As long as the term has existed, culture has always been obsessed with the idea of the It Girl; the trope that describes a fashionable and effortlessly cool young woman, whos seemingly chill from dawn (or whenever it suits her to get up) til dusk, an assumed personality who the boys generally lust after and all the other girls want to be. In the past, It Girls have included celebrities like Alexa Chung or Chlo Sevigny, but more often than not these untouchable figures with projected near-fictional narratives are, rather than real women, actual fictional characters. Back in the late noughties, these wouldve included boy-eater Jennifer Check of Jennifers Body, and Gossip Girls Serena Van De Woodsen. Noticeably, one particular it-girl has made a questionable comeback for Gen Z: the Bristol party girl with the stone-cold stare that began as a supporting role before becoming one of the main characters in the following seasons -- Kaya Scodelarios debut role as Effy Stonem from Skins.
Effy first stumbled her way onto our screens in January 2007 on Channel 4 to an audience of over one and a half million. Despite being completely silent, and initially presented as a secondary character to protagonist Tony, Effy became a force of nature, a mysterious fan favourite for teenage girls across the country. Her uber-curated grunge aesthetic, smeared make-up and appetite for hedonism were quickly replicated by fans who smudged their eyeliner and tried to perfect vacant, judgemental stares in honour of their new queen.
Fast forward thirteen years and its evident from TikTok that Effy is still the it-girl for alt youth, perhaps never stepping down from her throne in the first place. Girls on the app are digging out their Doc Martens, penciling black kohl across their waterlines and cosplaying as Effy, paying homage to their idol whilst synced with the original Skins theme tune. Seven years after the show finally ended, Effy lives on in memes attempting to bait depressed edgy girls and claims that she walked so that the e-girl could run. But without new content -- aired every Thursday night on Channel 4 -- to stoke the cool fire of teenage apathy, what's it like being a Skins stan in 2020?
Whilst one viral caption reads every girl in the UK wanted to be Effy at some point, Americans can sit this one out, there are many US fans of Skins on TikTok. Having first heard of the show through GIFs and fan edits on Tumblr, sixteen-year-old LA-based creator Gaby was instantly intrigued and started watching it online. I loved how unique the characters were, she says, not only their looks but their personalities as well. Each character had their own little story that coincided with each other, allowing me to understand who's being portrayed whilst relating their experiences to my own.
At the time I made that video I would get a lot of comparisons to Effy in my comment section, especially when it came to my fashion and makeup, adds Gaby, who uses TikTok occasionally to create montage or homage videos to the character. I used to be mesmerised by Effy and her character definitely influenced me when it came to my look... everything from the fishnets to the heavy eyeliner. I was absolutely in love.
Though she also realises that Skins is shot in a way where 'reckless living' is glorified, Gaby recognises a lot of the behaviour in her friend group but admits this could be down to living in a city. I live in LA where the nightlife is crazy and the people I surround myself with are even crazier, so a lot of aspects of Skins are relatable to my own experiences. But for a kid who lives in a small town and has a generally tame friend group, Id assume the show is seen as pure fiction.
Coco Vieno is an 18-year-old singer based in London who came across the show after an ex introduced her to it, her Skins inspired look TikTok video has amassed over 200k views. the look was inspired by her makeup because she seems so effortless and careless in everything that she does and when Im going through a tough time I like to distance myself from it and imagine what she would do to act like she isnt bothered. I wanted to make that video so I could live the fantasy of being like her for a few minutes.
Asides from directly influencing her fashion sense, which she admits changed to appeal more to the dirty 2000s aesthetic of the show, Coco feels Skins has affected her life in other ways too. It made me feel like my life was boring compared to theirs, she reveals, and it compelled me to get into bad situations with people that reminded me of the characters, and to party and drink more to escape from the boringness of everyday life.
Arguably though, there is something a bit sinister, or questionable at the least, around incorporating aspects from a fictional character into your own life, especially when the way they act results in little consequence and obviously glorified. Since the show first aired, both Effy and Cassie have often been linked to #thinspo or #problematicfave posts, triggering eating disorders in young watchers trying to achieve that look. But whilst they can be written out of a bad situation, thats not how reality works and so it can be dangerous.
TikTok user Juulspodsleftthechat, known IRL as Savanna, created a fake How To Be Effy From Skins tutorial to bait all the d3pr3ssed edgy girls" into watching. As someone who suffers from mental illnesses herself, she understands why Effys character appeals to that specific demographic so strongly. She has obviously toxic traits but still seems to be portrayed as popular and desirable to the characters around her. I believe this speaks to a lot of people because its about being accepted despite your mental illness.
Personally, I think that Skins is actually an awful show for those suffering with mental health problems, she tells me. It seems to romanticise addiction and unhealthy relationships with those around you. I think it is especially damaging to those with eating disorders as Cassie in Gen 1 seems to outline specific eating disorder tips and tricks. Eating disorders are incredibly competitive and seeing someone else who is ill can urge other people to try harder to be recognisably ill. I think there is danger in emulating fictional scenarios as people are more likely to take the fun aspects of Skins and forget about the problems the characters had due to their self destructive behaviours.
