2000s girl starter pack - how to get into the fabulous y2k era!

 

𝐋𝐢𝐥' 𝐁𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐞 ˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆｡☆

𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐢𝐥' 𝐁𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐞

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Today's article is how to get into the fabulous Y2K era and I'll be introducing the main and most notable substyles within the early, mid and late 2000s era! I'll also be clearing up some misconceptions within the current Y2K community that's bringing the nostalgia back.

Today's article will be broken down into 4 sections: Substyles, Meanings, Music and  Misconceptions, 

Substyles:

The most common ones as of now:

1. Mcbling
2. Gyaru (has many sub-genres within itself)
3. Brohoe
4. Scene
5. Emo

Meanings:

1. Mcbling

These sub-genres/substyles had a meaning, usually substyles are created to rebel against the usual standards. Mcbling was about femininity but to the maximum level - excess!  It was meant to oppose 2000s minimalism that was originally creeping in. Mcbling is about showing off, being hyper-feminine and high maintenance. Zebra print and leopard print dominated this era. Women were often told to be low effort to attract men but mcbling is about rejecting these traditional values, girls had duck nails, oversized designer bags and had bedazzled flip phones. The mcbling motto is: "That's hot!" taken from Paris Hilton, a heiress who is a major staple of Mcbling. Tech obsession was seen as power, even though girls were told they were 'too into their phones', in this era girls had bedazzled ipods, flip phones and literally any tech they could possibly have! This is literally my favorite subgenre of the Y2K era and I'm glad to be part of such an amazing subculture! 

Icons: Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Britney Spears, Kimora Lee Simmons and Mariah Carey, etc.

2. Gyaru 

Gyaru was used to rebel against Japan's beauty standard at the time which was: dark hair, pale skin and reserved behaviour especially in public. Sometimes, gyarus faced public challenges like being denied jobs, being mocked and harassed and more. The gyaru motto is: "Get wild, be sexy!" which can actually be considered a motto for any other alt style too. Gyarus weren't afraid to talk about things society were afraid to openly talk about and they also formed their own circles called Gyarusas. Gyarus would purposely exaggerate their looks, wear enlarging contact lenses, dye their hair extreme colors, be cheerful and loud, be the life of the party! Gyaru is honestly one of my favorite subgenres of the Y2K era because of this and while I'm not one myself, I appreciate the gals who are!

Icons: Tsubasa Masuwaka, Maiko Sano, BLACK DIAMOND (gyarusa) and Ayumi Hamasaki, etc.

3. Brohoe

Brohoe was meant to reject traditional standards of a woman. The Brohoe subculture is very similar to the Mcbling aesthetic and often referred to as its darker sub-component. They rebelled against the idea that women had to be reserved, elegant and 'lady-like'. They were all about recklessness, fun and party-centred. They wore sports jerseys and revealing outfits to show that women didn't have to be 'classy' to be perceived as attractive. Most people say they are the original 'with the boys' type of girls, they partied with guys, drank beer and acted carefree. This was created to destroy the idea that women have to be delicate and dainty. 

Icons: Snooki, Jwoww, Christina Aguilera, Daisy de la Hoya and more

4. Scene

Scene culture was the first alt girl movement and definitely one of the most recognisable in my opinion. Although, I've never partaken in this subculture, I cannot deny its impact. Scene was about being loud, bright and chaotic. Scene kids are also very known for having extra glamorous, bright rave outfits and they were very predominant and known within the rave culture. They loved wearing clothes that sometimes didn't even match but would still pull it off, it was all about loud and predominant self expression. Scene girls were also very popular on Myspace, known for taking many mirror selfies with their digital cameras. It was all about rejecting the idea that girls had to be well put together, poise and chic. Scene was about having fun and not caring about looking all put together or other people's expectations.

Icons: Jeffree Star (Myspace Era), Millionaires + more

5. Emo

Emo was a total rejection of typical societal standards. Many girls are told to smile, specifically by men, to seem more approachable. They were openly emotional, poetic and comfortable expressing particularly negative emotions that are usually ignored within society due to the 'just smile' mentality. Emo kids, unlike all the other alternatives that I've mentioned, liked to hide behind their bangs, express emotions through music rather than words and dress in a way that rebels against traditional feminine fashion. They would often use song lyrics for their Myspace bio, they blurred gender norms and were anti mainstream music.

Icons: Gerard Way, Taylor Momsen, Haley Williams + more

 Music:

1. Mcbling - Paris Hilton, Ayesha Erotica, Slayyyter, Mariah Carey, Gwen Stefani, Britney Spears and more. - Hyperpop, Dance pop, Electropop, Bubblegum Pop
2. Gyaru - Rock, rap, Eurobeat, Jpop. 
3. Brohoe -  Hiphop, Rap, Electro-house, Club hits, Reggaeton, 
4. Scene - Screamo, Electronica, Myspace bands
5. Emo - My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday, Paramore, The Used

 Misconceptions:

There are A LOT of misconceptions within these subgenres of Y2K thanks to Tiktok and other social media platforms, while a lot of the people within the community including myself are portraying these aesthetics/subgenres as it should be done, a lot of people outside the community has changed the true meaning of what it means to be alternative.

Many people get Y2K confused with acubi and as a result of this, people started labelling anything with stars as 'Y2K' even though it has nothing to do with that at all.

People also state that they are alternative but do not align with the ideology of what it means to truly be alternative. For example, rebellion is a HUGE part of being in any alternative subculture, rebelling against society's standards, strict parents and anything else is a huge part, especially in subcultures like gyaru that started an ENTIRE movement in Japan. If you are too scared about what other people think, it could mean that being alternative is not the right decision.

There is no such thing as 'coquette gyaru' or 'beach gyaru', if someone wants to be a gyaru/gyaruo, they should learn about the substyle of gyaru they want to join because it creates a lot of misinformation and confusion for baby gyarus who do truly want to learn about it.

'You can be minimalist and alternative' - They can never be in the same sentence, being alternative is all about maximising everything especially when it comes to accessories. Being alternative is all about being seen!

This information is from my own knowledge, wikis and more! Hopefully this was interesting and helpful enough. Happy Valentines Day!

Lots of love,

Pr1na