twee: sweet romp or silly?
This week in Sunday Life I’m twee
photo by Nicole L Hill
To be nostalgic about an era you have to have been fondly engaged in it first time around. Which is why I’m not very nostalgic. I was largely absent from most eras I traversed. We only had one TV channel for much of my childhood, didn’t live near shops and my parents had a thing for down-scaling to the “Australian-made”, wholemeal, unpackaged version of…everything. So I never wore anything fluorescent, didn’t watch Molly die and don’t know the words to “Girls on Film”.
I also never owned a doll, except for a Barbie Hairtastic Styling Head my uncle’s ex-wife gave me (the one where you cut her hair – but don’t worry Mum! – a simple tug and more emerges from her latex skull). I gave my new Head a mud bath in the dam that very Christmas day, which clogged her follicles.
So my brother fashioned her a Mohawk. And that was that.
I wasn’t girly, so, by rights when I say “this week I’m twee” I’m really only observing from a distance, for “twee” is but a nostalgic romp back to sweetness’n’lite, Holly-Hobby-tea-parties-and-needlepoint girliness.
To be twee is to wear cute floral rompers with a T-shirt emblazoned with kittens (bought on Etsy.com). It’s to squee! at the idea of an afternoon tea. And to collect retro eggcups that you then “instagram” and put on Tumbler. One twee blogger listed what it takes to be twee:
#3 Sit on a curb every time you experience a significant emotion
#4 Push your hair behind your ears (because it “makes you look self-conscious and self-consciousness is pretty goddamn cute” and
#10 Spend hours creating a mixed tape for someone special.
And, if I’m to go by the photos in magazines like Frankie (the Twee bible and one of the only magazine in the country to experience consistent growth in the past few years) it seems to involve standing slightly pigeon-toed. Like we did when we were three.
I learned this week that twee, another term for “indie-pop” and a baby-talk take on the word “sweet”, emerged in the early 90s in retaliation to the aggression of punk. Which is interesting. As I’ve wandered Newtown and Northcote of late, I’ve wondered why it’s resurfaced now? Why girliness and sweetness? What is everyone retaliating? (And WHAT IS IT with forest animals!?).
On Monday I chatted with editor of social comment site The Enthusiast Mel Campbell who’s railed against twee and this style of “contrived quirky” before. She reckons it’s a self-indulgent regression :“Twenty and thirty-somethings realise adulthood is quite ordinary and want to go back to the awe of being a kid, when things – and you – were actually interesting.” And she cites interest in coming of age books and films as evidence.
Some cranky commentators say twee is “reverse striving” and anti-feminist because it sees grown women play a passive, demure and, you could argue, awkwardly silly role.
But, viewed from another angle, perhaps it really is a life-bettering and culture-enhancing retaliation, this time to the shitty model of girldom and the anti- “femininity” of the past few decades. Being a girl today means going to “come as your favourite Kardashian” 12-year-old birthday parties, while feminine qualities, such as patience and gentleness, have been deemed as unhelpful for such pursuits as Getting Ahead and Making Important Points.
I did engage in some girly things as a kid. I loved flower-pressing and embroidering bookmarks for friends when they won colouring-in competitions. And mini-afternoon tea parties with teapots of cordial were fun. Says Campbell: “Girliness was about taking a lot of time to do things and making things special.” A mixed tape, with a personalised decorated cover took days to make (I hear). And thus it was infinitely more special than being handed a USB stick of tunes.
And herein lies the worth of twee. This reverence of gentle process and mindful specialness, of studious stillness and appreciating pretty things is what has been lost, and what really ought to be explored and reclaimed. And not just for girls. So what if it’s a “trend” and sees people slavishly take to floral apron collecting.
To this end, I’ve just pulled out a copy of Catcher in the Rye and I’ve inserted two pansies in the spine, which I might just Perkins-paste to a card to a special someone soon. I just wont be doing so while listening to Belle and Sebastian or wearing anything in a liberty print.
