It’s another night scrolling the carousel of social media apps I let keep me up past midnight. Every other post, my phone screen becomes a bright white projecting polka dots and one word in pastel yellow font: Whimsical. I watch pixelized faces return to hobbies they loved as kids, tour analogue media collections and put together outfits with all kinds of patterns and textures, all in the name of maintaining a sense of ‘whimsy’. It doesn’t take long until the whimsy pulls me from the dullness of the night and into a sense of play and curiosity. But beyond the wacky style choices and crafty afternoons, I begin to wonder where the efforts to maintain a sense of whimsy lead? If I should fight in the war for whimsy, who’s my enemy and what brought us to the battle?
What is Whimsy?
Whimsy, the much shorter, much sillier, term for whimsical, seems to be redefined from person to person. To some, whimsy follows where the inner child leads. Whether that be taking an impromptu walk after work or decorating a bedroom with a ladybug theme, whimsy seems to commonly be defined by embracing earnest joy. Social media has a current fixation on maintaining a sense of whimsy or maintaining that which keeps us playful and curious.
But while the screens keep shouting for whimsical tips and tricks, the streets outside are shouting for justice. Whimsy largely calls us to abandon our phones and connect in a lost art of authenticity; but is social media’s obsession with whimsy a symptom of a society too concerned with fun and less about long term change? In a time when nearly every country is engaged in some form of conflict, can whimsicality maintain its own sense of whimsy?
Is it Privilege?
Social media trends come and go, but whimsy has established itself as a sort of ethos when navigating the modern world. When exploring how whimsy has swept us off our feet, it’s important to recognize how lucky we are to have the opportunity to maintain our whimsy. In many ways, maintaining a sense of whimsy can be indirectly dependent on access to safe and supportive environments. Additionally, advocating for fun is an easy argument when so many are eager to be content with their complacency.
Although imperfect, the excitement surrounding whimsy proves a shift in our relationship to our own privilege. Whimsy directly opposes the internet’s previous nihilistic pathology. Self-deprecating humor, nihilistic outlooks and a general sense of giving up used to permeate online culture during the late 2010’s. A decade later, whimsy is not only providing a light at the end of the tunnel but suggesting it is possible for us to create our own light.
Is it Positivity?
While the world grows darker, devotees of whimsy find the dimming light and turn it all the way up. Without fun, it’s easy to resign to the knowledge that the average quality of life on earth continues to drastically decline. But by maintaining a sense of whimsy, by indulging in the littlest joys, there is a growing collective of people ready to safely cope with tragedy. Whimsy works as a sort of superpower, an endless excitement that can never be dampened. If there is time to spark up a conversation with a stranger in the name of maintaining a sense of whimsy, there is time to keep advocating for justice.
Why Join the War for Whimsy?
Next time the screen goes bright with whimsy, it’s going bright with hope and quiet disruption. While sameness is so celebrated, unfitting ourselves from the molds we are expected to inhabit will always be effective. Internet trends often make self-expression few and far to come by, but whimsy calls on the honest hearts of thousands. Patterned tights, CD players and DIY birthday cards maintain more than whimsy, they break us out of the ordinary. Our lives are in our hands and whimsy wants us to know it.