We Are Merely Dreading the Return of Twee on TikTok

In early 2022, Vogue ran a viral story proclaiming the resurgence of the 2014 Tumblr style. The 2010s Tumblr style, characterized by black winged eyeliner, ripped tights and Doc Martens, and moody black-and-white cigarette selfies, is making a comeback, thanks to zoomers on TikTok catching the trend, led by It -Girls like Olivia Rodrigo and Euphoria’s Barbie Ferreira. The aesthetic (also announced a full year earlier in a 2020 Vox story about 2010s nostalgia) is also often equated with “indie-sleaze,” which takes the muted shades of Tumblr style for flashy neon, golden latex and hardly—there’s halter tops (think American Apparel in its Dov Charney era).

With the rise of both aesthetics, millennials are now fearing the resurgence of another 2010s style: twee. Best known for Zooey Deschanel’s 500 Days of Summer era, twee was a combination of ultra-feminine retro 1950s style (think modcloth teacup dresses and poodle skirts) with a cute librarian aesthetic (Peter Pan blouses). , cardigans and bangs so long threatened to obscure the view). To some extent, twee has been repackaged with the advent of the ultra-cozy cottagecore aesthetic, but the coke bottle glasses and pastel headbands have largely been left behind in the 2010s.

However, in recent weeks, twee has already been making a comeback on TikTok, with millennials putting together their favorite twee looks to the tune of She & Him’s band “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here” by Deschanel.

@steffydegref

It’s back and I’ve been waiting forever. #twee #indie #indiesleaze #tumblr

♬ Why do you let me stay here? – She him

@flashesofstyle

How do we feel about this resurgence? Idk still 😅 #twee #tweestyle #tweefashion #fypシ #fyp

♬ Why do you let me stay here? – She him

There has been some backlash to the twee renaissance, particularly from those who have pointed out that the look prioritizes a very specific body type: largely that of a thin, white, conventionally attractive, cisgender woman. “It wasn’t just Zooey Deschanel and mustaches,” one person wrote in the caption to their post. “It was racism, fatphobia, SH posts and ED forums. I could go on forever.” Last but not least, the twee revival will likely give some millennials a chance to get their ballet flats out of their closets (although they never felt so comfortable at first).

On this week’s episode of Don’t Let This Flop, Rolling Stone’s podcast about TikTok and internet culture, co-hosts Brittany Spanos and Ej Dickson discuss the return of Tumblr girlie style and twee, as well as the Disney adult drama ” So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings,” chanteuse Caroline Polachek, and the Kardashian kiddie Photoshop discourse gone wrong.

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