The Party Girl Aesthetic, Saltburn, and the 20s Urge to Go Crazy

In the past couple of months, Saltburn has taken the world by storm. Not only are we all swooning over Jacob Elordi and his mysterious eyebrow piercing, but Gen Z is obsessed with the overall aesthetic of the masterpiece as a whole. Gen Z is collectively dying to have a taste of the rich party girl lifestyle that the main character's sister, Ventia, casually emulates. We can see the influence of this aesthetic everywhere, especially on college campuses. Going-out outfits are becoming even more outrageous, crazy, and over the top. Girls are channeling their best 90s party girl vibe with the smudged eyeliner and incredibly short mini-dresses. Fur coats and tights are all over Tik Tok and the previously “eat the rich” attitude has changed into an “I want to be the rich” sort of outlook. Party girls are back and better than ever and ready to take the modern roaring twenties by storm.

One of the most important elements of the party-girl aesthetic is sparkles. This ranges from sequins to eye gems. We most commonly see girls running around in sparkly dresses or tube tops, paired with tights and heels of some sort. The whole goal of this aesthetic is to look put together yet messy at the same time. You want to look like you tried to pick out a good outfit but not like you tried too hard. To add a bit of casualness to the sparkly look, party girls will often resort to smudged makeup, especially black eyeliner, and messy hair to dress themselves down. Venetia in Saltburn took on these qualities perfectly in her looks, her eyes rimmed with unorganized blackness and her hair looking only as if it were slightly brushed through that morning.

Another common aspect of the style is fur coats. Recently we have seen a rise in fur coats, with many girls aiming to emulate a “mob wife aesthetic”. The party girl uses fur coats casually, not in a way that screams glamor. They throw in cheetah print, wear it off their shoulders, and maybe even wear nothing underneath to dress it down. While fur coats are often a symbol of wealth and status, the party girl does not use these coats in that way. To her, they're fun, over the top, and incredibly campy. They’re supposed to elevate her outfit in a way that screams cool. Put a martini in her hand and a bold lip and she’s set.

The party girl aesthetic and Venetia’s style in the film can be seen taking inspiration from one of the most iconic party girls of all time, Kate Moss. In many instances, we can see Moss adorning a smudged eyeliner look with a teeny dress barely covering her body. One of the best examples of this is her Versace chainmail dress from 1999. The dress with its glitz and glamor screams rich, but the eyeliner ties her right back to her roots and she dawns her signature look and party girl reputation. She’s also been seen in 1993 wearing a sheer silver dress that leaves nothing to the imagination. Sheer is a staple in the party girls’ repertoire. Whether it's mesh, lace, or silk, the classic women on the town love to show a little skin. The slight showcase of sexy underwear or a cute bra under a sheer dress or top is the perfect way for a party girl to be crazy with her style, but also glamorous. Undoubtedly crowned the queen of this look, Kate Moss embodies the aesthetic perfectly.
The big question is, why has this renaissance occurred? Why are young people so drawn to this aesthetic? We're currently in 2024, or you could also say, in the middle of the roaring 20s. In the 1920s, style was risky, fun, eclectic, and crazy. People loved to party, go out, and drink. This was caused by multiple factors, prohibition being one of them, but also because of the Spanish Flu pandemic which left hundreds of thousands of Americans dead. Once the pandemic was over, people were ready to leave their houses, go to clubs, and break rules. We can see a similar pattern in our society today. After Covid, young people are desperate to go crazy. Spending a year in our houses with nothing to do and nowhere to go, made everyone go stir crazy. I know it made me feel crazy. Gen Z channeled this crazy into a style and mindset that is as outlandish, fun, campy, and gaudy as possible. We still have pent-up energy to let out four years later. There is a craving for fun and this aesthetic is the embodiment of that craving.

The Saltburn renaissance has taken Gen Z into an energetic craze. There's no escaping the Tik Tok trends, style fads, dances, and even song obsessions. Saltburn revived the vibrancy of the 80s, the sleaziness of the 90s, and the party culture of the 20s. As college students, we see this shift all around us, with the going-out styles and aesthetics becoming more and more fun. People are willing to take risks with the club outfits and want to be penned as a crazy party girl. This aesthetic is for the fun and the young, so next time you wanna go out and murder the dance floor, take advantage of it.