Coined by TikTok as “weird-girl style,” the aesthetic isn’t one to be ashamed of. In fact, it’s one that’s celebrated—fashion ecosystem willing or not. While searches for minimalist designer labels have flourished over the last few years and elevated basics are more shoppable than ever, a newfound crowd has embraced their inner kookiness.
Relying on intentionally clashing articles of clothing, colorful prints, and elaborate textures, the weird-girl aesthetic is a delectable lesson in personal style. It’s an Icee slime that TikTok can’t stop digging its hands into over and over, each time drawing out more questionable fashion choices that somehow look decent. You can trace the origins back to Harajuku—a student neighborhood in Tokyo bursting with counter-culture movements and subversive style. Although it wasn’t considered weird-girl style then, photographer Shoichi Aoki popularized the community’s eccentric sense of self, culminating in Fruits magazine, a first-of-its-kind street style publication featuring cool people and their cool clothing. The result? A living, breathing movement of dressing oddly just for the sake of it (and eventually cultural-appropriation vibes from Gwen Stefani).
Weird-girl clothing doesn’t necessarily need to follow a set list of rules, silhouettes, and cuts to be deemed as such. Both high-cut underwear as pants and two-headed-teddy-bear bags fall under the style umbrella. Like most things, though, you only have to look at Bella Hadid to figure out what all of the hoopla is about. The supermodel is known for her liberal street style, often composing it herself. On her roster are colorful crochet beanies, hiking sneakers, alien-inspired sunglasses, and accessories so bejeweled they would make Paris Hilton do a double take.
At this point, it’s important to acknowledge the elephant in the room: Is it a ‘fit, or is she just skinny? While the weird-girl aesthetic has nothing to do with race, social class, or body type, it’s undeniable that certain things are heralded as the peak of style on thinner body types and scoffed at when worn by others. Hadid can certainly wear men’s boxers as pants in the middle of winter, but according to some people on the internet, non-white, non-skinny people can’t.
