互联网上的生活节奏很快。尤其是互联网(Internet)亚文化发展、演变甚至消失得如此之快，大多数主流人士完全没有意识到它们的存在。说到 e-girls 和 e-boys，他们的影响力现在如此广泛，以至于主流都忍不住注意到了。
如果您对最近关于“e-girls”和“e-boys”的讨论感到困惑，您可能会从快速解释这些丰富多彩的互联网人物的所有内容中受益。
E-boys和E-girls的历史和起源(Origin)
电子男孩和电子女孩是一个相当新的现象。主要与2018 年推出的TikTok不谋而合。TikTok当然是一个独特的短视频分享网站。有点像现已不复存在的Vine，TikTok允许用户发布 15 秒的视频剪辑。这种格式创造了新的在线内容类型，并承载了许多像海啸一样席卷网站的时尚和趋势。
正是在这个由跳舞和唱歌的人们组成的勇敢新世界中，e-girls 找到了他们真正的家。不久之后，e-boys 就成为了 e-girls 风格和文化的一个明显变体，最终形成了这种迷人的文化，这种文化至今仍在发展。
我们现在所知道的电子男孩和电子女孩并不是凭空出现在TikTok上的。似乎Tumblr可能是在线角色类型的孵化器，最终将成为这里讨论的电子人。“e-girl”一词可以追溯到 2000 年代后期，但它开始是对在网上闲逛的明显寻求关注的女性的贬义词。
对E-girl(E-girl)和 E-boy 文化的主要影响
e-girl 和 e-boy 文化是悠久的血统和不同影响的广泛混杂的结果。它与互联网文化的其他主要内容紧密交织在一起，例如4chan 图片板(4chan image boards)（您去那里的风险自负！）和其他互联网模因来源，例如Reddit。
哥特和朋克运动有明显的迹象，它们比网络早了很长一段时间。这些影响可能是通过 emo 时尚的镜头过滤的，这是Tumblr和整个 2000 年代的支柱。
除了这些主要的时尚影响之外，动漫(anime)和漫画等日本文化媒体也一目了然。尤其是“(Especially “) kawaii”（可爱）文化，它本身就是日本流行文化的主要力量。K-Pop（韩国流行音乐）在西方(West)的流行也产生了影响。尽管K-Pop美学在 e-boy 方面更为普遍。
说到音乐，Billy Eilish等艺术家是 e-boy 和 e-girl 世界的重要贡献者。尽管如此，音乐的影响仍在不断发展，并会发生快速变化。
E-boys 和 E-girls 是反影响者
人们突然对 e-girls 和 e-boys 产生兴趣的主要原因之一是一篇出色的Business Insider 文章(Business Insider article)。那篇文章很好地概括了整个文化，但其中的一部分特别有见地。作者 Paige Leskin(Author Paige Leskin)将 e-girls 和 e-boys 与朋克和哥特时代的反主流文化时尚相提并论。
这在一定程度上是对Instagram(Instagram)影响者虚假、光鲜的世界的一种反应。它坚韧不拔，肮脏，有时甚至更不加掩饰地性感。电子男孩和电子女孩不是在寻找完美生活的主流理想，而是躺在沙滩上晒黑，喝昂贵的鸡尾酒。他们是坚韧不拔、肮脏和反体制的。
什么是“阿合高”？
当谈到电子女孩时，文化的一个共同元素是所谓的“ahegao”脸。如上所述，日本(Japanese)动漫和漫画对亚文化产生了强烈影响，其中包括在媒体中发现的成人内容。“ahegao”这个词大致意思是“淫荡的脸”，基本上是“hentai”（日本(Japanese)成人动画）中（大多数）女性角色在狂喜的阵痛中做出的夸张的脸。
这种现在标志性的表达方式已经呈现出一种具有讽刺意味的、类似模因的生活，并且是 e-girl 角色的重要组成部分。对 e-girl 趋势的一项开创性贡献是一位颇具影响力的网络名人 Belle Delphine(Belle Delphine)。虽然Delphine自己现在可以被归类为成年女演员，但 ahegao 的脸就像源自卡哇伊文化的“V 代表胜利”标志一样嵌入了作为一个电子女孩。
就像许多穿越时代精神的东西一样，很多模仿这部分 e-girl 风格的人很可能不知道 ahegao 来自哪里，但毫无疑问，每个人都知道它有不修边幅的底色。
认识审美
尽管术语“女孩”和“男孩”用于描述这些美学，但它们不一定是性别的。每一个都代表一种可以被任何性别的人采用的外观。
准确定义这些女孩和男孩的长相可能很困难，因为没有两个人会拥有完全相同的一组元素。然而，就像哥特和朋克一样，当你看到它时你就会知道。
电子女孩(E-girls)的头发通常颜色鲜艳，或者至少有一顶颜色鲜艳的假发。这在很大程度上要归功于日本动漫对亚文化的影响。动漫(Anime)人物通常拥有梦幻般的头发颜色，例如粉红色、紫色或蓝色。
在服装、化妆品和配饰方面，通常混合了深色哥特和朋克风格的物品，并混合了卡哇伊元素，例如Hello Kitty装备。在化妆方面，这个想法是创造一种脆弱、年轻的外观，如果我们诚实的话，还有一般的苍白。
电子男孩有一套独特的发型，其中通常包括由K-Pop明星推广的中分。许多(Many)其他时尚元素与E-girls共享，但更侧重于雌雄同体和敏感的阳刚之气。
E-boys 和E-girls 仅在屏幕上直播(E-girls Only Live On-Screen)
至少目前，电子女孩和电子男孩主要局限于他们的网络摄像头和社交媒体账户。你不太可能看到他们穿着完整的装束在超市里走来走去。它是与进步政治、性别观点和性道德等主题相辅相成的表演艺术。
