E-girls and e-boys, sometimes collectively known as e-kids,[1] are a youth subculture of Gen Z that emerged in the late 2010s,[2] notably popularized by the video-sharing app TikTok.[3] It is an evolution of emo, scene and mall goth fashion combined with Japanese street fashion (such as anime, cosplay, kawaii and lolita fashion) and K-pop fashion.[4][5]
Videos by e-girls and e-boys tend to be flirtatious and, many times, overtly sexual.[6][7] Eye-rolling and protruding tongues (a facial expression known as ahegao, imitating climaxing) are common.[8]
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According to Business Insider, the terms are not gender-specific, instead referring to two separate styles of fashion, stating that "While the e-boy is a vulnerable 'softboi' and embraces skate culture, the e-girl is cute and seemingly innocent".[9]
The terms "e-girl" and "e-boy" are derived from "electronic boy" and "electronic girl", due to their association with the internet.[10] "E-girl" was first used, in the late-2000s, as an objectifying pejorative against women perceived to be seeking out male attention online. According to an article by Business Insider, the earliest example of e-girls were found on Tumblr,[9] with Vice Media stating the subculture evolved out of the earlier emo and scene cultures.[11] Vox writer Rebecca Jennings instead referred to the Tumblr aesthetic as a precursor of the subculture, as it lacked the cutesy aspect that would come to define e-girl hair and makeup.[12]
Ruby Barry of Heatworld traces the origins of e-girl fashion to 2000s Japanese street fashion, including anime, kawaii and lolita fashion styles.[4] Kayla Marci of Edited described it as an evolution of emo, scene and mall goth fashion that was heavily influenced by Asian fashion styles such as anime, cosplay and K-pop.[5] i-D referred to Avril Lavigne as "the original e-girl" due to her polished take on alternative fashion, contrast to mainstream norms of the time and affinity for Japanese kawaii culture.[13] Additionally, fictional characters such as Ramona Flowers, Harley Quinn and Sailor Moon were influential on the development of the subculture.[14][15]
The subculture began in 2018, following the worldwide release of TikTok. According to an article in i-D, the subculture's emergence on the app challenged the polished and edited photos of influencers and VSCO girls common on Instagram, due to TikTok lacking the features to do so.[20] An article by CNN stated that "If VSCO girls are the sunshine-basking hippies of 2020, e-girls are the opposite".[21] The subculture first began to gain mainstream attention in 2019.[9] MEL Magazine attributed the subculture's popularity to the increased interest of K-Pop groups like BTS, Exo and Got7 in the Western mainstream, due to the two's similar style of dress and hair.[22] A trend soon began on TikTok and other social media platforms, where people would upload videos "transforming" into an e-boy or e-girl, according to Vox Media, this is how the culture "entered the mainstream lexicon".[12][23] In the summer of 2019, Belle Delphine's emerging online prominence helped bring attention to the e-girl subculture; Business Insider described Delphine as "a symbol of the first wave of e-girl".[24] The July 2019 murder of Bianca Devins also brought attention to e-girls due to Devins' participation in the subculture.[25]
The subculture continued to grow in prominence through 2020, with Vogue publishing an article featuring Doja Cat discussing e-girl makeup,[26] and "e-girl style" being in the top 10 trending fashion terms on Google in the year.[27] Additionally, a number of mainstream celebrities began to adopt the bleached stripes hairstyle associated with e-girls, including American socialite Kylie Jenner[28] and Kosovar-English singer Dua Lipa.[29] In July, high fashion designer Hedi Slimane released a preview of a collection called "the Dancing Kid" for Celine, influenced by the fashion of e-boys. In a July 29 article from GQ, writer Rachel Tashjian referenced this as a sign that "TikTok is now driving fashion".[30] Corpse Husband's song "E-Girls Are Ruining My Life!", which was released in September, gained large amounts of attention on TikTok,[31] eventually charting in the UK Singles Chart for three weeks.[32] In late 2020 and early 2021, a number of high fashion designers, namely Ludovic de Saint Sernin and Celine, began designing collections inspired by e-boy fashion.[33][34][35] Both InStyle and Paper magazine credited e-boys and e-girls as important to the rise in popularity and resurgence of pop punk in the 2020s.[36][37]
Both boys and girls may wear heavy makeup, in particular pink blush on the cheeks and nose, imitating anime.[53][8] Fake freckles[53] unkempt nail polish,[54] and winged eye liner[6] are common. YouTuber Jenna Marbles made a video imitating an e-girl's makeup style, calling it a mix between "Harajuku, emo, and igari makeup",[52] the latter of which is a Japanese makeup style imitative of a hangover.[55] Some e-girls draw over their philtrum using lipstick to make their lips look rounder.[56] One notable element of e-girl makeup is under-eye stamps, often in a heart shape,[43][57] a trend that has been influenced by Marina Diamandis.[58] Discussion of mental health is also common.[15]
E-boys and e-girls are associated with "Sad Boy" music,[59][60] a broadly defined grouping of musicians, who similarly write music influenced by sadness and mental illness, that often overlaps with emo rap.[61] The term has been criticized by artists such as James Blake, due to its portrayal of mental illness, which he considers "unhealthy and problematic".[62]
In addition, New Light opened the Hogar Meridional-Soma Memorial Girls Home for girls ages 11 to 18 in 2005. The home is named after Soma, an infant who died due to lack of proper medical attention. There are about 25 residents.
One of those teachers is Sima Halder, who came to the shelter when she was 14. She is not the child of a sex worker, but New Light made an exception to prevent her from falling into a life of prostitution, as many girls in her neighborhood do. She is now 28.
"Both of my parents are illiterate and if not for New Light, I wouldn't have been able to complete my higher education," Halder says. "I chose to become a teacher so that I can give back to the community where girls are constantly at risk of being forced into sex work. There is nothing else I would choose to do over the work I do."
But for Basu, the main concern is helping the children. Like 16-year-old Shibani, whose mother contracted HIV as a sex worker and died of AIDS-related tuberculosis when her daughter was 6. Now Shibani studies fashion design and dreams of opening her own sari shop. In her spare time, she sketches clothing and jewelry designs on a worn-out notepad on the floor of the bedroom she shares with three other girls.
Dipesh Tank is a social activist who partners with anti-trafficking organizations in Mumbai. He says programs like New Light give the children of sex workers a chance at a better life. "There is a lack of opportunities for children living in red-light areas, and without education young girls and other at-risk children are often fooled by traffickers and pimps in the hopes of getting a better job and livelihood," Tank says.
Copper and the girl then went to his residence on North 8th Street in North Philadelphia, where he sexually assaulted her before taking her to the home of another man, Reggie Jamal Fields, 23, on North 20th Street. 2ff7e9595c
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