Reason for Warning: This aesthetic is heavily centered around drugs/sex/toxicity.
XO is the aesthetic surrounding The Weeknd's early musical projects (House of Balloons, Thursday, EchoesOfSilence). It incorporates themes of late 2000s parties and the darker aspects of it, with elements of heavy drug usage, sex, manipulation, detachment, and depression. It is not meant to romanticize these topics, but to show the effects it can have on a person's sanity and morals.
Visuals[]
The most recurring visuals are balloons, drugs, liminal spaces, and depressed women. Usually accompanied by messy amateurish dark black and white edits and the Helvetica Bold font. It heavily relies on taking things normally associated with fun and twisting them into something darker.
- Party supplies (balloons, confetti on the floor, etc.)
- Black and white filter
- Hiding one's face (either by camera angle or with objects)
- Household furniture (in reference to house parties)
- Imagery of arms and/or legs
Music[]
This dark and lowkey aesthetic is what The Weeknd's early music heavily relied on, imagery wise. However the musical content is the main focus, which talked about elements of depression and manipulation. The main character appears extremely detached from the world around them, not caring about how their actions affect them and others surrounding them. Production is very rough and minimalistic with heavy use of electrical guitars and simplistic melodies.
Mixtapes
Playlists[]
Gallery[]
