What Is an E-Girl: All the Answers You Want, Need, and More

What is an e-girl, you ask? Is it an expression of freedom and escapism, or a way to simply be someone else? Read on for all the answers about e-girls.

The advent of the online world has made it easier than ever before to coin your own persona and use it to pretend to be someone you’re not. So, if you’ve been reading a list of the hippest new terms on the block and come across the term e-girl, you’re probably wondering what is an e-girl exactly?

There are a million and one different terms for various people, situations, and characters these days. Frankly, it’s difficult to keep up. It seems like every day there’s something else we should know about. If you don’t have a clue what a specific term means, it’s easy to feel like you’re being left behind!

Never fear, we all feel that way sometimes.

[Read: All the best and worst words to describe yourself online]

What is an e-girl?

You don’t have to be a girl to be an e-girl, you can be a grown woman too. This term refers to a female who has an online presence of some sort. Lately, we’ve seen the term used alongside videos of girls on TikTok, wearing heavy eyeliner, blush, and emo-style makeup, mouthing along to music videos they don’t really sing.

In some ways, the term e-girl can be used as an insult. Historically, this was a term used to describe a girl who had a strong online presence mainly used to talk to guys. Those into the online social scene will tell you that the term still applies in some cases. However, it’s mainly been adopted towards the teenage TikTok crowd.

So, what does an e-girl look like?

She’s likely to be heavily made up. Think emo/goth makeup that was so famous in the ‘90s, and you’re not far behind. As an added extra, she might have a heart drawn on her cheek. She’s likely to be into the Kylie Jenner trend of over-drawing her lips.

[Read: How to be comfortable with yourself: A guide to not giving a f*ck]

At the end of the day, an e-girl is someone who uses a false personality to communicate online. They might not have the sole intention of communicating with men, they might simply want to be sociable with other people and virtually meet others in a world they’re never going to be a true part of. Whatever their motivation, an e-girl is famous in online circles.

Should we be focusing on fake personas?

What is an e-girl if not a fake personality? It begs the question, should we be encouraging these fake personas, or should we be discouraging them?

Personally, I think we should be discouraging, but to each their own.

If you feel that you must be someone else to attract attention, then you really should wonder why that is. Do you feel that you’re lacking when you’re yourself? Do you feel that you don’t have anything interesting to say? Why do you feel you need to put on an act?

The online world is a strange place. Sure, it’s ideal for meeting likeminded people you would never have come into contact with. How can you be sure that they’re likeminded if you’re putting on an act?

The whole ‘what is an e-girl’ question is a common one because it’s so confusing to understand why someone would pretend to be someone they’re not.

That’s my take on the whole situation.

Perhaps you disagree. Maybe you feel that if someone needs a little escapism and they find that in the online world, then it’s okay. True, but in that case, why not just be who you are? Surely, you’re more likely to find people you really gel with in that case?

The term ‘e-girl’ was used to slut shame many years ago. It used to refer to a girl who only went online to speak to guys in a provocative way. Thankfully, we’ve thrown that meaning of the term away, and it’s now used in a much more socially acceptable manner. There’s nothing harmful about a girl wanting to dress up in a little makeup and pretend to sing songs on TikTok, that’s for sure, but who are they aiming this attention towards really?

Is it for validation?

The online world can be murky. The people who follow e-girls may not have their best interests at heart, they may not be likeminded people who are into the whole e-girl scene themselves.

You have to be so careful these days that having a fake personality on an online platform can actually lead you to some pretty dark places if you’re unlucky enough to end up in that situation.

[Read: Who are you? How to fine-tune your internal compass]

Be who you want to be!

Okay, I’m not a downer on e-girls. I say be who you want to be, but do it for the right reasons.

E-girls are celebrities in their own right, in some cases. Provided they’re connected with people who are honest, open, and genuine, then there aren’t many reasons to complain. If you spend your spare time dressing up and heading online to connect, perhaps your time would be better spent simply learning to love who you really are and heading out there into the real world to connect with actual people?

These days, we spend so much time online and attached to various electrical devices. What happened to real, honest, raw connections with other human beings? We’re missing out on the here and now! Our lives are constantly on charge because these devices run out of electrical juice. We panic, waiting for the green charge light to show, so we can get our electrical online hit once more.

It’s quite worrying in many ways, and yes, I’m guilty of it too!

[Read: 15 things everyone should know about living a happy life]

If you’re fascinated with the whole what is an e-girl question, hopefully you’ll now have a slightly clearer idea of what this term really means, and what it most definitely doesn’t. There should be no term out there to shame a girl or a woman for having an online presence. But, it’s important to examine what that online presence is for and make sure that it’s healthy and true, not erring towards being someone you’re not.

We would truly be lost without the Internet, let’s be honest. It’s a way to connect with people we would never have met otherwise, stay in touch with friends and family who don’t live close by, and find out information that we would seriously struggling to find out any other way. What did we do in the days before the World Wide Web?

It’s hard to imagine those days now!

The downside is that we become so obsessed with everything virtual that we forget to live in the moment. So, what is an e-girl other than someone who is courting Internet fame, purely because it feels good to have a small army of fans? Is is an ego thing, or a self confidence problem?

Perhaps only the girls at hand can give the answer to that.

[Read: How to start unfaking your life and love yourself]

If you’re still wondering, what is an e-girl, head to TikTok or search for the e-girl hashtag on Instagram. It won’t be long before you find one and see exactly what I’m talking about!

The post What Is an E-Girl: All the Answers You Want, Need, and More is the original content of LovePanky - Your Guide to Better Love and Relationships.