I misheard.
“What is a NABISCO girl?”
“Ugh, not NABISCO. VSCO! Like the app.”
“What app?”
“The VSCO app.”
“What is the VSCO app?”
“I don’t know. But that what’s it’s called.”
“Spell it.”
“V-S-C-O.”
“Never heard of it.”
“That’s because you are old.”
No shit, Ruby. No shit.
What is a VSCO Girl?
According to my child, the very nice 8th graders on her bus are VSCO girls, and that she really likes their look. When she described what they were wearing, I thought, “Hmm. VSCO sounds like a breath of fresh mixed with lazy basic bitch.” I’m down.
So basically (Ruby says “so basically” a lot), a VSCO girl likes:
- over sized tees
- wears cutoffs or Nike running shorts
- wears Crocs/Vans/Birkenstocks
- loves scrunchies, in the hair and stacked as bracelets
- wears puka shell choker
- drinks from a HyrdoFlask, covered in stickers
- keeps the face dewy with Mario Bedescu face sprays
- loves the Earth and turtles, hates plastic straws
- favorite phrase is “And I oop…”
- wears airpods
When my kid starting prepping her casual VSCO look for the next day of school, she found everything she needed from…ME. Who needs Old Navy when you have mommy’s bedroom?
While I liked not having to go out and buy anything for this look, I was shook. “Wait. Am I a VSCO girl?”
45-Year-Old VSCO Girl
- over-sized tees – I have been wearing XL tees since 1987. Perfect comfy cover for a food baby.
- wears cutoffs or Nike running shorts – I work from home, and I run. Plus, some Nike shorts have pockets now.
- Crocs/Vans/Birkenstocks on the feet – I have blue Crocs and rose gold Birks. No Vans, but I do have Adidas All Stars.
- loves scrunchies, in the hair and stacked as bracelets – Sometimes too-tight elastics give me a headache. It’s either Excedrin or scrunchie.
- wears puka shell choker – Key West, Spring Break 1993, baby!
- drinks from a HyrdoFlask, covered in stickers – My HydroFlask was on sale at West Marine and it keep my
winedrinks colder than a S’well bottles. - keeps the face dewy with Mario Bedescu face sprays – If you haven’t tried Mario Bedescu rose water face spray, what are you even doing with your life! What does it do? Not a damn thing but I love it.
- loves the Earth and turtles, hates plastic straws – I give money to Elizabeth Warren. #Elizabest
- favorite phrase is “And I oop…” – I’m an adult so when I “oop,” I can just say, “motherf*cker.”
- wears airpods – How else can I listen to all my murder podcasts while walking the dog?
Growing up in the 80s, my look was a mix of beach bum/soccer player. My brands were Umbro, Vaurnet, Birdwell, and Body Glove, and I held my Ogilvy home perm back with an original scünci. VSCO feels like an homage to me. Everything old is new again. And let’s be real about the backlash the VSCO girl is getting. It’s kneejerk to crap on anything that tweens and teenage girls love. Whether it’s TSwift or their fave YA fiction, we parody or disregard what little women like. But you know who was once a tween in a puka shell necklace? Elizabeth Warren.
Me? I’m Team VSCO. I’m not too worried about my daughter adopting a basic, homogenized look curated by a photo app. She’s still has a stuffed black crow named Lucky on her bookshelf. #myweirdo
