The Omighty “Hibiscus Tank Dress” in green (@omweekend).
For just a minute, take a break from all the stress of the past year and imagine that you are sitting on a sunny beach in Key West, Florida wearing a neon pink swimsuit, breathing in the salty ocean air, and sipping on a piña colada chilled to just the right temperature. Refreshed and relaxed, you can’t help but feel like this is going to be the best. summer. ever.
This is just the feeling that the “coconut girl” or “Key West kitten” aesthetic is all about. (If you need a brief crash course, an aesthetic is defined by the Aesthetics Wiki as “a collection of visual schema that creates a mood,” usually manifesting through colors, decor, and fashion.) A common way to describe the aesthetic is “Y2K goes to the beach” — ie. 2000s summer style. Think Hibiscus floral print, pastel pinks and blues, frangipani graphics, bleached blonde hair, triangle bikini tops, and glitter temporary tattoos. As many of us get closer to some realization of “post-pandemic” life, maybe this is all we need — a relaxing summer that harks back to an era defined by flip flops and flip phones.
But while this style has been embraced by many, it’s also been met with hesitancy and reluctance. Do we reallyyyy need yet another aesthetic? Will these trends, which seem so “in” right now, be out of style before we even know it? These questions can help us unpack the rise of this aesthetic and what it all means for the current state of fashion, the internet, and everything in between.
Additionally, some aspects of this aesthetic can veer into the cultural appropriation of (often a limited or incorrect portrayal of) Hawaiian and Polynesian culture, while at the same time many of the women participating and profiting off of it (through Depop, brands, or social media) are young, white, and conventionally attractive. And while the term “coconut girl” is the most commonly-used label, it has been called into question because of its history as a pejorative against Pacific Islanders and other people of color. The aesthetic does have several other names, such as “Malibu Barbie,” “Floridacore,” “beach coquette,” and the “H2O aesthetic” (after the Australian show H2O: Just Add Water). However, most of these names are used to describe slightly different variations of the aesthetic, and some are debated or problematic in their own right. Thus, for the purpose of this piece we are going to simply sum up the aesthetic as “Y2K summer” except when quoting or in reference.
So, what exactly is the Y2K summer aesthetic?
The Y2K summer aesthetic is a summery spin-off of 2000s summer fashions. It takes inspiration from Florida (particularly Key West, which is the Southernmost city in the continental U.S.), Hawaii, Australia & New Zealand, and popular tropical resort destinations such as Fiji, the Bahamas, and the Cayman Islands. Key clothing items include wedge flip flops, terrycloth mini skirts, Hibiscus print dresses, Halter tops, tankinis, and crocheted tops. Colors include pastel pink, orange, blue, yellow, teal, and seafoam green. Motifs include shells, dolphins, mermaids, and palm trees.
Many describe the aesthetic as how they remember resort vacations taken during their childhood. With elements such as Hello Kitty, temporary glitter tattoos, and friendship bracelets, the aesthetic expresses a playful, even juvenile, mood.
Other signature elements include pastel colors, graphic tank tops (see the Y2K "baby tee"), sugar scrubs, wrap skirts, lip gloss, and EOS lip balms. Some classic brands include Roxy, Bath and Body Works, Hawaiian Tropic (for fragrance sprays, sunscreen, and other products), Delia*s, and Billabong.
Hawaiian Tropic “Pink Retreat” Fragrance Mist, Amazon
Hair
Beach waves are this aesthetic’s go-to hairdo — a look that is practically unavoidable after a day of sea salt and suntanning. Give your loose curls an extra whimsical feel by braiding one or two strands of hair on either side of your part. Keep them in place with a colorful butterfly clip for an extra dose of Y2K nostalgia.
Addison Rae via Instagram
Getting Crafty, Even Post-Quarantine
Beading is a popular craft associated with this aesthetic, and beaded necklaces, body chains, anklets, phone charms, and bracelets have overtaken the internet, leaving the friendship bracelet in the dust. I (Molly), for one, am glad that we’ve moved, at least temporarily, away from an obsession with the classic friendship bracelet. Beading is easier, less time-consuming, and more versatile. Plus, bead bracelet-making kits are relatively inexpensive: the ideal gateway into full Malibu Barbie.
