The Return of the Effy Stonem Look

Over Spring Break, I was looking for a good, classic series to rewatch. Being a nineteen-year-old girl, I’ve seen just about every famous drama series, from Gilmore Girls to Sex and the City. But, during my scroll through never-ending streaming services, I was struck by the sight of a series so iconic to me that I was almost transported back to being thirteen: Skins U.K.

Maybe this is niche to the girls I grew up around, but Skins was the coming-of-age show when I was becoming a teenager. It was essentially the original Euphoria. It was messy, it was dramatic, and it was a show you didn’t mention to your parents that you were watching.

But what I loved the most about it as an early teen wasn’t the raunchiness; it was the style. The trashy, party girl aesthetic. I assume it had something to do with the rebellious attitude that I, as most other girls, held at age thirteen, but I was absolutely entranced by the Effy Stonem look.

But, not just Effy, Tracy from Thirteen, Alaska from Looking For Alaska, those trashy girls were the ones we wanted to look like. Not because we wanted to follow in their footsteps necessarily, but because their looks reflected how we felt inside, sort of lost and all over the place.

And, the more I thought back on that time in my life, the more I realized the ways those styles and aesthetics have found their way into my present life.

Now, I don’t necessarily mean partying and bad decision-making; I more so mean the clothing and makeup style that reflected that.

I also realized that this wasn’t simply something that was reflected in my life and style. It has become an entire curated aesthetic for girls of my age, especially in New York City. And maybe that’s why revisiting the series felt so familiar, because that messy and chaotic style never really disappeared; it just went quiet for a while.

What had felt like a niche and almost embarrassing phase has reemerged now as something intentional. It has marked a shift away from the very polished, “clean girl” aesthetic that has dominated the internet for a good couple of years.

The “clean girl” aesthetic set a very specific standard for what it meant to look put-together. Slicked-back buns, glowing skin, gold hoop earrings, and neutral outfits that felt effortless, when in reality, they were not. Every detail was intentional, from the dewy makeup routines to the perfectly curated “Day in my life” videos on TikTok—the ones that made you feel awful for not starting your morning routine at 6 A.M. sharp.

On the surface, the aesthetic promoted simplicity, but underneath it relied on an almost quiet kind of perfectionism. A kind of perfectionism that suggested that the best version of yourself was controlled and composed.

A kind of perfection that didn’t align with real life.

And maybe that’s why I was drawn to girls like Effy Stonem from such a young age. Because their styles reflected something entirely different. How they and, honestly, how I felt as messy teenage girls.

Effy Stonem’s style was never about looking put-together; it was about looking lived-in. Looking good in the night mattered more than whatever was happening the next morning. Smudged eyeliner from the night before, layered and tangled jewelry, and fishnet tights. Hair that fell however it wanted to, outfits that were thrown together at the last minute.

There was something almost careless about it, but in a way that felt honest. It didn’t hide the chaos; it reflected it. And at thirteen, that felt a lot more interesting than anything polished did.

But for a while, that kind of look became lost, replaced by the polished, carefully curated aesthetic that dominated social media feeds. The thing is, trends like this don’t just disappear; they evolve. Now the same, messy, lived-in energy that once felt rebellious is back, but this time it’s intentional, and it’s everywhere, not just on a teen girl’s Pinterest board.

Walking around, especially in New York City, it’s easy to spot. Worn-in leather jackets, studded clothing, black and dark grey tones, loose off-the-shoulder tops that cut just above a pair of ripped mini shorts, it’s all back.

The same effort that once went into slicking back that bun has been redirected to perfecting a smoky eye. Looking a little undone has become the statement, and it’s bigger than just clothing and makeup; it’s an attitude. An attitude that reflects a refusal to hide the chaos that is a part of growing up, and a part of life in general.

Now, trends are cyclical, I understand this. But the return of this aesthetic is more than nostalgia. It’s become almost a pushback against the obsession with perfection and the performative polish of social media. Messiness has become desirable, not despite itself, but because it seems truthful and lived in. And in a way, freeing.

It’s a reminder that style can reflect who we are beyond perfected images. And that sometimes the most striking looks come from those who aren’t aiming to impress, but simply living their lives.