Do you get twee? Hate on it? Or really rather like the regression?? It fascinates me…especially some of the mannerisms and cutesy voices I hear. You?
Each to their own, but I do agree with the ‘self indulgent’ part. Do we really want to go back to being children? Sure there are some things that we should do as adults that are ‘childlike’( live in the moment, laugh alot, run around like crazy, trust etc.) But perhaps rather than regression we should change the track of our own progression and make that the fun, happy, amazing journey we want it to be?
P.S. Sarah I am a HUGE fan of your blog, inspires me everyday so thankyou
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I find it all annoying, pretentious and irritating.
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October 2nd, 2011 at 4:50 pm
Ditto.
Mowhawk Barbie…hahah, your brother is brilliant!
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I have no inherent problem with it. I just get bored that any trends for young women/ girls inevitably become a version of either the Madonna or the Whore. It would be nice to have more than two options? Twee vs the Kardashians is just more of the same, and its getting tired.
I’m girly and I wear dresses and I drink tea, but that whole submissive thing isn’t for me. I’m too tattooed and I say fuck too much, I could never pull it off.
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I like twee. I think that, on top of what you wrote Sarah, it’s a gentle rally against the “seriousness” of adulthood. The stress and the suits and the cynicism. Twee is just living an adult life with lightness, injecting a little bit of silliness and play. And prettiness! Who says that they are confined to childhood? And so I don’t think twee is childish. It’s just the embodiment of another way of looking at life.
Plus any trend that encourages thoughtfulness is okay in my book. It’s what we need!
Laura xx
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October 2nd, 2011 at 4:02 pm
I totally agree Laura, well said. I loved the ‘Getting Ahead and Making Important Points’ bit of the article. God that gets boring sometimes. So much pressure! Anything that takes the time to experience lightness & beauty is good in my book.
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Hi Sarah, love your column today – funny, fresh & original.
Not a fan of twee myself. Regressing to childhood hobbies/mentality is just that, childish. And definitely nothing worse than listening to adult women talking in little girly voices.
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As Carson Cressley would say “twee is wrong, so very wrong”!
Sarah, what kind of birthday or christmas presents did you receive as a youngster? Also interesting that you grew up in a very wholesome, consumerism free environment yet you had a tv, even if it did only have 1 channel. (Not a criticism btw just an observation)
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October 2nd, 2011 at 4:46 pm
matchbox cars mostly!
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October 2nd, 2011 at 5:03 pm
Oh how cool. All I ever wanted was a skateboard, but sadly never got one. The only excuse I ever heard was ‘girls don’t ride skateboards’. I wonder what mum thinks about my Harley…
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I’ve never tasted the pink hued twee of the young kind. My twee was an old soul full of book dust. She took time to breathe, admire, observe, just the old soul way – as if the time is running out but that’s OK. If the only thing I can regress to is being an old soul, then the modern resurrected twee is beyond my reach. But when I regress to my childhood old soul, I notice that she tends to be younger each time…
On a more serious note – I see one issue with the new twee – there is something in it that contradicts humanism and logic. There is not enough space for the world itself in a self-imposed twee persona. That sort of self-indulgence sometimes frightens me.
On the other hand – some people are naturally and permanently twee. And that is sweet.
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Seems a bit ‘alzheimerish’ to me.
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I think the key is the quote in the middle: “Twenty and thirty-somethings realise adulthood is quite ordinary and want to go back to the awe of being a kid, when things – and you – were actually interesting.”
In my observations, this is connected with the desire to Not Grow Up, which is being encouraged by today’s Western secular society, unfortunately. In this case, it looks to have merely sad consequences, but such a developmental stunting also has real problems. Amongst other things, it encourages Boys In Adult Bodies, which is a real problem as such men genuinely do not know how to be a functioning adult. Now it seems to be encouraging Girls In Adult Bodies. Not good.
It is very possible to be a functioning adult and still have an interesting life. Regressing to childhood is not the answer.