从这个意义上说，它有点像变装，典型的变装皇后在公共场合看起来就像一个普通人，尽管眉毛剃光了！就(Just)这样，您的典型电子女孩或电子男孩看起来就像街上的普通年轻人，也许头发染得鲜艳。
随着外观变得更加主流，这可能会在未来发生变化。这可能会导致人们在没有真正理解其含义的情况下模仿亚文化的外观。
我们已经在朋克、哥特和金属时尚等其他亚文化中一次又一次地看到这种情况。这最终可能会出现在超级主流的社交名流中，例如卡戴珊家族(Kardiashians)，他们穿着的衬衫在重金属亚文化中即兴表演，对产生它的音乐没有任何明显的兴趣或欣赏。因此，如果您在现实生活中发现了电子女孩或电子男孩，请务必对他们表示支持。
What Are E-girls and E-boys? Understanding Internet Subculture
Lifе on the internet moveѕ fast. Internеt subcultures in particular develop, evolve and sometimes fade away so quickly moѕt people in the mainstream are comрletely unaware of their existence. When it comes to e-girlѕ and e-boyѕ, their influence is now so widespread that the maіnstream can’t help but take notice.
If you’ve been confused by the recent talk of “e-girls” and “e-boys” you might benefit from a quick explainer about what these colorful internet personalities are all about.
History and Origin of E-boys and E-girls
E-boys and e-girls are a fairly recent phenomenon. It mainly coincides with the launch of TikTok, which happened in 2018. TikTok is of course a unique short-form video sharing site. A little like the now-defunct Vine, TikTok lets users post 15-second video clips. This format has created new genres of online content and is host to many fads and trends that sweep through the site like a tsunami.
It’s in this brave new world of dancing and singing people that e-girls found their true home. It wasn’t long before e-boys would become a distinct variation on the style and culture of e-girls, culminating in this fascinating culture that’s still evolving today.
The people who we now know as e-boys and e-girls didn’t just appear out of thin air on TikTok. It seems that Tumblr may have been the incubator for the type of online persona that would eventually become the e-people under discussion here. The term “e-girl” can be traced back to the late 2000s, but it started as a derogatory term for apparently attention-seeking women who hung out online.
Major Influences on E-girl and E-boy Culture
The e-girl and e-boy culture is the result of a long lineage and wide mishmash of different influences. It’s tightly intertwined with other staples of internet culture such as the 4chan image boards (you go there at your own risk!) and other sources of internet memes such as Reddit.
