By Claire Jordan

What is the ‘sad girl aesthetic’ and why has it dominated social media subcultures for years? It is hard to describe simply through words as it is more imagery and feelings based than a set standard vibe.

Think smudged black eyeliner, introspection, nostalgia, relatable quotes/lyrics, aesthetic movie clips, heavy vintage filters and dreary scenery for just a few examples.

Anyone can really visualise themselves in the aesthetic as it was a direct response to the highly glamorised celebrity “flexing” culture in the 2000s, as it ditches the mansions, hyper positive pop, aspirational, fake lifestyles, and instead focuses more on the everyday person.

This aesthetic mainly originated from ‘Tumblr’ as many things do, many people seeking community and for a place to express their feelings as many teenagers don’t really have anywhere to go to express how they feel, as often they feel parents don’t understand, friends may judge them, and therapy aint cheap.

So these places feel like a place to escape so it can be therapeutic to escape and instead of trying to bury the emotions and hide behind faux Instagram posts, happy music, and luxury spending they can find like minded people who are going through the same things as them, and a way that people care share how they feel is through music, whether its writing about their new favourite album or posting a particularly hard hitting lyric that encapsulates their current mood or what they have experienced.

One of the most popular ‘sad girl’ artists that has influenced a generations music taste and style is Lana Del Rey, who initially blew up with her song ‘Video Games’ and in the music video she used vintage clips and low budget videos of herself spliced together with her singing in the background

Which revolutionised the music space for indie artists showing you don’t need million dollar budget videos to make a masterpiece, Instead of showing how sexy, or rich, or cool she was in her video which a lot of artists chose to do at the time she opted to use clips and videos to get across the mood and feel of the song.

Another more recent artist who blew up for her ‘sad girl’ and ‘dark’ aesthetics is Ethel Cain, who made an entire album that tells a story and explores complex and often taboo themes which many people were drawn towards as it was refreshing to see someone talking to passionately and openly about trauma and pain but wording it in such a hauntingly beautiful way.

These are just two examples, but both are extremely relevant for this aesthetic, and many girls flocked to them as they make them feel less alone, and feel really seen, when discussing topics like domestic violence, mental illness, heartbreak and loss, etc.

Instead of singing about how they are over their ex and too cool to care or ignoring pain they make you feel okay to sit with the discomfort and to explore it and better understand your emotions which is extremely important as a WHO backed report made in 2025 stated that 57% of teen girls report consistently feeling sad or hopeless.

So having the ability to post online a GIF or vintage clip of route 66 with a lyric from ‘Sun Bleached Flies’ may seem insignificant to most but to the select few with the vision to see the vibes and story behind this can mean a lot.

Sad music is not just misery making people feel worse and whine, but can actually tell stories and speak to people and build community and a feeling that you are not truly alone and can turn your pain in to something beautiful.

Sad girls are cooler: Why do so many girls love sad music and tragic aesthetics?