The world that we live in is quite confusing – AI (artificial intelligence) on every link and post, pressure to be perfect – and my generation is finding various ways to cope.

One of these is “whimsy”, an ongoing trend since 2023, in which girls and young women are utilising peculiar fashion choices and silly hobbies against the realities and endless expectations of the modern world.

Gen Z have found joy in escapism, turning daily things into something new and fun. They call going out for a walk “dilly-dallying”, dress in peculiar outfits, and combine such aesthetics as “fairycore” and “cluttercore”. It also includes thrifting, with girls giving a new life to old clothes or decorations (affectionately known as “trinkets”).

A great example of this trend is @_lakenzo_ on TikTok – aka “the dandelion crayon girl” – a young woman fascinated with a particular crayon colour from Crayola and with Spongebob. She has amassed an impressive 2.1 million followers.

She makes videos of her trinket shelves and of new trinkets produced with thrifted materials, along with Spongebob scenes. The thing she is most famous for, though, is collecting everything to do with her favourite Crayola crayon colour – a bright yellow called Dandelion.

Nothing about LaKenzo is usual, and she proudly combats the “normalcy” of the day-to-day world with her bright life and equally bright content, inspiring many others online. TikTok user @digitalleetired made a video about buying a Crayola box and colouring books for the first time in 20 years, saying: “@LaKenzo truly made me realize that life is too short to not enjoy the little things.”

It is true that Gen Z widely share the notion that daily life is too boring to be wasted on office jobs and fitting into the system. According to a 2026 marketing analysis, total engagements for whimsy-related content in the “clothes & jewelry’ genre were a staggering 13.1 million for a one-year period (January 2024 to January 2025). This means that there were 13.1 million interactions of users with social media posts about whimsy.

Another cause for the whimsy trend can also be the economy. As inflation increases, and prices rise on clothes and accessories, it is natural for people to thrift and search their grandma’s closet. It is also more affordable and sustainable in the long run.

Millennials have also been embracing playful energy, though it manifests in slightly different ways. It is mainly noticeable in the rise of certain female authors, particularly in the “romantasy” genre.

 

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This modern-day evolution of the fairy tale lets women of all ages fantasise about their perfect warrior story, be it with an elf, a dragon or a witch. Or sometimes, it can be about completely usual things in life – loss, stability, emotions – just with a fantastical twist to “heal your inner child”.

Some people claim that it empowers women and lets them control the narrative for once, which is not always possible in the modern world.

An example of such a creator is @josie_bullard on TikTok, who started as a book reviewer and shares content of “romanticizing” her whimsical lifestyle. Bullard’s videos – such as “5 steps to build a whimsical outfit” and “My inner whimsy is defrosting” – are all focused on brightening up daily life. Her first romantasy novel will be published next year.

However, some people consider that the rise of the romantasy genre infantilises women. It can also be perceived as “cringe” – for example, when an adult woman is gushing about a fictional dragon-lover. However, women are allowed to be complex and enjoy both romantasy and dystopia, and only considering one side of an interest is a reductive approach.