Are We Romanticizing Being Sad Again?
Image Courtesy: The Carolinian
While we Gen-Zers were young at the time, we know about the 2010s and Tumblr. We recognize Tumblr’s distinct aesthetic: its grainy black-and-white photos, people smoking cigarettes, moody song lyrics, and a deep obsession with being sad and heartbroken. Artists like Lana Del Rey, The 1975, Arctic Monkeys, and Lorde dominated playlists. Teenagers wore Doc Martens, tennis skirts, oversized sweaters, and dark clothing. This aesthetic sounds entirely too familiar, partly because we lived through this era in the 2010s but mostly because we are in this era in 2025. I’m all for wearing my Docs and listening to sad songs, but is this revival of the Tumblr culture just another nostalgic trend, or does it carry the same toxic undertones that made the aesthetic controversial in the first place?
The Signs of the Revival
Image Courtesy: Tumblr
The Look: The grunge aesthetic will never truly go away. From its surface in the 1990s to returning strong in the 2010s, people love their ripped black tights and messy eyeliner. The messy and effortless “cool kid” look is back in full effect. Celebrities like Lily-Rose Depp and Billie Eilish embody this look, and TikTok influencers quickly follow the trends. Currently, Pinterest and TikTok look straight out of a 2014 Tumblr dashboard.
The Music: The 1975 just had a tour back in 2024, Lana Del Rey keeps releasing albums, and Arctic Monkeys’ AM remains on playlists. Classic Tumblr artists are popular again, but new artists mimic the same melancholic and dreamy vibe. Artists like Ethel Cain, Faye Webster, Phoebe Bridgers, and Mitski have been on the rise, and they’re all known for their “sad girl music.” Their same depressing energy is what made Tumblr so popular in the 2010s.
The Internet Aesthetic: Photo dumps, posting “relatable sad” song lyrics, and rejecting the previous “clean girl aesthetic” all echo the unfiltered artsy Tumblr vibe. There is also a newfound interest in vintage photography, grainy filters, and moody aesthetics that make our current Instagram posts look like a Lana Del Rey song.
Why Is the Tumblr Aesthetic Coming Back?
We know it’s here, but why?
Nostalgic Cycles: Fashion, music, beauty, and internet trends constantly resurface. Just as the Y2K aesthetic dominated the early 2020s, we are now entering a time when the Tumblr era feels fresh again, especially for Gen-Z, who was a tad too young to fully embrace Tumblr in its prime.
Rejecting “Perfection”: The “clean girl” aesthetic was popular for quite some time. How slick is your slick-back ponytail? How many TreeHut body scrubs do you have? Did you get the new minimalist Aritzia item? It doesn’t matter now because the latest trend rejects “perfection.” The internet is embracing the messy, moody, and expressive look. The Tumblr era existed before influencers documented every part of their morning routine, and Gen-Z is starting to prefer that raw, messy, and unfiltered vibe again.
The Appeal of the “Sad Girl” Aesthetic: Let’s face it. Sometimes, crying to our favorite sad songs feels good. Tumblr was great at romanticizing this sadness. Heartbreak and self-destruction were “cute.” When you’re smoking a drunk cigarette, is Lana Del Rey’s “Summertime Sadness” playing in the back of your mind? “Sad Girl” energy is back through our current music, fashion, and social media trends. Feeling sad sometimes feels good, but when does it become too much?
Image Courtesy: Cafe Hysteria
Is This Revival Healthy?
While the Tumblr era was artistically rich, it also had its dark side. The moody aesthetic also included embracing toxic relationships, unhealthy beauty standards, smoking, and disordered behaviors. It was also popular for women to be extremely thin in this era. Thigh gaps were a necessity, even if that meant developing unhealthy eating habits to attain it. Heartbreak was cool, but where does the line get drawn? When is it no longer an aesthetic and affecting our day-to-day life? The 2010s Tumblr culture is an aesthetic many love, but it’s safe to say we’ve been hurting ourselves to obtain it.
As these trends resurface, we must caution ourselves and ask whether we are returning to the wondrousness of the Tumblr era or repeating its mistakes.
The good news is that this revival is more self-aware. People embrace the sad girl’s energy in performative, not destructive ways. The culture in the 2020s is entirely different from that in the 2010s. Body positivity is encouraged, but self-destructive behaviors are not. Instead of idolizing being thin or self-harming, we are focusing more on the artistic expression of this era. Gen-Z just appreciates the messiness of the era and the lack of pressure to be “perfect” and “put together.” If this revival continues to focus solely on the music, art, fashion, and beauty of the original era–without the harmful mindset–then maybe we should embrace the chaos of this comeback.
Nostalgia is a powerful tool. Every generation, including Gen-Z, finds ways to reinvent the past. Whether this 2025 Tumblr era is a fleeting aesthetic or something more profound, it’s clear the sad girl era is back–Thankfully, without all that self-hatred and romanticized harm.
Strike Out,
Writer: Parker Snaith
Editor: Dani Hernandez
Tallahassee