Are Microtrends Destroying Personal Style?
When 2019âs VSCO aesthetic died, 2021âs more elevated âClean Girlâ fell just as quickly as it had risen, being replaced with 2024âs even more elevated âOffice Sirenâ. Trends move at such a fast pace that itâs getting harder and harder to know whatâs in style and whatâs considered yesterdayâs news. Whether youâre interested in a trend or not, itâll surely be out of mainstream within 2 years so if you want to keep your social media following, youâll ditch the hot pinks and purples of âindie-coreâ for the pastel pinks and soft greys of âballet-coreâ. It seems like nowadays everyone is just trying to be a trendier version of the person in front of them. Two girls are wearing the same fur coats and the same blue jeans but theyâre fighting for the cuter bag for their Instagram post. And while one girl may prefer a black bag, she knows the red bag will get her more likes. So she leaves the black bag behind.
All these microtrends raise the question, is personal style dead? Not necessarily. The issue now is, if someone with a personal style becomes popular enough on social media, their style will become a new trend. Then, once their trend surely dies, theyâll lose their popularity just as quickly. When Sex and The City first premiered people were doing everything in their power to become the real-life Carrie Bradshaw--a character known for her boldness and individuality. People wanted to dress like Carrie to be liked, entirely missing the fact that her personal style is what makes her so popular. Trends are meant to help influence and add to peopleâs personal style, not take it over completely. If youâre interested in the âmob wife aestheticâ, maybe invest in buying a thrifted fur coat to add to your wardrobe, donât rob Rosaria Inzerilloâs entire wardrobe just to keep your following. Only wearing microtrends doesnât make you unfashionable, it just makes you unoriginal. Anyone can pay to be fashionable, but style is in your blood. The next time you go shopping you shouldnât buy something because itâs on the rise now, you should buy it because it speaks to you. And if you love a current microtrend, you should keep wearing it even when it falls out of mainstream fashion.