos but because they have been posting short videos on the app TikTok insider their bedroom. Yup, inside their bedroom. Travel, who?
What is an eGirl?
To give you the very short description of an eGirl, it is the fact that these individuals have taken the word “an Internet identity” way too literally. Because that is basically it. These are the very people who you will only see on the Internet.
An eGirl outside of their fame, bedroom, and TikTok videos are really just your casual girls. In real life, they don’t really have a particular characteristic, physical-wise, that really sets them apart. They will look like your typical teenage girl who is in the phase of experimenting with different hair colors, meaning that you will never see them in their natural ones, and casually shopping on Urban Outfitters. This is mainly because an eGirl is all about her presence on Twitch rather than what she is wearing.
Some would say that the eGirls were first seen when the application TikTok came to rise in 2019, however, others would also point out the uncanny resemblance of eGirls from the Tumblr girls of the 2010s. Jessica Fisher, a famous TikTok actress says that she sees the correlation between all the punk, emo, and the Tumblr culture aesthetic. But also with a hint of the DDLG (Daddy Dom Little Girl) community and the cam girl aesthetic.
What does an eGirl look like?
This description is drawing from the commonly seen eGirls on the internet. It could be right on point or we could be missing a detail or two but overall, the general concept and idea.
Well, first, she will have a bizarre haircolor, lime green and pink hair being the most popular shades. However, experimenting on hair dyes is a pretty everyday occurrence for the teenagers of this generation so this is that one vague characteristic that makes it harder to set eGirls apart from everyone else. Her hair would also be decorated with colorful hair clips.
Next, her makeup is heavy, often colorful, and an eGirl makeup is not an eGirl makeup without that winged eyeliner that seems too good to be true. One added feature to the look is the blush that extends from one side to other, sweeping the color across the nose and the cheeks. To complete the look, handrawn stars, hearts and faux freckles can be added.
For the outfit, it will either be from thrift stores, maybe altered to their liking, or from Depop, a peer-to-peer social shopping application where Instagram influencers can sell their stuff. The basic and common pieces and concept that can be found in their closet are mesh tshirts, Sailor Moon skirts and O-ring collars.
The term eGirl, however, can be self-imposed. Like all the other trending subcultures that emerged from the Internet, there is no actual certificate that identifies you as a member of one. This is the kind of freedom that the Internet has given these young individuals. That is why it so easy to understand why the current generation is so hung up on the Internet and why it is so hard for them to stray from it at all. Because it gives them that power, that freedom to be whoever they want to be. And more, discover other people from all parts of the world who think and act like them.
The eGirl Misconception
What seems to be just your casual electronic girl having fun inside her bedroom, playing with makeup, dressing up, posting silly faces on Instagram and creating her online presence turns out to be hot issue on the Internet world.
These actions are all too innocent for my opinion, however, more recently, the term eGirl is being used as a derogatory term. For one, being an eGirl implicates that this particular person is too focused on their looks, their supposed hotness and their online presence. The worst could go to the term being synonymous to badly-thought words such as THOT (That Ho Over There) or Internet slut who plays video games for male attention.
