Within the past year we’ve had fads come and go. We’ve ran through the mob wife aesthetic, bubble skirts, different cores, lores, and emptying our drawers. The increasing issue of micro trends has begun to damage people’s sense of uniqueness and personality in style, me including. There is a fine line between appreciating a trend and all together feeding into the culture that will have it plummeting from the top of the trend charts in just 10 days. 

Advancements in the fashion industry have allowed big name brands to continuously feed into the fast-moving trends, making it nearly impossible for one to develop their own individual style. Each scroll on our phone comes another cheetah print tube top, with a slicked back bun. 

“Real personal style died with the rise of Instagram. Plenty of people still look great, but the barrage of inspirational images, ease of consumption, and overabundance of trends and style (often quickly duplicated by fast-fashion giants) have changed the landscape.” says Chris Black, a columnist for GQ magazine. 

While I myself am guilty of turning to Pinterest or my favorite tiktoker when tearing my room apart only to end in a black top and blue jeans, this habit did not instill in me by itself. Technological advances in social media have made it so our feed is flooded with new content relevant to what you typed in the search bar two days prior when you were struggling to find an outfit for a night out. Videos on how to style the “hottest” item at the time or slide shows of whatever new “core” is in keep that part of our brain alive that tells us our outfit did not reach the bar unless you are completely recognizable or completely unknown. The issue of trends was overly contrasted a few years back when the popularization of thrifting glamorized the once affordable concept. Since then, apps like Depop and Poshmark (online thrifting) have skyrocketed in users. Young people’s incessant need to be original has somehow made them even more unoriginal.  

The debate on the numerous issues behind social medias influence is endless, but more specifically we have seen just how influential influencers can be. In a most recent example, influencer Alix Earle who became popular for her party-girl lifestyle back in 2022, posted a video getting ready for a football game where she ended in a pair of blue skinny jeans. This sparked an uproar of concerned young girls online that the heavily despised clothing item was now making a return against their will, when in actuality no one will be enforcing the return of the thigh squeezing denim. But the week or two where this seemed to be the most distressing thing on these girls’ minds, others were quick to point out the absurdity of them claiming Earles influence was anything more than what it is, “influence” not force.  

So next time you find yourself uncomfortable in your own skin, maybe stop and look to see if it’s because it’s not really yours. It is not “right” or “wrong” to participate in a trend. Picking and choosing which styles you may come across online resonate with you is a good way to develop your personal style and integrate new things.  Replicating something down to every detail, though you may not even appreciate every detail, will only kill what is already dying.