Oooo … so much to choose from
Inspirations and References from Popular Culture
The aesthetic also draws from a few 2000s TV shows and movies. As we’ve briefly named, perhaps the most significant is the 2006 show H2O: Just Add Water, which is currently available on Netflix and stars three teenage girls who have gained the power to turn into mermaids. The show is based in Australia, filmed on the country’s Gold Coast. The girls are constantly by the beach wearing shell necklaces, pastel tank tops, and tropical prints. Mako Mermaids is a spin-off with similar looks and scenes, and many have taken inspiration from the two shows to create their own aquatic and tropical-inspired aesthetics.
H2O: Just Add Water and Mako Mermaids
Other pop culture inspirations include the mermaid movie Aquamarine, as well as the surf movies Blue Crush and Soul Surfer. There’s also the Barbie Fairytopia: Mermadia movie, which features a dazzling aquatic utopia complete with waterfalls, rainbows, color-coordinated fairy wings & mermaid tails, and of course, everyone’s favorite character, Bibble.
Y2K summer is also sometimes called the “Lizzy Grant” aesthetic, referencing a stage name Lana del Rey used early in her career, during which her hair was bleach blonde. In fact, many of the TikToks under the hashtags #coconutgirl or #keywestkitten use her unreleased songs “Mermaid Motel,” “St. Tropez,” and “Wayamaya.” She has also announced an album, Blue Banisters, set to be released on July 4th. Many see the album’s cover art as fitting with the aesthetic.
Many also look to Lorde’s new song and accompanying music video “Solar Power” as exemplifying Y2K summer style.
Y2K Summer Aesthetics and Brands
Alongside the rise of the Y2K summer aesthetic on social media platforms, brands have incorporated it into their collections. The brand Omighty has released hibiscus print dresses, halter tops, and skirts.
Omighty Hibiscus Dresses
With a Hibiscus “Blue Crush” print dress and pants, killer whale sweater, and sunset print swimsuit, the UK brand House of Sunny’s summer clothes remind us of tropical Starbursts come-to-life.
@sumboowoyele on @houseofsunny
For a sassy yet sophisticated take on the Y2K summer aesthetic, look no further than Frankies Bikinis, the designer swimwear brand that all the it-girls are wearing this summer — and they have clothing and accessories, too. You can buy pastel, floral print, and crochet bikinis, or a pink terry cloth skirt & crop top set, but perhaps their most must-have item at the moment is their pink wedge platform flip flops, which put a modern twist on the heeled shoes everyone was wearing in the 90s and aughts.
Or, if you’re more of a fan of blue, the brand also has a futuristic-looking “Surf Fin Heeled Sandal” that would go perfect with a Hibiscus-print halter dress.
RJ Swim’s custom bikini and sarong sets bring the perfect summer energy.
And of course, like any other aesthetic, Y2K summer has truly been flourishing on Depop. On the app, you can find puka shell necklaces, blue tropical-print skirts, Hibiscus floral tank tops, and a variety of T-shirts and baby tees.
Some Y2K summer looks that you can buy on Depop.
The Y2K Summer Aesthetic in High Fashion
Undeniably, Versace has been on the pulse of many tropical trends. After all, their Spring/Summer 2021 collection, dubbed “Versacepolis,” is like something out of The Little Mermaid. Neon Medusa Bags accent bright colors and under-the-sea-inspired prints. Crystal-encrusted shell tops, scalloped hems, chunky sandals, and starfish earrings hit the runway. If you’re interested in learning more, I (Molly) wrote an article for STITCH Magazine earlier this year all about the collection.
Precious Lee walking for Versace.