With so much pressure on teenagers nowadays -- from academic achievement to growing up with social media -- its easy to see why Effys indifferent attitude and edgy aesthetic are still exciting, becoming the ultimate dream life for teenage girls over the past decade despite being an exaggerated work of fiction. Even if Skins had never existed, teen characters and their problems would undoubtedly still have have been romanticised across fiction. But there's something specifically about Effy's character in particular which remains captivating, even for a generation of teens who were too young to notice or care about the show when it originally aired. Coco perhaps sums it up best: Our generation has either grown-up with or recently come across Skins, and every time Im in a weird situation that seems like it would fit the Skins aesthetic, theres always someone that acknowledges that," she says.
"I think this show has really influenced my generation on what our teenage years should be like.
Read more:
How TikTok resurrected the cult of Effy Stonem - i-D
- Home - Wild Women Vacations - December 23rd, 2016 [December 23rd, 2016]
- Hedonism - New World Encyclopedia - December 26th, 2016 [December 26th, 2016]
- Hedonism II (Negril, Jamaica) - UPDATED 2016 Resort (All ... - January 3rd, 2017 [January 3rd, 2017]
- Hedonism II Resort Negril, Jamaica - January 8th, 2017 [January 8th, 2017]
- Hedonism II Community | Home - January 30th, 2017 [January 30th, 2017]
- Hedonism and healing - Independent Online - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Dark side of hedonism: a rock journalist's battle with drug addiction - The Guardian - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Rainbow Serpent turns 20: a weekend of boundless hedonism - Mixmag - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- 'Dream Boat': Love Comes In All Shapes And Sizes In This Candid Berlinale Documentary Set On A Gay Cruise Ship - moviepilot.com - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Black Wave review: From hedonism to the apocalypse - Irish Times - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Feminism, ambition, hedonism: drama explores lives of university's privileged - The Guardian - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Leftism: From Bloody Tragedy to Therapeutic Parody - FrontPage Magazine - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Science: How to Get into the "Flow" and Do What Makes You Happiest - Big Think - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Weekend Arts: Find the Beethoven Music Festival, 'Avenue Q' and more in Tulsa this week - Tulsa World (blog) - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Now We Are 40 by Tiffanie Darke review a generation lost to hedonism and irony? - The Guardian - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Chefs to Watch for 2017 - Hedonism II, Negril - Jamaica Observer - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Hicks column: Schools should stick to the facts, as should everyone else - Charleston Post Courier - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- Berlin Syndrome - The Upcoming - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Tears in the Club - PopMatters - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Chefs to Watch for 2017 - Hedonism II, Negril - Food ... - Jamaica Observer - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Hedonism II | CheapCaribbean.com - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Book review: 'The True Story of Guns N' Roses' will rock your world - Times LIVE - February 21st, 2017 [February 21st, 2017]
- Pleasures: the desert of life - Tulsa World - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- Living Like a Hedonist - Daily Trojan Online - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- How dirty do you like it? Revel in hedonism with You Pull It, the new EP from The Byzantines - Happy - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- When did Britain stop being a nation of hedonists? - The Guardian - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- What is Hedonism wines? Mayfair vendor owned by Russian exile counts Jose Mourinho among its clientele and ... - The Sun - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Pastor's column: Hedonism: Self-driven life of pleasure - Gridley Herald - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Look around the wine store where Ranieri's future was decided Mourinho loves this place! - Daily Star - February 25th, 2017 [February 25th, 2017]
- The Gooch Palms are a handful of hedonism - Mandurah Mail - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Jose Cuervo's Apocalyptic Vision Encourages Hedonism 03/08/2017 - MediaPost Communications - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- Europe conquers itself - Arutz Sheva - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Hedonism alone didn't kill George - Irish Independent - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Hedonism II All-inclusive Resort Reviews & Deals, Negril - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- Phoenix: 'The purity of French identity is an illusion; it's never existed ... - The Guardian - June 8th, 2017 [June 8th, 2017]
- First-rate musical performance & production that's hard to fault: Garsington's Semele reviewed - Spectator.co.uk - June 8th, 2017 [June 8th, 2017]