There are clear signs of the goth and punk movement, which predate the web by quite some time. Those influences are perhaps filtered through the lens of emo fashion, which was a mainstay of Tumblr and the 2000s as a whole.
Apart from those major fashion influences, Japanese cultural media such as anime and manga are clear to see. Especially “kawaii” (cute) culture, which is itself a major force in Japanese pop culture. The rise in popularity of K-Pop (Korean pop music) in the West also had an influence. Although the K-Pop aesthetic is more prevalent on the e-boy side of things.
Speaking of music, artists such as Billy Eilish are important contributors to the e-boy and e-girl world. Still, the musical influences are constantly evolving and subject to rapid change.
E-boys and E-girls Are Anti-influencers
One of the main reasons people are suddenly interested in e-girls and e-boys, is an excellent Business Insider article. That article does an excellent job of outlining the culture as a whole, but one part of it is particularly insightful. Author Paige Leskin draws parallels between e-girls and e-boys and counterculture fashion of the punk and goth eras.
It’s in part a reaction to the fake, polished world of the Instagram influencer. It’s gritty, dirty and at times more unabashedly sexual. E-boys and e-girls aren’t looking for the mainstream ideal of a perfect life, laying on a beach getting a tan and drinking expensive cocktails. They’re gritty, dirty and anti-establishment.
What’s “Ahegao”?
One common element of the culture when it comes to e-girls is the so-called “ahegao” face. As mentioned above, Japanese anime and manga are a strong influence on the subculture, and that includes the adult content found within the medium. The word “ahegao” roughly means “lewd face” and is basically the exaggerated face made by (mostly) female characters in “hentai” ( adult Japanese animation) when they are in the throes of ecstasy.
That now-iconic expression has taken on an ironic, meme-like life of its own and is part and parcel of the e-girl persona. One pioneering contribution to the e-girl trend is an influential online personality named Belle Delphine. While Delphine herself can now be classified as an adult actress, the ahegao face is as embedded in being an e-girl as the “V for victory” sign that stems from kawaii culture.
Like so many things that travel across the zeitgeist, there’s a good chance many of the people aping this part of the e-girl style have no idea where ahegao comes from, but there’s no doubt everyone knows it has raunchy undertones.
Recognizing the Aesthetic
Although the terms “girl” and “boy” are used to describe these aesthetics, they aren’t necessarily gendered. Each represents a look that can be adopted by persons of any gender.
Defining exactly what these girls and boys look like can be hard, since no two people are going to have exactly the same set of elements. Yet, as with goths and punks, you’ll know it when you see it.
E-girls generally have brightly-colored hair or, at least, a brightly-colored wig. This is largely thanks to the influence of Japanese anime on the subculture. Anime characters often have fantastical hair colors such as pink, purple or blue.
In terms of clothing, makeup and accessories there’s typically a mix of darker goth and punk inspired items mixed with kawaii elements such as Hello Kitty gear. In terms of makeup the idea is to create a look of vulnerability, youth and, well, general paleness if we’re being honest.
E-boys have a distinctive set of hairstyles, which often includes a middle-parting popularized by K-Pop stars. Many of the other fashion elements are shared with E-girls, but there is a greater focus on androgyny and sensitive masculinity.
E-boys and E-girls Only Live On-Screen
For now, at least, e-girls and e-boys are largely confined to their webcams and social media accounts. It’s less likely you will see them in their full getups walking around the supermarket. It’s performative art that goes along with themes such as progressive politics, gender views, and sexual morality.
In that sense it’s a bit like drag, where the typical drag queen just looks like a regular person in public, though with shaved eyebrows! Just so, your typical e-girl or e-boy will just look like a regular young person on the street, perhaps with brightly-dyed hair.
This may change going forward, as the look goes more mainstream. Which will likely lead to people mimicking the outward look of the subculture without really understanding its meaning.
We’ve seen this happen over and over again with other subcultures such as punk, goth and metal fashion. That can end up in uber-mainstream socialites such as the Kardiashians wearing shirts that riff on the heavy metal subculture, without any apparent interest or appreciation for the music that spawned it. So if you ever spot an e-girl or an e-boy in real life, be sure to have a kind word of support for them.
