There have been a lot of viral phrases that take over the social standards. These little social embellishments change while we as a population change. We are always growing as a big group, adapting habits and dropping them for new ones. 

Lately, you might have heard people around you socializing with “and I oop” or “sksksksk.” I have to say, these might be the weirdest social habits we have adapted in a long time. Common trends these days revolve around being a VSCO girl and getting famous on TikTok. My question is, why?

The common trend to be a VSCO girl has really hit big in our generation lately. The stereotype of this new species is quite interesting. They are known to use the VSCO app to edit their photos, use metal straws, wear scrunchies, repeat the viral VSCO phrases, and drink out of Hydro Flasks. 

Another social embellishment you hear a lot is “spill the tea.” This refers to spilling juicy gossip. Why has this become teenage slang? Personally, I think this phrase is infuriating. 

The more present this phrase is in our generation, the more susceptible we are to talking about others behind their backs. We are making it a social normality to talk negatively about people! 

If “spilling the tea” becomes cool, then inherently talking juicy gossip becomes a negative normality. 

Another big thing taking over teenagers’ lives, and even some adult and elderly lives, is TikTok. TikTok is an app used to make lip-sync comedy and talent videos. Our generation is glued to this app. It has become such a goal for our generation to become “TikTok famous.” Kids are glued to their phones, posing and recording or simply stuck watching these videos for hours.

Personally, I don’t have the app downloaded, but I know a lot of people who do. A lot of my friends are simply addicted to the app. Respectively, the whole VSCO girl trend derived from TikTok. Does this tell us that TikTok is running our social norms? We can infer, but we cannot say for sure. 

Going back to the VSCO girl discussion, why does wearing a scrunchie or drinking out of a Hydro Flask make you a VSCO girl? It has been said that this species is known to be incredibly “basic.” I just don’t see how drinking out of a Hydro Flask or wearing a hair accessory on your wrist determines your social identity. 

What really infuriates me is how drinking out of a metal straw is connotated with being “basic” and seen as a totally annoying thing. Suddenly, our generation has made saving the lives of turtles to be basic and repulsive. 

With the VSCO girl slang, I hear everyone saying it nowadays. There are way less VSCO girls who say it compared to the number of people who say it in offense to these individuals. 

Over time, I think the urge to become basic in our generation will fade. I’m interested to see what social normalities are next for us. What will be the next big thing? What will be the new slang? Hopefully they won’t be offensive to women. Hopefully our generation will stop promoting negative actions and thoughts. 

Currently, the social normalities we have adapted are offensive to women. They suggest the image of weak, drama-filled, basic individuals. 

This is not okay, and that’s just the tea, sis!