- Guest Post: Bhante Suddhso Guidelines for Happiness - Patheos (blog) - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- 'I trafficked women at a famous Hong Kong nightclub' - South China Morning Post - June 11th, 2017 [June 11th, 2017]
- Sydney Festival Film Review: Axoltl Overkill (Germany, 2017) burns up Berlin with heavily stylised hedonism - the AU review (blog) - June 11th, 2017 [June 11th, 2017]
- Fun Fair Shot Bar By Claudia Comte Brings Seor Frogs-Style ... - ARTnews - June 13th, 2017 [June 13th, 2017]
- On 'Ti Amo', Phoenix Combat Dark Times with Fun and Gelato - Vulture - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- Honey-glazed, hedonistic, and hyper-real - Cherwell Online - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- Review: True to the original, 'Cabaret' revival trades in hedonism, horror - Seattle Times - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- Spanish Party Town Publishes 64 Rules to Stop Hedonism of Drunk Tourists - Heat Street - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- WIL DARCANGELO: Hedonism has its advantages - Sentinel & Enterprise - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- Comme des Garons' spring collection designed for a warehouse rave - The Guardian - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- Considering a weekend in Ibiza? Our guide to the White Isle tells you where to eat, sleep, rave, repeat - Mirror.co.uk - June 29th, 2017 [June 29th, 2017]
- Norfolk makers of Wild Knight vodka score first London stockist - Norfolk Eastern Daily Press - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- Hedonism II - Negril, Jamaica The Swinger Cruise - July 3rd, 2017 [July 3rd, 2017]
- Comic Legends: How Did 9/11 Change Strangers in Paradise's Ending? - CBR (blog) - July 3rd, 2017 [July 3rd, 2017]
- The kids are all white: can US festivals live up to their 'post-racial' promise? - The Guardian - July 4th, 2017 [July 4th, 2017]
- Cakes Da Killa on Clubbing, Labels and His Shanghai Debut ... - That's Online (registration) - July 4th, 2017 [July 4th, 2017]
- Claude Speeed is the trance-inspired ambient nomad documenting Berlin's rave sadness - FACT - July 5th, 2017 [July 5th, 2017]
- Reporter strips naked to quiz nude swingers on their love of wife-swapping in bizarre telly segment - The Sun - July 7th, 2017 [July 7th, 2017]
- Steve Vizard's Vigil at Arts Centre Melbourne reveals trauma ... - The Age - July 7th, 2017 [July 7th, 2017]
- Party Report: Hideout Festival 2017 - Deep House Amsterdam (press release) (blog) - July 11th, 2017 [July 11th, 2017]
- Wimbledon 2017: The tech behind the world's top tennis tournament - Ars Technica UK - July 12th, 2017 [July 12th, 2017]
- Exploring the world's first dog glamping site at NOS Alive music festival - Metro - July 12th, 2017 [July 12th, 2017]
- Hyundai has come a long way with its outstanding Ioniq Hybrid - Philly.com - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- Why campus boys make the best husband materials - The Standard - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- I demand a critical reappraisal of Kesha's brilliant, brilliant music - Salon - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- Norfolk vodka brand joins London's jet set - Business Weekly - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- Clean raving: how club culture went wild for wellness - The Guardian - July 16th, 2017 [July 16th, 2017]
- News Bites | Loewe Releases Ibiza-Inspired Record, Erdem x H&M - The Business of Fashion - July 16th, 2017 [July 16th, 2017]
- Crisis in leadership as bright minds avoid public service - The New Indian Express - July 16th, 2017 [July 16th, 2017]
- Woman seriously injured after falling off stage at Guns N' Roses show - The Times of Israel - July 16th, 2017 [July 16th, 2017]
- What's the Best Song, According to Science? - Gizmodo - July 17th, 2017 [July 17th, 2017]
- We Asked the Happiest People at Lovebox About Their Worries - Noisey - July 17th, 2017 [July 17th, 2017]
- Dance Like Nobody's Watching To Shock Machine's Unlimited Love Video - The FADER - July 17th, 2017 [July 17th, 2017]
- Gig review: Catfish and The Bottlemen at Don Valley Bowl, Sheffield - Yorkshire Evening Post - July 18th, 2017 [July 18th, 2017]
- Montreal's Ancient Future Festival Reveals 2017 Lineup with Hudson Mohawke, the Underachievers, Sam Paganini - Exclaim! - July 18th, 2017 [July 18th, 2017]
- Coexistence at the beach - Opelika Observer - July 20th, 2017 [July 20th, 2017]
- Ibiza: Where To Eat, Party And Beach - HuffPost UK - July 20th, 2017 [July 20th, 2017]
- Film Streams, Joslyn team for screening of 'Marie Antoinette' - Omaha World-Herald - July 20th, 2017 [July 20th, 2017]
- Hedonism II Hotel - Jamaica | Oyster.com Review & Photos - July 20th, 2017 [July 20th, 2017]
- Fiction review: Living the Dream - The Sydney Morning Herald - July 21st, 2017 [July 21st, 2017]
- Arcade Fire - 'Everything Now' Album Review - NME - NME.com - July 21st, 2017 [July 21st, 2017]
- Dream Hoarders - HuffPost - July 22nd, 2017 [July 22nd, 2017]
- PS Spotlight: Remembering celebrity fancy dress for the grand Cointreau Ball - The Sydney Morning Herald - July 22nd, 2017 [July 22nd, 2017]
- Last Night Guns N' Roses Played An Epic Set At The Apollo, Today Appetite For Destruction Turns 30 - Stereogum - July 22nd, 2017 [July 22nd, 2017]