The theory originated as a study on the cultural trope of the suicidal woman, which eventually evolved into the idea that women’s sorrow is a political agent whose unwillingness to make apologies for her misery and suffering is an act of revolt. Los Angeles-based artist Audrey Wollen, produced the Theory of Sad Girl. Every retweet, like, and “same” served as confirmation that their feelings are legitimate and that they are not alone in the battle. Boom! This trend enabled women to share and listen, or at the very least relate. In Hannah Williams’ article, The Reign Of The Internet Sad Girl Is Over And That’s A Good Thing, she explains how working women started relating to this trend when they became victims of wage stagnation and an escalating housing crisis, poor access to mental-health services, and increasingly limited reproductive rights these women had many reasons to be unhappy and cynical.

For instance, young girls who are struggling with mental illness and finding solace in identifying or creating art that sad girls use purely for its cool cache. Their interests are used to create an aesthetic fad that hinges on the hallmarks of teen depression. A sad girl is characterized more by her clothes and manner, and most sad girl hobbies are independent. While the trend might seem extreme at first glance, at its core it is a form of self-expression. This trend has changed the perception of what it means to be a strong woman by rethinking actions and feelings that were previously considered weak and turning them into strengths. Girls shared blurry selfies crying in the bathroom with captions that seem meaningful, tweets about missing their ex, pictures with teardrop motifs painted on their cheeks, pills in vivid pink colours with animated captions that read “having a threesome with anxiety and depression” or “100 percent sad” are all instances of content made by sad girls. Tumblr and Instagram became places where they were most predominant.

In 2015, teens were using their angst to create an aesthetic through various platforms and configurations. Where did the concept of the ‘sad girl’ come from? The star carved a niche for herself by becoming the poster child of a ‘sad girl’. This trend was given more depth by American singer Lana Del Rey who is known to produce records that are full of dreamy depression, masterfully producing songs that entail plenty of misery. Sad Girl is an aesthetic that became popular in 2015 but is still relevant in 2022, young girls from affluent Western countries would spend time online and embody a peculiar paradox: the desire to convey their innermost thoughts through a formulaic aesthetic.

Sad tumblr aesthetic