The Issues of Fashion Influencing
Courtesy of Harper’s BAZAAR
Written By: Sidney Howell
As I was doing my nightly scroll through TikTok the other day, I came upon a post that got me thinking. It was titled “Fall 2023 Fashion Trends I Hate,” and this was not the first post of its kind that I had seen. Curious to see what the glamorous fashion influencer had to say, I started to swipe through the slides. The first couple few, I must admit, I found myself agreeing with. After wearing Uggs every day of my middle school career, I can’t bring myself to wear them again eight years later. But then, one of my favorite shoes, the Boston Birkenstocks, got compared to “something a Minecraft villager would wear.”
The list went on: peplum tops, maxi denim skirts, Adidas Gazelles, crochet tops, low-rise jeans, and much more. Like me, you may agree that some of these fashion items need to go, and that is completely valid. After looking at the heated debates that sparked in the comments, I thought to myself, “What is the point of this post?” Fashion is supposed to be a form of self-expression and while you can, and should, have opinions on fashion trends, there is no reason to discourage others from developing their own sense of style. People need to feel like they have the liberty to experiment and see what works for them. Everyone is bound to have fashion fails, but if you are discouraged from wearing certain clothing items in the first place, people will never be able to grow and express themselves through their clothing.
Being discouraged from finding your own sense of style is particularly problematic for younger people who use fashion to figure out their own identity. As a junior in college, I have had the ability to find myself through fashion and am not impacted by what others think. You can find me wearing my red leather jacket or cowboy boots (or even my Boston Birkenstocks) to class on a regular basis. The same cannot be said for young boys and girls in middle school or high school. As TikTok and social media becomes pressingly relevant in our society, teenagers are easily influenced and look up to many starlets on TikTok and Instagram. If certain fashion trends are discouraged by one influencer, yet another fashion influencer is posting praise for Nike Air Forces, flare leggings, and Go For Gold Tops, all adolescents will be wearing the same thing. This cohesion will disable individuals from expressing themselves and stepping out of their comfort zones.
Another downfall of this post is its inability to recognize the fact that trends cycle every 20-30 years. As stated perfectly by Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada, all of our fashion choices are due to the fashion industry itself: “[cerulean] blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs… you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you're wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room.” What we wear today is not by accident - it is different variations of what has been worn in the past. That amazing maxi denim skirt you wear now? Your mom probably wore that in the 70’s. Those low-rise jeans you finally got the confidence to wear? Inspired by hip-hop stars in the 90’s. And those dreaded Boston Birkenstocks? That’s a take on clogs that were popular in the 60’s. The trends of fashion are inevitable and will continue to cycle and be modified for the rest of time. While you may personally not like a trend here or there, there’s no point in putting others down and stopping them from wearing what makes them feel beautiful.
At the end of the day, you should wear clothing that you feel comfortable in and reflects who you are. Everyone, especially young people, need to try different styles to see what works best for them. And while you may look back at clothing worn in high school and cringe, you learned from your mistakes and you figured out, for yourself, what didn’t work for you. We need to allow everyone else this opportunity so they can become their true self. It is important to promote a diversity of clothing that reflects the individuality of everyone who wears it. In clothing, we celebrate our past and create looks for who we want to be in the future. So go ahead and rock your Uggs or crochet tops or denim maxi skirts- experiment with your style and find your true self.