The Nostalgia of the Aesthetic
As we’ve briefly described, the appeal of the Y2K summer look has a lot to do with nostalgia. Through pastel tones and colorful, childlike prints and symbols, we can be youthful, radiant, and carefree. We can imagine being kids again, building sandcastles on the beach, swimming in crystal clear waters, donning neon friendship bracelets, and going on all the slides at the waterpark. Or we can incorporate that youthful spirit into a more sophisticated agenda, tanning in the sun during the day, going shopping at our favorite stores at lunchtime, and drinking co*cktails with our best friends every night at sunset.
angxlic✨✨ @angxlic6
The ‘coconut girl’ aesthetic makes me so nostalgic. I remember when frangipanis and hibiscus flowers were on everything. Sea shells, flip flops, anklets, beachy hair, vibrant yellow, pink and blue... 🐬🌺🌊
12:41 PM ∙ May 29, 2021
Nostalgia is a huge part of two of the aesthetics we’ve covered before —cottagecore and Y2K, both of which arose (or re-arose) during the pandemic and enabled people to connect back to their childhoods creatively and with a new perspective. And as many experience a more “normal” summer this year, having three months full of beachside adventures sounds incredibly appealing. We want to have the kind of summer that we experienced when we were kids — no stress and just endless fun and adventure.
Connection to Other Aesthetics
Many are saying that the “coconut girl” is the new “VSCO girl.”
If you don’t know what the VSCO girl aesthetic is, it is based on the photos and looks that could be spotted on many girls’ VSCO feeds a couple of years ago. The bright, fun aesthetic included Birkenstocks, Crocs, Hydro Flasks, scrunchies, and oversized cotton shirts over athletic shorts.
via Strike Magazines
Additionally, last summer, inspired by the show Outer Banks, we were wearing puka shell necklaces, jean shorts, and tank tops over swimsuits, putting a few strands of our hair in small braids with pony beads and completing the look with layered Pura Vida-style bracelets. (There is going to be an Outer Banks Season 2 coming July 30, so we will see if that has any style influence on the rest of the summer.)
While aesthetics have become increasingly popular during all seasons, something about a summer aesthetic just feels special. Summers are a time when the weather is warm, we are less constrained by school or work dress codes, and we often meet new people, go to new places, and try out new things. Our wardrobes are thus refreshed and revitalized by the new energy in our lives.
Additionally, we often have a desire to “make something” of each summer — to achieve something big, do something really fun, or become a better version of ourselves. Having a summer aesthetic can give us something to work with, style and lifestyle-wise, as we experiment. Additionally, aesthetics can act as “themes” for each summer, so that we can categorize them easily when reflecting back later in our lives.
Problems with the Aesthetic
As we mentioned at the beginning of this piece, many have pointed out that the most frequently used “coconut girl aesthetic” label can be problematic because of the pejorative term against Pacific Islanders and other people of color. This is further complicated by the aesthetic’s ability to veer into cultural appropriation of Hawaiian culture, often by privileged white women. As Langa Chinyoka writes in Popdust, “Rooted in beaches and floral prints, the aesthetic also takes a lot of its cues from Hawaiian culture — or at least the American media's imagined version of Hawaii — while white girls are the face of the aesthetic. Lots of resurgent prints feature the hibiscus, the state flower of Hawaii, and a glorification of island life as other than real-life … rather than some people's actual lives. And if we're bringing back those early 2000s beach vacations which inspire the Key West kitten nostalgia, let's leave the white girl cornrows in the past.”
The aesthetic’s other very popular name, “Key West kitten,” also has some problems. According to the Aesthetics Wiki, “Key West Kitten (also known as Coconut Girl) centers around the Nymphet interpretation of tropical beaches typically associated with Florida from the 1960s to the 2000s. It creates an atmosphere that expresses the femininity and youth associated with young women vacationing during the summertime.” The word “nymphet” is important because it is frequently synonymous with the sexualization of young girls and the romanticization/ “aestheticization” of the novel Lolita. Moreover, many have already expressed concern online about how this aesthetic could be used to romanticize the sexualization of underage girls.
