Picture this: it’s 2014 and you wake up at 8 AM to start on your Bethany Mota-inspired morning routine after watching her videos for the 6th time that week. You lace up your converse, grab your copy of The Fault in Our Stars and head out the door with earbuds in, blasting One Direction and Lana Del Rey through the speakers.
If you’re lucky, this was your reality from 2012 to 2014. And if it feels all too real, that means that you took part in the cultural phenomenon which was the Tumblr era.
In the early 2010s, internet fame and fandom culture were born and quickly rose to incredible heights. Most notably demonstrated by two platforms: Tumblr and Youtube.
In its prime, Tumblr was a social media app where people could set up their own pages and profiles to post about anything and everything they love. It was the perfect space for rabid fangirls to indulge in music, movies and the “grunge” culture that was popular at the time. Even more so, it gave fans a space to connect with others who understood the nuances of their fandoms.
It was the rebirth of 90s grunge in the social media age. Looking at the Tumblr Era aesthetic, you’ll find lots of flash photography mixed with low exposure photos and “relatable quotes.” Tumblr fans prided themselves on being “quirky” and “not like other girls,” reveling in aesthetic rebellion. The music of the era was also against the grain, circling around indie “underground artists,” who are not necessarily indie now a days, such as Twenty One Pilots and the 1975.
But as the years went by, these trends died out in favor of the more simple styles and aesthetics we are familiar with today such as the “clean girl aesthetic.” Indie bands phased out and Tumblr fandom culture came to a standstill, as many influential bands like One Direction took “breaks.”
At the same time, short term video content gradually replaced Youtube. The rise of TikTok and the shortening of our attention spans led to a major decline of the classic Youtuber prototype. Soon, the Tumblr Era of grunge died out.
But now, in 2022, eight years later, we are starting to see inklings of a Tumblr aesthetic reappearance.
The pendulum of fashion culture is swinging back as clean girl aesthetics are being swapped back out for more grungier looks and sounds. One example we have seen recently is the “dead eyes” trend which has become a popular filter on TikTok. This filter gives the appearance of under eye bags making the user look tired and edgy. Oh so throwback Tumblr.
We can see the trends turning even more so in popular culture. Artists of the era are making a comeback as they release new music, such as the 1975 planning to release a new album within the next year. Additionally, the darker aesthetic can be seen on seen global stars such as Taylor Swift, as she promotes her imminent album, Midnights. The cover art for the album is reminiscent of the low exposure film of Tumblr days past, and her heavy eye makeup on the cover seems like an ode to the 2010s aesthetic.
It is safe to predict that Tumblr aesthetics are coming back, and we need to prepare. Grab your flannels and black eyeliner, because now’s the time to start getting ready for the revival of the Tumblr Era.