Why Every Girl on TikTok Is Suddenly Dressing Like a 2010s Tumblr Teen Again
Fashion trends always come back, but few predicted the sudden obsession with 2010s Tumblr-core and early Instagram baddie looks on TikTok. The platform is flooded with outfit videos featuring chokers, American Apparel skater skirts, Jeffrey Campbell Litas, and VSCO-filtered selfies. It’s not just the clothes, it’s the energy of 2014, when girls would post mirror selfies with flash, share Lana Del Rey lyrics, and build entire personalities on Polyvore moodboards. Just how real is this comeback? Over the last month, the search term “Tumblr” has jumped by 17.65% on Google, and “Tumblr aesthetic” increased by 11.9% on Pinterest, proof that this revival isn’t just a niche internet moment. What was once dismissed as cringe is now being embraced with pride, and Gen Z is leading the charge.
Lana Del Rey in 2012.
Photo: Highxtar
Fashion in the mid-2010s was maximalist, brand-obsessed, and hyper-specific. Brandy Melville’s soft, coastal cool clashed with Supreme’s drop culture. American Apparel ads dripped with controversy and coolness. Early influencers like Amrezy and NikkieTutorials popularized the full-face contour routine and the idea of the “Instagram face.” Everyone owned a Kylie Lip Kit (especially in 'Candy K') and took selfies from high angles. Athleisure was rising thanks to Yeezy Season 1, Vetements was selling hoodies for over $1,000, and Balenciaga’s ironic normcore hadn’t fully kicked in yet. It was an era obsessed with being seen, filtered, and perfectly online, and now, it’s being looked back on like digital vintage.
Amrezy and NikkieTutorials popularized the full-face contour routine and the idea of the “Instagram face.”
Photo: X
Kylie Lip Kit and the most popular color Candy K
Adidas Yeezy Season 1 Collection
Vetements AW16 TFD Total Fucking Darkness Hoodie Homme
Appropriating Normcore at Balenciaga runway Spring/Summer 2018
Photos: Irenebrination
Photo: Complex
Photo: WWD
Now, Gen Z is remixing these 2010s fashion codes through TikTok. Creators are recreating “King Kylie”-era makeup looks, Supreme x Louis Vuitton collabs are being referenced in fit checks, and Tumblr-core tutorials (white eyeliner, dip-dye hair, matte lips) are back, but with self-awareness. Outfits now feature Adidas Superstars, flared leggings, mini backpacks, and shutter shades, not ironically, but lovingly. And this cultural spike is measurable: Pinterest searches for “Tumblr aesthetic” have risen nearly 12% in the past month. Clearly, the kids are not just playing dress-up, they’re archiving their internet history through style.
King Kylie Era in the 2010s
Photos: Hellogiggles/Instagram/Threads
Supreme’s 2017 Fall/Winter collaboration with Louis Vuitton.
Photos: Hyperbeast
There’s a deep comfort in returning to the unruly, expressive fashion energy of the mid-2010s. A time when style was curated from inside jokes, Tumblr reblogs, and DIY photo edits. Before TikTok algorithmic cores and Pinterest optimization, people dressed with feeling, not strategy. Whether you were pairing platform boots with oversized varsity jackets, stacking chokers over graphic tanks, or just throwing on your favorite band tee with a skater skirt, it felt real—raw, even. The current revival isn’t just visual; it’s emotional. Fashion today often feels sterile or overly curated. Bringing back 2014 isn’t just about clothes. It’s about recapturing the chaos and creativity that came with them.
While the nostalgia feels good, it’s worth unpacking what made this era complicated. Fashion in the 2010s thrived on aesthetics that weren’t always inclusive. There were entire subcultures built on “perfection,” flawless winged liner, ultra-curated feeds, hourglass silhouettes, and heavy filters that blurred out flaws (and reality). The Tumblr aesthetic, for all its charm, sometimes pushed aspirational ideals that weren’t accessible to everyone; think heavily edited selfies, tiny silhouettes, and style codes that rewarded sameness. But TikTok’s take is different. Gen Z is reframing this aesthetic with irony, humor, and far more inclusivity. There’s a sense of reclaiming – taking only what resonates, discarding the rest, and making space for individuality over image.
This isn’t just a trend comeback, it’s the resurrection of a feeling. The Tumblr kids, SoundCloud dreamers, and YouTube girlies of 2014–2017 shaped an entire internet language, and it’s echoing now through blurry TikToks, chaotic outfit dumps, and moody, hyper-personal styling. Whether it’s shutter shades, soft grunge playlists, or DIY-ed denim, the revival isn’t ironic, it’s deeply nostalgic. In an era where fashion moves at lightning speed, slowing down to revisit what once felt authentic is a quiet act of rebellion. We’re not just dressing like the past—we’re reinterpreting it, with more honesty, more context, and way more personality.
XOXO, The Fashion Stock Market
Editor: Annaliese Persaud