Many also see the rise of this aesthetic as a sign of a fashion industry encouraging unsustainable overconsumption. To fit in with an aesthetic you often have to consume — buy new clothes, shoes, makeup, or even other items such as food, decor, and experiences. The rise (or, more accurately, revival) of the Y2K aesthetic last year, for example, led to a lot of consumption — largely via thrifting (Depop or in-person) but also through fast fashion sites like Shein. Thrifting also isn’t as ethical or sustainable as you might think — many people will buy fast fashion items off of Shein or other sites simply to sell them on Depop for increased prices to make a profit.
With so many aesthetics as well — cottagecore, Y2K, indie, kidcore, dark academia, weirdcore, indie, classic academia, cottagegore, chaotic academia, fairycore, it really does go on and on — it seems that new “must-have” looks and items emerge extremely quickly. By the time you’ve started to understand and adopt one aesthetic, the next one is coming into frame. This often leads people to buy fast fashion to keep up with trends since each item of clothing isn’t going to be worn for that long.
The prevalence of aesthetics in fashion can also rob us of our individuality and ability to explore and express our own personal styles. When we are almost solely relying on aesthetics, often discovered through TikTok and Pinterest algorithms, to dictate what we wear, we are not able to organically grow our own unique likes and tastes.
Where do we go from here?
Likely this aesthetic will fade out — in fact, from the time we came up with the idea to plan and write this piece until now, it seems to have fallen a bit from the internet’s collective consciousness. Nevertheless, it has driven fashion trends and is yet another example of the rise of “aesthetic culture.”
As Zoë Hecht writes in a Her Campus article titled “The ‘Coconut Girl’ Aesthetic Trend Is All Over TikTok, But Probably Not for Long,” “as with all trends, the coconut girl aesthetic will probably come and go.”
She discusses the importance of being conscious about your impact if you do choose to participate in this aesthetic. “If you want to achieve the coconut girl look but also do your part in helping to avoid overconsumption, try to work with what you already have — you probably already have a lot of these items in the back of your closet. Sift through your wardrobe and look for floral sundresses, bucket hats, flowy silhouettes, and fun colors. Using items you already own is the most sustainable option, and the most cost-effective,” she states.
It’s also important to be aware of issues such as cultural appropriation and colonization in our everyday lives, but especially in regards to fashion and “aesthetics.” As this aesthetic takes inspiration from Hawaii in part, it is important to recognize the history of commercialization and appropriation of Hawaiian culture and land for tourism and other purposes. As Tariro Mzezewa writes in The New York Times, Hawaii is often considered a vacation destination by tourists who hope to relax rather than authentically engage with local culture: “They come to sit on the beach and drink a matai without thinking about much else. Their interaction with local culture is often limited to watching a hula show at the hotel luau.” Tourism can also lead to “overcrowding, a higher cost of living and higher prices for goods” while commodifying culture and offering locals jobs that simply don’t pay enough. Moreover, influencers such as Hannah Meloche have been criticized for traveling and moving to Hawaii in the midst of the pandemic.
When it comes to fashion, decor, and style, aesthetics enable us to bond over different looks and give us a foundation to explore and experiment with our own tastes. However, at the same time, when the focus is always on being “on trend” or following an aesthetic perfectly, it is hard to slow down and take time to discuss the social, environmental, and ethical impacts of our consumption and creation habits. Whether it’s Y2K summer or whatever aesthetic inevitably pops up next, it’s okay to participate — but we need to be conscious about how we are doing so.
Lastly, it’s important to remember that an aesthetic, at its core, is a feeling —a vibe. Anyone can tap into their Key West side by rubbing in a dollop of sweet-smelling SPF, mixing a homemade piña colada, or playing Jennifer Paige’s “Crush.”
Check out our Y2K summer Pinterest mood board and Spotify playlist!
Follow Kristin on Twitter:@kristnmerrilees and Instagram:@kristinmerrilees
Follow Molly on Twitter:@GorpMollyand Instagram:@___mollypop___