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Sarah, wonder if you could revist your nostolgic days from Cosmo to explain why the following article is a new record. Didn’t you break a record for 1000+ bikini clad women? If so, how does compare to 357 women?
http://au.news.yahoo.com/queensland/a/-/latest/10384171/gold-coast-bikini-record
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Oh yes yes, finally I have finally found someone who has noticed this pigeon-toed thing. I am old enough to be your mother, but for the last few years I have noticed this trend for this stupid stance, in magazines in social pages and blogs. What is it. It looks so so…..now I know…..twee. Is it supposed to look girly, awkwardly innocent, gawky and unpretentious? It is as you say Sarah, for little unaware toddlers.
Well I want to say it looks stupid and I really really dislike it. There, have had my say!!!!
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I do remember twee first time round – Scotland in the nineties was all about indie-pop music played on children’s toys and, as home to bands like Belle & Sebastian, we took as much of the credit for the whole thing as we could. So… what do I think of it now? Well, I don’t like the self-conscious posturing, standing like children and squealing at narwhals (if they’re even still the trendy animal of choice), but I’ve been a teenager and I remember wanting to be one of the alternative kids and that sometimes meaning exaggerating my quirks and never admitting that I just didn’t get Hello Kitty. If there have to be trends – and I think there does; it’s how kids feel secure – I’d much prefer them to look on the sweeter side of life and promote happiness, like twee does, than to encourage anger, cynicism or little girls to dress up like strippers so that the boys will notice them.
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Thank you, Sarah for nailing what I have not been able to put my finger on for months!
Usually quite the frankie magazine fan, I have been consistently irritated with editions in the past year due to the overwhelming amount of articles and advertisements featuring cutesy pastel tea towels and etsy finds to make you ‘swoon’.
At first I embraced what I thought was a passing trend however, every edition of the magazine now seems to be based on a repetitive formula for twee lovers – the only difference being the varied forms of bambi brooches and doilies.
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I am fairly new to this site and love what I’ve read so far. Flicking through the ‘about me’ section above, I had to do a double take when I saw the photo of your assistant. It isn’t flattering at all. Her smile & eyes look gorgeous but against the black & white background, do her no justice. I’m sure something in color would be far more complimentary.
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I think Alana Hill capture twee perfectly. She’s definitely someone caught in a twilight zone, but somehow the masses love her creations.
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The Feminist movement would like to make traits like a gentle spirit in women something to bash. If women are to be given more of a say in what they want to be, then if they want to be girly, they should be able to be girly. It’s not supposed to be an agenda about what these people would like us to be like. Then again, it’s okay to be a tomboy. It’s all OK.
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October 7th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
Speaking from my own experience, I don’t think it’s feminists who aren’t allowing women to be traditionally feminine. My old boss (male) used to tell me I was “too polite” and I needed to be “louder and pushier” (just like him?). There are certainly many men who value women in the workplace, but he was not one of them, as he kept trying to get all of us to be like him. Maybe he was just a narcissist!
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I like twee and spent most of my teens being twee. but then, here in sweden it wasn’t just girls, it was boys too, so we were all in it together and I don’t at all associate it with being or playing passive or demure – neither girls nor boys. so for me it’s definitely positive memories.
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Well, apparently there is a label for what I am lol. Apparently I’m twee! I grew up learning to knit, sew, and cross stitch, enjoying pretty dresses, climbing trees and loved having tea parties with my dolls. Now that I’ve grown up, parts of that are still in me. I don’t by any means stand pigeon toed, but I’m avid collector of Frankie, knit when I can, and love buying vintage dinner plates, teapots, butter dishes and table corns, because they’re beautiful, and what is wrong with that? It’s not about reverting back to being a child, it’s more about nostalgia, and appreciating the beauty in an era way before my time. When things are handmade, more love and care has gone into it, whether it’s a knitted scarf, a porcelain dish or a homemade meal served in that beautiful, unique, porcelain dish. When consumerism is so obnoxiously high these days, what is wrong with finding the beauty in old thing and in DIY? And let’s be honest, it’s the hipsters who ruin twee for the rest of simple folk, who go to the op shop for a cheap thrill, not to be a legendary fashion blogger!
