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NEWS - Don’t get me wrong– I’m all for people dressing how they want. Plus, Tiktok is an amazing platform for discovering new ways you can play up your style game.
There’s just one problem: it’s killing your style.
Here's a task for you: take a moment to examine your wardrobe, recent online purchases, and other clothing items you have recently acquired.
How many of these things did you buy because you saw them on Tiktok? I bet you can even label the aesthetic it belongs to, and which influencer sent you the affiliate link.
There’s no denying that Tiktok is a playground for style. With accessible style movements at full force, you’ll never run out of inspiration.
Even better, you can curate your closet as much as you want once you’ve identified your aesthetic.
From Cottagecore to Baddie, Goth to Coastal Grandma, and Clean Girl to Barbiecore, you are bound to find a niche for yourself.
But under the pressure of aesthetics, cracks start to show. The desire to fit into the mold of an identity you’ve chosen for yourself can keep you boxed in.
Why Tiktok Is An Issue
Tiktok’s trend-driven culture is homogenizing fashion and beauty choices in its users.
If you let social media apps like Tiktok dictate how you should and should not look, it can get exhausting.
You might find yourself in a cycle of comparing your style to others, or skipping out on things you like because “it’s just not your aesthetic”.
The opposite can also happen where you feel pushed to buy something you don’t even like or need because it’s labeled as a “fashion staple”. Are you sure you want to add another shade of greige sweatpants to your wardrobe?
A Look Into “The Devil Wears Prada” and "Emily in Paris”
Say what you will about fashion in the mid-2000s, but there’s a reason why we're more willing to accept these “outdated” outfits. (Arguably classic, as per Vogue magazine).
Simply put, they are the epitome of personal style.
In an age before smartphones and social media, people had to be a little more creative. You wore what you could find and afford based on magazines, TV, and storefronts.
There was no Shein, no same-day shipping, and no influencer affiliate links. Sure, the looks weren’t always so great, but people had the energy to put something together that spoke to them.
In The Devil Wears Prada, Andy didn’t just look fashionable overnight. She grew into the fashion industry, and her style choices reflected her changes as a person.
When Andy stepped up her game and started dressing better, it was still her.
Cut to Emily In Paris. Without a doubt, the titular character’s looks are spectacular, but with one major flaw: they reflect everything wrong with fashion and social media today.
Emily’s outfits are too much at a time, all the time, yet despite this, they don’t reflect anything about her character.
She has no reason to dress the way that she does, especially since she doesn’t express interest in her style whatsoever.
In the real world, some people nail maximalism better than Emily in Paris. This is because, unlike Emily, their outfits are a means of self-expression.
With all the aesthetics and restrictions people face on the fashion side of Tiktok, we become prone to fashion fatigue.
Sometimes, it feels better to simply stop caring about how you look to other people and just dress for yourself.
Things You Can Do To Embrace Your Style (Getting Beyond Tiktok)
Okay so, social media is warping our idea of personal style. But the industry of fashion is so rooted in trend cycles and looking up to influential figures.
How are you meant to find individuality in that?
It’s a process. While not as hard as it seems, it will take a lot of time to achieve. Have patience, and slowly build up your wardrobe as you discover what works for you.
First things first: get to know yourself. Take some time to reflect on your personality, values, and interests. What do you like and dislike?
Your lifestyle and music tastes will also have a big impact on how you dress. Remember the goth movements of the 80s?
A lot of these kids who were dressing up in dark, alternative, and mod fashion never even labeled themselves as goth. Yet, the style is unmistakable!
Next up: experiment. If you have your eye on more than one aesthetic, try them all! See which styles stick, and which don’t.
Maybe you like the silhouettes of one style, but the color and accessories of another. You can also expand your reach by taking notes from top designers and stylists.
Don’t delete Tiktok just yet! You can keep following your favorite influencer, but remember they’re human too. You don’t have to completely replicate their look.
Slow down on the trends. If you feel like buying something, think over it for a day or two. It's best to invest in things that will last you for longer.
If a trend passes on too quickly, then it’s probably not worth it! It’s better to invest in quality.
We have the barbiecore aesthetic, the plazacore trend, the vanilla girl aesthetic, and more! Who could possibly keep up?
At the end of the day, you do you. With how fashion keeps on changing, you don’t have to always stay on trend!
Want to get in a little deeper into social media's effect on fashion? Check out this article on the pressure to never repeat outfits.