TikTok! Keep Up With The Trends!

Whether it’s the latest cheetah hoodie or one-hundred-dollar legging, there’s always some new trend popping up and social media does not help! Scrolling on my FYP (For You Page), I find myself wondering if I’m enough if I don’t have that new $80 shirt. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying “Back in my day, we all were our own person blah blah blah“, but with social media, there has been a huge uprising in following trends, or “jumping on the bandwagon”. Is it just me or every time I go into my local coffee shop, I see a group of about five teens, copy and paste. Same necklace, earrings, outfit, socks, shoes, and matching drinks.

I’m not saying following trends is bad, but are we losing ourselves in the process?

Fast Fashion (Dun, dun, dun!!!)

Let’s talk about fashion. Before the 1970s, companies spent months perfecting their next line of clothing, usually organized into seasons. Each line took months of predicting trends, finding good fabric, designing clothes and catchy names, choosing models, and taking photos. Not to mention that it took forever to make the clothes, with factories in the US using fabric from across the world.

Then something crazy happened.

Fast fashion happened, suddenly, you could have factories nearby to each other, across the world, pumping out cheap fabrics that could be used in anything. Now, you didn’t need planning, instead, you’d wait for the next trend, send a quick message, and the factory would take fabric sitting there, and whip it up into whatever you wanted for a fraction of the price. Stores like H&M were the first, and Nike, SHEIN, Puma, and Charlotte Ruse followed.

Trends, and more trends. And more trends.

Because fast fashion made clothes cheaper, faster, and less durable,  people got to buy more clothes for fashion purposes but at the same time, sacrifice durability. Now we go to the store and buy clothes to wear once. Sometimes, the clothes only last us one wear. So clothes came and went, and trends started lasting less. And then the internet rolled around. And then we got influencers. Yay! Now brands didn’t have to rely on models or magazines to show their clothes to the world. Instead, influencers could get paid, add a small hashtag at the end of the caption saying this is an ad, and convince their followers that these leggings were the next hot thing.

Be YOU

You might feel pressured to dress a certain way, have this hobby, or watch this show. Maybe everyone’s wearing these shoes so you get them, but the next week, those shoes are out and another pair is popular. Middle and High school are especially difficult. You might think having the trendy stuff is your way into a certain clique but it’s not. If you’re hiding behind your name-brand socks, trying to make yourself just like some girl on the internet. Re-examine yourself. Look into the mirror and ask yourself, “What makes you happy?”. Take up a hobby you may have quit, or do whatever makes you happy. Don’t let someone you don’t even know, decide what you “have” to like. Be yourself and love yourself!

Zoe Middleton

Hi, I'm Zoe. I'm a pintrest-shopper-to be influencer girl. I love writing, reading, poetry, that sorta jam. You can find me in a mall, at the ice skating rink or ski hill, in a tree, or in a plane { I LOVE TRAVELING!!!!!!!!!!!!}. As you can see my life is crazy but thats the fun part! Did I forget to metion my little angel? Oop! My little angel Bambi takes up the little space I have left in life, she's kinda my model too {I sew clothes, mainly hats, for pets}. If I could say one last thing, I hope my writing empowers other people with the courage to reach for the stars and beyond. Lots of Love, Zoe

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