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October 4th, 2011 at 10:52 am
I totally agree Miranda. I love collecting beautiful, nostalgic, cheap things too. It sounds like i might be twee too – oh well.
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Dammit! ***table cloths !!!
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October 8th, 2011 at 6:45 pm
Ha! I liked table corns better. I thought maybe there was a market for… porcelain corn cobs… for the table? (I was about to google it.)
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Hi Sarah,
just wanted to talk to you about Integrative Nutrition course. I am about a day or so away from committing to it and as I first learnt about it through you I was wondering if you were available for a quick chat about it via email or facebook or whatever. I just want to know alittle bit about the value of the course and the ease of doing it via correspondance this side of the world and also any other costs associated with the course.
thanks so much
Lotus
Sydney
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This post reminds me so much of my cousin’s twee gf and her lovely artwork (especially the comment about Forest animals!).
Check out her wares: http://dizzylittledotty.bigcartel.com/products
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I’m pretty feminine and a staunch believer in frivolity buuut I find this all a bit annoying. It’s just what is cool right now. It’s how losers with no self esteem fake being interesting and relevant. Hate it!
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It sounds downright silly & pretentious. God help those who go to that extent just to look cool.
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This is all new to me. Although I observe and notice heaps of stuff about society, trends etc I didn’t know there is a name or a movement behind things. Kind of like the idea that for a few years now, sometimes I wear a really bright colour ‘cos I feel like it. I’m way out of this casual fashion chic thing but apparently it’s called colour blocking. Uh….don’t really care.
Until I was 15 I never went to an actual school. No tv, no shops, no corner store. No shopping centers. Pretty isolated geographically. We listened to the cricket on the radio. Day night matches were our favorite. So I know who Allan Border, David Boon, Dennis Lillie and Greg Chappell are. We watched the Star Wars trilogy about 50 times I’m sure. School was written correspondence at home with 5 of us taught by mum single-handedly.
No school of the air, all written.
This wasn’t at all an ideal upbringing and has been the cause of continued problems socially and inherently that people would consider normal and acceptable. I wonder about everything about life today, and see these titles such as ‘twee’ really among the more self indulgent aspects of the popular culture and image based set. not saying that’s bad. Its just up there with all these things I find hard to understand like Facebook, and why so many 10-12 year olds have profiles. Why our newspapers are full of stories about the lifestyles and habits of models.
On the point about the pigeon toe thing. The only time I’ve been pigeon toed is in the last month when it’s the only way I could walk back to my room after training every morning and evening trying to learn Muay Thai on an island off Phuket. Kick the bags the wrong way and your feet take a hiding. Result….pigeon toes until after the next class. Being cutesy or fashionable wasn’t really the first thing that came to mind.
Back to the subject. Maybe everyone wants to feel free. My idea of free is being responsible, living within means and having the ability to do something for others in some
way.
I don’t know. I don’t have a fixed opinion about this stuff nor any particularly interesting
insights. Reading these blogs and other’s responses though make me feel connected to
things without having to feel like I’m strange or uncool if Im not up to date with this or
that in life. Or dressing casual chic or listening to the soundtrack to the twee generation Angus and Julia Stone. I can just be me however I come on the day.
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P.S. I like being a bit girly and I like dresses and make up as much as the next chick.
Apparently a lot goes into looking ‘effortlessly chic’. ‘twee’ seems to be and entail a whole package of elements and does appear to describe a lot of people. Which ironically is always pretty limiting.
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i definately like the idea of an ecsape from the mundanes of life, whether we need to regress to complete ‘twee-ness’ but I love the idea of twee for mindfulness, why not embrace the moment in such fashion – go sit on a curb & what not.. quirky behaviours stop us from aging too early, who ever said we have to be ‘grown-up’ every day of our life over the age of 18 was seriously misguided!
