Aesthetics on Campus & Where to Shop Them
Aymen Sherwani Voices Editor
Campus style pre-COVID-19 was boring, vague and barely had a personality to it. I still remember people wearing their black turtlenecks, fanny packs and blue jeans all while having the audacity to call it fashion. It’s giving Steve Jobs and ‘90s era Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, bestie. Now, we have TikTok and Instagram to thank for the rise of “aesthetics” that are so much more than just styles — they’re romanticized visual manifestations of what people want out of their lives represented through the media they consume, the way they decorate their house and most importantly, how they dress. Aesthetics like Y2K and Dark Academia have become so iconic that you can search them up on Netflix and watch movies and shows that fall under their respective categories. Now that’s marketing. Something particularly unique about style aesthetics nowadays is how they are also heavily reliant on thrifting and peer-topeer online shopping stores like Depop — where you can quite literally find and wear clothes dated from an era you’re trying to emulate. Below are arguably the most popular style aesthetics you’ll see while walking around campus during your first week, their style essentials and where to shop them on a university student-friendly budget.
Y2K (Early 2000s Era) The 2021 return of Y2K — which stands for the Year 2000 — is a result of a lot of things. It could be because the internet was obsessed with vaporwave lo-fi study beats, the nostalgia behind ‘00s romantic comedies like Legally Blonde and Clue14 | GAUNTLET FROSH 2021
and Christina Aguilera. While the most ethical option would be to go thrifting, Y2K has always been fast fashion so the best places to shop this aesthetic without looking absolutely cheugy would be online stores like Amazon, Cider, Princess Polly and Pretty Little Thing.
less, or maybe even just the #FreeBritney movement. When I think of Y2K style I think of two words: purposeful flashiness. You want to turn heads when you’re walking down the hall and aren’t afraid to throw on some latex boots to match your nylon shoulder bag to let everyone know that you are that girl. Definitely accessorize with butterfly hair clips and a statement headband too. This aesthetic means the return of cute corset tops, leather pants, lip gloss, bucket hats and patterned fruit on everything. For a more masculine look, the essentials would be the leather shirt jacket with a cool pair of statement shades and some baggy jeans. If you’re a Y2K lover your style inspiration would be the Barbie-esque lifestyles of Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Elle Woods, combined with the more statement-making styles of Destiny’s Child, N-Sync, the Backstreet Boys
Dark Academia Dark Academia is a popular aesthetic focused on classical literature and ultimately romanticizes the pursuit of higher education as a journey of intellectual self-discovery, with a heavy emphasis on reading, writing and learning dead languages. The New York Times describes it as “traditional-academic-with-a-gothic-edge,” drawing inspiration from vintage English fashion choices of the 1940s like tweed blazers, long woollen coats, sweater vests, plaid skirts and high-waisted cigarette pants. If you see someone walking across campus dressed like this, just know that they own a bust of Michaelangelo’s David or their
