Oyster Feature: Kids of the Tumblr Generation

For Oyster #101: Let's Get Digital (out now!) we profile the kids of the Tumblr generation:

Dye your hair week-to-week, bleach your brows, spit and make a GIF, eat Taco Bell, be a moody teen, listen to pop punk, hang out with your pet rat, wear a bindi, get high and blog on: meet the children of the internet. They've migrated from MySpace and MSN to Tumblr, spawning a new subculture that crosses over from digital into reality. They're nostalgic for the early internet (RIP GeoCities) and late-nineties/early-millenia pop culture, appropriating elements from punk, cybergoth and rave: nose chains, blue lipstick, crop tops and creepers. They're cyber-scenesters: the Club Kids of 2012. We track down the most exciting and influential Tumblr Kids: Molly Soda, Clairey Pear, Hot Sugar, Ultrademon, GHOAST, Reem, Teen Witch and ZOMBELLE.

Molly Soda

Ingrid Kesa: Why do you love the internet so much?
Molly Soda: At this point I don't know if it's love or emotional dependence. I've been actively using the internet since I was eleven years old, so perhaps it's a little bit of both.
Use an emoticon to describe your day:
~^.^~ 
What's your favourite piece of clothing?
I try not to put much value on any of my articles of clothing, because they all come and go so quickly… If I had to choose I'd say a scarf I sewed out of stuffed animal rats, or maybe this green bikinitop I've been wearing as a bra for the past couple of months.
What colour is your hair at the moment?
It's purple and pink, but I think I'm gonna dye it black today.
Do your parents know that you're an internet celebrity?
I think they have some sort of vague idea. I don't think they really care though.
Is it weird when people on the street recognise you?
No, it's actually really fun/funny, but only if they actually say 'hi' and stop and talk to me. I'm usually more awkward than they are — I just smile and look down a lot, because I don't know what to say and I'm scared they're suddenly disappointed that IRL me isn't what they expect or something.
What music are you into?
I like everything from Riot Grrl to twee to pop punk to Britney Spears. I mostly wanna hear female voices though.
Who was your role model when you were growing up?
Gwen Stefani, for sure. I used to always think, "What would Gwen Stefani do?" to get me through really embarrassing or awkward moments in school… She's always just seemed to have this air about her that she could handle anything. She was also a huge style influence for me — when she was rocking the pink hair and braces during Return of Saturn I went out and bought a pink wig and wore it to school.
Did you ever have MySpace?
Yes! I actually deleted it the day I lost my virginity.
What would a perfect date for you involve? 
I don't know. I'm sick of dating. I'd rather just hang out with my friends and drive around blasting music and chain-smoking and maybe walking aimlessly around a suburban mall for a few hours drinking Slurpees.

Follow Molly Soda on Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Vimeo, or check out her online portolio.

Clairey Pear

Ingrid Kesa: Why do you love the internet so much?
Clairey Pear: I love the internet because of the amount of available information on it. I can find out information on all sorts of music, movies, fashion, etc. It's also great to stay in touch with all my friends that live in different cities/countries!
Use an emoticon to describe your day:
Haha, I don't really use many emoticons, but this one is usually my go-to: ^_^. Seems happy but also sleepy.
What's your favourite piece of clothing?
Probably this super-trashed croptop sweater from the thrift store. I've worn it so many times and it's always falling apart a little more each time but I love it. Once my Buffalo platform shoes get here though I'm sure those will be a new favourite!
Who was your role model when you were growing up?
All five Spice Girls!
What was your email address when you were 13? 
I wish I could remember! All my AIM screen names have escaped me, but I'm pretty sure one of them had to do with Green Day and a bunch of 'XX's.
What was the last piece of performance art that you created?
The way I dress is always sort of my performance art. I'm always basing outfits on a concept or a character. Molly and I put together a pretty good show for the last time we danced for Grimes, including ghost sheets, fake blood, and accidentally lighting our hands on fire! We're dancing for her again in October and planning something crazy for that as well.

Follow Clairey Pear on Tumblr and Twitter.

