For online users who remember logging on to the family desktop after school, or for those who were lucky, an early-age iPhone, the phrase "justgirlythings" may ring a bell.
A popular Tumblr account in the early aughts, justgirlythings served as a platform for young girls to find just that – "girly" experiences they could relate to. The account had a stronghold on teen girls' algorithms − long before the influencer economy we know today.
For the first time, 29-year-old Becky Campos, the creator of justgirlythings, is peeling back her mask, shedding light on how she created the beloved platform and what it means to her now.
"I look back now and I'm like, 'Oh yeah, that was cringey and I would never post that,' but I feel like at the time it was nice because we just got a community of a bunch of girls or people that I feel like related to the things we were all going through at the time," Campos told USA TODAY. "That felt really cool to me."
Fifteen years since its creation, many justgirlythings followers didn't know what Campos looked like, until recently, when she shared avideo of her wife Chelsi reacting to old justgirlythings posts. The video quickly gained traction and as of May 19, had more than 720,000 likes on Instagram.
"tumblr hall of famer!!!" the official Tumblr account commented on Campos' video. "NO WAY" wrote renowned tech journalistTaylor Lorenz.
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What is justgirlythings?
Launched in 2011,justgirlythingsis a Tumblr account that grew popular for its simple photo format with content resonating with preteens and teens.
Campos' justgirlythings format was simple: Select a photo – one she took or one from the now-defunct image-sharing platformWe Heart It(similar to Pinterest), then create a one-line phrase that would be relatable to her largely teen girl audience and post.
One of the first justgirlythings posts Campos made featured a stock image of wired headphones with the text"finding a new song you like and forever listening to it on repeat"on top. As of May 19, this post had more than 126,000 "notes" on Tumblr, the social media platform's term for engagement, such as likes and reposts.
Other popular justgirlythings posts included an image of two girls' shadows with the one-screen text, "being silly with your friend." Another, which encompasses the time of the account's popularity, is an image of boy bandOne Directionwith the on-screen text, "hoping to meet one direction someday."
Throughout justgirlythings' prime, Campos shared some photos of herself, but the account really wasn't about her. It was about creating relatable content for other teens.
Campos also quickly developed a signature "justgirlythings" watermark, a cursive font featured in the corner of each of her posts.
'Almost immediate' traction
Before Tumblr, Campos was active on the social networking site MySpace. Around 8 or 9 years old, Campos learned HTML coding and Photoshop to customize her profile, boasting more than 30,000 friends, she told USA TODAY.
In 2010, 14-year-old Campos launched her first Tumblr account, Little Reasons to Smile, which, she said, was similar to justgirlythings − stock images with overlayed text. And in 2011, justgirlythings was born.
Thinking back, Campos said managing the justgirlythings Tumblr account was her hobby as a teen. Getting home from school, she enjoyed logging on to create new posts and queue them up for later publishing. At one point, Campos enlisted friends to help her create new posts, sharing between 20 to 40 new photos a day on the account, she said.
When it came to the virality of justgirlythings, Campos said it was "almost immediate."
"I think that first week I had at least 10,000 followers, then within that first year I got to 150,000," Campos said. "It now has 611,000, which is kind of crazy." While 150,000 followers may sound like a small amount today, this was an impressive figure in the early aughts, as actor Ashton Kutcher was the first person to reach1 million followers on Twitter(now X) back in 2009.
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Why was justgirlythings so popular?
A microblogging social media platform popular in the 2010s, Tumblr allows users to create content and interact with others similar to many networking sites today. But what set it apart was its widespread use of anonymity.
"When you look at those early days, I think we were not associating social media so much with our own personal identities," Kathryn Coduto, Boston University social media professor, told USA TODAY. "There was a lot of experimentation. There was a sense of putting yourself out there but ... there was not this expectation that we were all going to be so visible and so accessible."
Successful content creators today understand how to tap into up-and-coming trends with short, punchy content that satisfies an ever-shortening attention span. And more often than not, this content features users at the forefront.
Coduto said there was a "big shift" from sites like MySpace and Tumblr, which emphasize curating a user's blog and engaging in subcommunities, to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, which prioritize consuming as much content from as many different users in a single feed.
"And if you want to standout in a feed like that," Coduto said, "now it's about, 'Who am I? What am I adding to the conversation?'"
In the case of justgirlythings, Campos kickstarted her own trend. Justgirlythings content didn't become popular because it was loud and flashy, but because the users who were logging on to Tumblr after school or on the weekends found it relatable − part of an online community they may not have held elsewhere.
"It's a product of its moment in time," Coduto said with a laugh. "She (Campos) was the first to really capture using a cute photo with a really simple caption. I think now that might almost be too simple for the environment that we find ourselves in, but the tradeoff is I think she's having a moment now because the nostalgia for some of this (simpler content) is so high."
In addition to its format, justgirlythings continues to resonate, Coduto said, for its wholesome intention. Many content creators today are in search of a new brand deal or paid opportunity, while justgirlythings was about connecting with others in a time and space where monetary value wasn't assigned to social media posts.
'I'm more proud now'
Reflecting on the lifespan of justgirlythings, Campos said she never intended for the account to gain the reach it has.
"I was just doing it because I was bored or I wanted to make my own little community because I didn't have many friends, and it just ended up being something so much bigger than what I had expected in the first place," Campos said. "It kind of made me realize just how many people the blog affected. I didn't realize that."
Reacting to Campos' videowith her wife, content creator hailsosocial said, "watching this is like watching Picasso go through his first paintings."
"If you were on Tumblr in like 2012 to 2015, this wastheblog. Even if you weren't the type of person who was like cool and popular on the indie side of Tumblr, you still knew about justgirlythings," content creator prax.illa said in a2025 TikTok video. "They were the culture. They were the moment."
Campos said in her everyday life, justgirlythings seeps in ironically. Like when she stubs her toe, Campos may laugh off the pain by saying "just girly things."
"I feel like the blog has just shown my evolution as a person. I mean, it's everything still to me," she said with a smile. "I'm more proud now that I ran that account that I ever was."
Is Becky still running justgirlythings?
Though justgirlythings may have hit its peak in the 2010s, Campos is continuing to post justgirlythings content. As of May 19, the pinned post on the justgirlythings page is aphoto of Becky and and Chelsi on their wedding daywith the text "getting married." overlayed the top.
Campos said before she posted the now-viral video with her wife, she had about 7,000 Instagram followers and as of May 19,her account boasts more than 22,000. With her new following, she hopes to continue creating justgirlythings content.
Campos also told USA TODAY she is in the middle of creating a brand. And though details are under lock right now, she said justgirlythings merchandise will be available soon.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her atgcross@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Remember justgirlythings? Creator of Tumblr account steps into light
