Well-read, intelligent, and nonchalant: The rise of the lit girl aesthetic on TikTok

By J'Nae Phillips

Published Sep 13, 2024 at 11:01 AM

Reading time: 3 minutes

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Images courtesy of TikTok

Literary it girls are shaking up the book scene. From creators such as Lara Violetta debuting an innovative bag design to carry her books because she’s “just a girl” to BookTok Baddies growing their community to 160,000 members and counting, there’s a chill in the air that blends fashion with a certain literary ‘it girl’-ness as cultural cool takes over reading. Maybe that’s why Miu Miu got in on the action this summer with their Summer Reads pop-up that debuted in eight cities, with fashion fans lining up around the block to receive approved titles along with stylish snacks. This is book culture’s re-reckoning, where you can lean into hobbies and express yourself through fashion—no strings attached. And we have the lit girl aesthetic to thank for this shift.

It girls have been given the literary treatment recently, reshaping reading culture by merging bookish pursuits with the aesthetics and allure of social media fame, turning books into not only objects of intellectual engagement but also desirable lifestyle accessories. But, this isn’t a trend for the performative readers out there, this is the real deal.

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A post shared by Lara (@laravioletta)

Through curated merchandise, personal branding, walking at New York Fashion Week shows and even hosting party-centric events being papped with the likes of Emrata, authors Ottessa Moshfegh, Ziwe and Nada Alic are transforming reading into a performative act, making books central to a stylish, avant-garde persona. These literary it girlies are rebranding not only how we perceive female authors but also the image of the reader, elevating books into sought-after symbols of status, coolness and creativity.

These women and girls in question are well-read, intelligent, and nonchalant, and they make a case for getting down and dirty with a good old book. Literary it girls neatly fit into the Lana Del Rey listening and Joan Didion reading category. 

This coveted aesthetic identity embodies a form of intellectual chic that’s hot, desirable, and easy to repost and reshare.There are 27.9 million posts relating to ‘Literature Girl’ on TikTok, while ‘Literature Aesthetic’ has over 25 million related posts. Supermodel Kaia Geber even started a COVID-19 pandemic-era book club, Library Science, which is still going to this day and has seen the starlet host author talks in Los Angeles and release a line of bookeqsue merch—something her ten million followers will no doubt buy in bulk. 

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A post shared by Library Science (@libraryscience)

However, this fusion of literature with pop culture celebrity has provoked criticism and enraged some, with detractors accusing these figures of commodifying intellectualism, diluting the essence of literary appreciation, and prioritising surface aesthetics over deeper engagement with the written word. The backlash points to a tension between traditional literary values and this new wave of glamorous, performative participation in book culture. So, who will come out on top?

All of this goes to show that young women writers are at last being taken a little more seriously, building community and cultivating an aesthetic identity around their work while taking their followers along for the ride, something the old guard of the publishing industry has no clue how to tap into in an authentic way. Literary it girls, their followers, and anyone who snaps a pic of themselves with a book and puts a filter on it, are un-gatekeeping reading and spotlighting a wholesome hobby from inside fashion’s glossy aesthetic-laden walls.

These new, book-related aesthetic identities are helping to increase the appetite for non-screen related hobbies at a time when 53 per cent of Gen Z and Millennials struggle to limit their screen time to a comfortable level and 44 per cent feel that their device usage may be harming their social connections and engagement in the physical world. 

According to recent reports, Gen Z is buying an estimated 61 million books, spending around £469 million, and 57 per cent of Gen Z and Millennials identify as readers. Literary it girls are helping to increase the public appetite for reading at a time when we desperately need a break from all things digital.

With the likes of Isabella Burley, Chief Marketing Officer at Acne Studios, opening a book-meets-lit-girl-fashion shop front in New York, Marc Jacobs using his Instagram to snap himself during ‘reading hour’, and a continuation of book girl summer allowing people to develop a sense of personal style based on their love for reading, the lit girl aesthetic has officially cemented its place on fashions world stage. It has a certain je ne sais quoi that’s making reading a whole lot more fun for authors, readers, social media devotees, and everyone in-between.