Hot Sugar

Ingrid Kesa: Why do you love the internet so much?
Hot Sugar: It feels simultaneously like the largest and smallest city in the world. You can spend a lifetime exploring it unobserved, or you can instantly communicate with 50,000 people through a single post. Also, this hypothetical city is full of lawless heathens who rarely second-guess their actions, and that's always fun to watch (or be).
Use an emoticon to describe your day:
I stay in classic 0__0 mode.
What's your favourite piece of clothing?
I like this shirt of a poorly drawn cartoon frog in sunglasses and sneakers counting a stack of money in what looks like Times Square, that says 'Here 2 keep on Hu$$$$$lin'.
Who was your role model when you were growing up?
Tie between Kenneth Anger and Iceberg Slim.
What was your email address when you were 13?
trollpoop@aol.com
How would you describe the music that you make?
AssociativeMusic.com

Follow Hot Sugar on Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Bandcamp and Soundcloud. 

Ingrid Kesa: Why do you love the internet so much?
GHOAST: Cyber world is my world.
Use an emoticon to describe your day:
┌∩┐(◣_◢)┌∩┐
What's your favourite piece of clothing?
Do shoes count? Pink suede Swear platforms. If not, TLC FanMail tour t-shirt.
Who was your role model when you were growing up?
My babysitter.
What was your email address when you were 13?
emmababy52@aol.com
What's the best party you've ever been to and why?
CULT in Chicago and not just because I help throw it but because it's the best dance party in town. #CONFIDENT.

Follow Ghoast on Tumblr and Soundcloud. 

Reem

Ingrid Kesa: Why do you love the internet so much?
Reem: That's heavy. I like it because it's fun(ny) if you are bored, OCD, or are trying to slowly upload your consciousness into the future singularity.
Use an emoticon to describe your day:
t(-_-t)
What's your favourite piece of clothing?
An entirely UV-reactive PVC corset by Prohibition Clubwear, or my airbrushed denim bedazzled Barbie jacket I found in the little girls' section of the thrift store.
Who was your role model when you were growing up?
Lucky the Leprechaun, who got to surf on marshmallows and rainbows on the Lucky Charms box.
What was your email address when you were 13?
reemkabob@hotmail.com
What is the best sweater that you own [Reem also has a Tumblr dedicated to 'Sweater Porn']?
A hot pink, lime green, and purple sweater with lines and other geometric shapes forming triangles all over it with those colors from the eighties. The tag says 'Meister', which is a secret inside joke to myself as well.

Follow Reem on Tumblr. 

Teen Witch

Ingrid Kesa: Why do you love the internet so much?
Teen Witch: The internet is an extreme form of DIY. I can literally do whatever I want. I can run a business in bed. I may overuse it, but I'm having fun.
Use an emoticon to describe your day:
(>‿◠)✌
What's your favourite piece of clothing?
Right now it's this nightshirt I just got — it's an oversized Chippendales t-shirt from the late eighties with this hunk by the poolside in his banana hammock and it says 'Sun Lover'. It's really cute, I wear it every night to bed.
Who was your role model when you were growing up?
Gwen Stefani and Beetlejuice.
What was your email address when you were 13?
I went through many emails growing up, but the one that sticks out the most was spiceboy87@aol.com
Tell us about Teen Witch in a sentence:
NOW & THEN.

Follow Teen Witch on Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Soundcloud. 

Ingrid Kesa: Why do you love the internet so much?
ZOMBELLE: Because I'm into alternate realms of reality and bringing people together within them.
Use an emoticon to describe your day:
╰U╯☜(◉ɷ◉ )
What's your favourite piece of clothing?
My wetsuit.
Who was your role model when you were growing up?
Marilyn Manson.
What was your email address when you were 13?
6664life@hotmail.com
Why is your hair so amazing? How do you do it?
I'll never tell (lmgtfy.com/?q=how+do+i+get+seapunk+hair)

Follow Zombelle on Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook and Soundcloud. 

Photography by Todd Diederich for Oyster #101, except for Hot Sugar who was shot by Colin Leaman

Ingrid Kesa