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I thought this was quite a clever article. I’m not twee, but I can see the appeal of being a kid again. As someone who had to argue with my bank about ordering checks and then had to make a call (again) about my defective kitchen cabinets, the idea of being young and innocent and just worrying about homework can sound pretty appealing.
I also think you are on to something interesting when you say that being twee might be a reaction to the fact that being traditionally “feminine” (polite, not pushy, etc) is not really valued in a lot of work environments, and “tweeness” might be rebelling against that.
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Twee doesn’t bother me as much as HIPSTERS THAT WONT PULL UP THEIR PANTS.
Feminism is about choice, and if women choose twee, freely with an educated mind, then all power to them.
A good example is Roller Derby, I helped start up the Sydney league. Loads of our derby girls were into twee – knitting scarves, cooking cup cakes, sticking little twee stickers on their helmets and other random twee things such as standing pigeon toed in pretty party dresses at roller derby fundraisers….and then they’d take to their skates and belt the crapola out of each other on the derby track. Go figure.
Women have enough freedom to choose the good parts of nostalgia and ditch the stupid stuff (like saying obey at the altar).
Of late I’ve been noticing how annoying I find some of the new fads. What annoys me about this realisation is that it makes me realise what an old fart I’m becoming. That I’m no longer into snapping up the new trend (which is all that twee is) .. that I’m set in my ways. So I’m trying to break down this way of thinking.
For example, I bought a new retro 80s jumper, wore 2 sparkly hair clips in my hair, wore skinny jeans on jeans Friday in the office today. I feel kinda silly, but don’t actually look that bad, and strangely enough, it was easier to stop judging the girls on the bus in their twee outfits with their ear phones blaring.
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I think it’s a reaction to the hyper-sexualization of media images of women. Vamping it up is fine if it feels like an expression of who you are, but depressing & oppressive if it has nothing to do with how you see yourself or how you want to interact with the world. I think twee can be a way of bringing playfulness back, unpressured creativity for the fun of it the way it was when you were a kid.
The pigeon-toed girl in the photo above is actually blogger Rhiannon of the fashion blog liebemarlene. She’s completely herself in the blog, mixing fashion aspiration posts with dreams about silent film stars, meditations on vintage fashion heroes like Elizabeth Hawes and family outings with her fashion blogger sister. She also appears to be an ambitious businesswoman and her online store keeps getting more interesting. I’m a fan of her blog (uh, can you tell?) but even if it didn’t appeal to me, I’d respect her for taking a chance on putting her real self out there.
I’m a fan of The Clothes Horse blog by a girl named Rebecca for the same reason – individuality + playfulness = a fun blog to de-stress with.
BTW, your question about forest animals reminded me of this twee type that has emerged in Japan: Mori Girls.
http://morigirl.blogspot.com/2009/10/who-are-mori-girls.html
“‘Mori’ means forest in Japanese, and if you’re looking for the simplest description of mori girls, they are girls who look like they live in the forest…
In her own quiet way, the mori girl is an individualist. She does not care that the world may live differently from her. She lives consciously and chooses her own lifestyle. The mori girl often looks whimsical or quirky. When she shops, she buys something based on how it makes her feel, rather than on how fashionable or expensive it will appear to others. While she may enjoy the company of others, the mori girl loves her own company and indeed has embarked on many of her most memorable adventures alone.”
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You slay me. Love your attitude, mainly because I think it’s similar to mine. I love being feminine and womanly but I’ve also played sports all my life and revel in my ability to get up and DO, not stand in an awkward way that makes my legs look spindly. The same trend is on the up and up over here in The States, of course, but this is the first time I’ve seen the word ‘twee’. I believe hipsters are closely if not totally aligned, and it’s becoming the newer breed of hipster, etsy style.
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Thanks a lot for the post.Really looking forward to read more. Really Great.
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Great article.Much thanks again. Great.
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I think this is a real great article post.Really thank you! Great.
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