cool kids are writing in all lowercase now. does that make you mad?
This article explores the cultural trend of writing in all lowercase, tracing its roots from early 2010s Tumblr feminism to modern digital aesthetics. It examines how this stylistic choice is used to convey informality, femininity, and a desire to avoid the scrutiny associated with polished, formal writing.
Why it matters
The trend reflects broader shifts in digital communication and how younger generations use typography to signal identity and social belonging.
the worst person you know probably writes in all lowercase.
they’ll tell you it’s an aesthetic choice, a testament to informality. they’re likely a twentysomething brooklyn resident like myself, bullish on being not the voice of their generation but a voice of a generation, and definitely guilty of posting performative notes-app screenshots and pseudointellectual, stream-of-consciousness “musings” that compare charli xcx to the pope.
what are they really up to, and do they know they’re participating in a long, exclusive, exclusionary tradition? the stylistic choice to write in lowercase is a dead horse that’s been beaten, flogged, and beaten again—what my generation calls ran through. and yet, it’s having a moment. i had to investigate.
for one side of the internet, lowercase writing is feminine.
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