(CBS New York, 2019)
“Because the app, which has 20 million weekly active users, doesn’t reward particular kinds of posting behavior, it won’t take credit for the spread of the VSCO-girl aesthetic. “It’s actually teenage girls starting it,” said Julie Inouye, a VSCO spokeswoman, in a phone interview. “They started to tie in these things that they own.”
“But other companies are happy to lay claim to — and capitalize on — the phenomenon.
“Pura Vida, which makes stackable bracelets ($12 to $28 apiece), is doubling down on the VSCO-girl market. To enter a recent Instagram giveaway, offered in collaboration with Hydro Flask, users had to follow both brands on Instagram, then leave a comment on the Pura Vida photo. Vanessa Skaggs, who works in Pura Vida’s marketing department, said that the photo (a Hydro Flask covered in save-the-turtle stickers) had six times as much engagement as the company’s average post: “We joke that we broke the internet with this one photo.” (A representative from Hydro Flask declined to comment.),” (Huges, 2019).
The VSCO Girl is a sustainability paradox, it’s a trend that revolves around consuming sustainable goods. I remember being 16 and being the prime demographic for “VSCO Girl” gear. Many of my friends bought hydroflasks and scrunchies, started wearing shell necklaces from their vacations in Puerto Rice or South Carolina, and bought Pura Vida bracelets. While it was annoying, in the moment it almost seemed like people had finally realized how damaging consumption is and were changing their behavior for the better. Looking back, I now see it was never really about changing their lifestyles, those same girls have now ditched their hydroflasks for Stanley cups and Owala water bottles.
But maybe it’s not all bad. There are worse things to consume than water bottles and oversized graphic tees. Maybe this trend set the foundations for future sustainable trends, ones that could change the way we consume. Perhaps together, ODNR and I could spark sustainable trends that benefit their parks? Or perhaps such an endeavor would leave us worse off in the long run.
References
Huges, B. (2019, August 30). What Does VSCO Think About the ‘VSCO Girls’? The
New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/30/style/vsco-girls.html
[VSCO girl objects]. (2019, October 17). InsideHook. https://www.insidehook.com/
internet/
youthsplaining-vsco-girls-are-infiltrating-social-media-but-who-are-they
What Exactly Is A ‘VSCO Girl’? [TV program]. CBS New York.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0rNE12Rrzs
