A few days ago, I was talking to my best friend Soohyun when he told me that people don’t care if you’re mysterious. In response, my jaw dropped to the floor. 

I’m a Pinterest frequenter, and if you’re unfamiliar with the platform, it’s filled with millions of ‘aesthetic photos,’ and all the latest trends. You’ll often find pictures of girls with their hair up in a claw clip while wearing pretty dresses. Pinterest is infamous for its romanization of life, but what makes Pinterest different from most other social media platforms is that it’s mostly anonymous. Pinterest is meant to be catered to you, filled with people and places you don’t know. It learns from what you save and then puts photos that you might like on your feed.

You don’t see your friend’s selfies or homecoming photos, it is simply filled with your interests. It’s the most popular place to find photos for a vision board, and you’ll often find that the faces of the people themselves are hidden, or at least not the focus of the photo. In addition, it’s difficult to find where a photo is from, especially because some images are reposted by many different creators. Although it’s filled with influencer pictures, you’ll rarely find people with a loyal Pinterest following.

So why does Pinterest relate to being a “mysterious indie girl,” and what does it mean to be one? 

Pinterest is littered with mysterious indie girls. I consider it the mysterious indie girl hub spot. But to figure out what this really means, I’ve created step-by-step instructions on how to bring your mysterious aura to its full potential. 

1. Find a record player, corded earbuds, or over-the-ear headphones. Preferably all three.

This is an essential part of the process and the beginning of the characterization of a mysterious indie girl. In public, when you’re listening to music, people can’t help but wonder: Who is that girl? What is she listening to? How is she so mysterious? And other such remarks. You’ve created your own bubble, one that they may be unable to figure out. 

Additionally, you need to find your way to a record shop. Rifle through dozens of sections, of bands you’ve never heard of and may never listen to. Although it’s an expensive hobby, listening to vinyls in your room will increase your mystery. Why aren’t you just using a Bluetooth speaker? That’s what they have to figure out.

Queue up your indie bands, and you get brownie points if you choose “underground music” when the artist has at least seven million monthly listeners on Spotify (I am very guilty of this one).

2. Buy a claw clip. 

As previously mentioned earlier, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tiktok all have an abundance of claw clip styles and wearers. Although I consider it the evolution of the messy bun era, it’s a really cute hairstyle that completes the mystery. Currently, I’m working on this step, but I can’t seem to perfect the look. Honestly though, I love the effortless beauty of the claw clips. It’s simple, it’s elegant, and I love to see it.

3. Take a visit to your local thrift store.

Another mysterious indie girl spot includes secondhand stores. The women in there are always styled up, and I make sure to wear my best outfits in case I run into a mysterious indie girl. Here, you can find unique and “vintage” pieces, and layering in your outfits will soon become your best friend. As you go through the racks, remember how mysterious you look in an unfamiliar place, and have fun looking for more mysterious pieces.

In all seriousness, thrifting is a good practice, and a fun way to reduce the effects of fast fashion, so I would highly recommend trying it. Let me know if you want to go, and I’ll come with you! 

4. Wear brown, black, and as many neutral colors as possible.

Part of the mysterious indie girl look includes oversized pants and jackets, all in muted colors. If you scroll through Pinterest, it won’t take long for inspiration to spark. In my opinion, neutrals can never go wrong, and it’s fun to make outfits this way. Who is she? These neutral colors are really hiding something, the mystery is undeniable!

5. Read.

Reading, and studying, all add to the mysterious indie girl image. You could be on your phone, talking to friends, but no, you’re different, and that’s intriguing. What is she reading? I want to know more! Romanticize studying, it’s fun!

6. Side profile pictures.

The final, most important step. If you’re wearing headphones, you must take a side profile photo. It can be a mirror or taken by someone else, but once you get a side profile headphones photo, you have made it as an indie girl. I haven’t had mine yet, but it is truly a right of passage.

I hope that with these photos and instructions, you have all you need to understand what mysterious indie girls are. And I hope this proves Soohyun wrong. However, you will never understand a mysterious indie girl (because they are mysterious).

How is she so mysterious? I wish I could know more. I can’t, but I wish I could.

emo girl (feat. WILLOW) – Machine Gun Kelly, WILLOW

Released: 2022

Many of us met the hit song emo girl (feat. WILLOW) with mixed reactions, some finding it foolish,

maybe even laughable. Some of this response may be credited to the questionable reputation of the artist, and his very public relationship with Megan Fox, which has never failed to litter social media feeds.

“I think we weren’t allowed to see each other yet. We weren’t supposed to run into each other that night, so our souls, our spirit guides, were luring us away from each other, because you literally had no face, like that thing from Spirited Away.”

– Megan Fox in a British GQ Style interview

I would recommend taking a peek at more of their fairly entertaining quotes later. 

As much as people like to ridicule emo girl, these insults do not change the fact that it had made #77 on the US Billboard Hot 100. As a result, it’s only fair to give the song some consideration. And for those appalled by the song, bear with me for a moment.

But if you are unfamiliar with the chorus, I have provided it here. 

“I fell in love with an emo girl

I’m in love with an emo girl

I fell in love with an emo girl

All I want is an emo girl”

– Machine Gun Kelly, emo girl

At first glance, it may seem that the lyrics lack depth and originality. For some listeners, this may be a key component of a song. However, Machine Gun Kelly has made his message very clear: He loves an emo girl. 

There are not many complexities to this song, and with this, we can only assume that there are not many complexities in his love for an emo girl. He has ensured that all listeners will easily be able to tell that he is transparently devoted to an emo girl, and if there is anything to take away, it is that. Isn’t that beautiful? Why should the meaning have to be so hidden, so complicated? He openly shares this truth to all.

The simplicity of this song only makes it stand out amongst the rest. In all honesty, I haven’t listened to any other songs by Machine Gun Kelly, and very few by WILLOW. Sorry to disappoint any dedicated MGK fans, hoping to find another supporter. 

In a quote graciously provided by my friend,

“I like hate comments more than no comments

I don’t know you

BUT YOU KNOW MY NAME”

– Kim Namjoon, BTS Cypher 4

Even if you hate it, this song is out there, with over 73 million streams on Spotify today.

I have to admit, I was among the mass of people who originally did not have much faith in the song.  However, I’ve unfortunately developed the habit where I appreciate something as a joke, and then end up having the slightest obsession with it. Simply put: The undeniable catchiness of the song had won me over. My fondness of the song may still partially be a joke, but the lines of that have somewhat blurred. And writing a full blog post about it may further obscure that line. It was never my intention to focus this entry solely on this song, it just happened. Similar to my sudden inclination to it.

Emo girl has been played in my car and for my friends many times since. I believe that the song is best enjoyed in the company of others, but for maximum entertainment, I would recommend having other people yell the lyrics. I have disrespected acquaintances who consider themselves music connoisseurs and continue to do so.

Today, I often feel unable to prevent myself from singing the chorus of the song out loud (the only part I know), much to the displeasure of those surrounding me. 

In class, I was once asked, “Izzy, have you ever considered that you are the emo girl?” 

Following this, a request for me to please stop singing the song. However, I can confidently assure you that the song was picked up again a few moments later. I might not be a fan favorite in microeconomics, and I question if the trade-off was worth it. 

But then the question stands, am I the emo girl? Most likely not. Like the song, dislike the song, either way, you might hear me sing the lyrics.