By Kate Hedrick
“ Let’s be clear: aesthetics do not equal identity.”
Choose a word and add “core”: congrats! You’ve just started the newest Pinterest fashion trend. In today’s world, aesthetics are moving faster and becoming more specific than ever. We know that the internet has changed the way fashion circulates– Instagram feeds, Pinterest boards, and TikTok OOTD’s (outfit of the day) are all amazing tools for exploring different styles and finding new inspiration. Fashion inspo is incredibly accessible nowadays, but when does it start to stifle creativity instead of encouraging it? With trends cycling faster than before, we’ve seen the rise of microtrends- ultra specific outfit ideas, or even specific pieces of clothing- that are in one week and out the next. Because of this, aesthetics and -cores are contributing to overconsumption in a major way. Bubble skirts, sheer angel tops, Tabi shoes, Bayonetta glasses, the modern love corset top; the list can go on and on. They can be useful for figuring out personal style and what you like, but buying a new wardrobe just to throw it out the next week isn’t sustainable for the environment or your sense of self.
Another aspect of this change in trends is the rise of the micro-influencer, which Michelle Hawley defines as “an influencer with between 1,000 and 100,000 followers.” Hawley says these influencers can “focus on a specific niche and are generally regarded as an industry expert or topic specialist.” Micro-influencers have taken off in popularity, suggesting that advertising to a very specific audience tends to be more effective than trying to broadly appeal to everyone. Consumers like to feel connected to their favorite influencers, and this strategy of branding yourself as a hyper-specific moodboard captures attention.
However, some are critiquing these labels because they lack the substance that we’re used to seeing in subcultures. Let’s be clear: aesthetics do not equal identity. Whether it’s a good or bad thing, these niches are easy to try on and easy to discard. Constance Beswick describes microtrends as differing “quite drastically from subcultures, which traditionally came with not only an aesthetic but a broader value system,” subcultures also develop over long periods of time, with emphasis on shared musical, literary, or political ideas.
The problem here isn’t the use of fun labels to describe new styles– it’s the commodification of aesthetics that leads to a lack of awareness. But what if you like cottagecore, or mobwife, or rockstar girlfriend, or the tomato girl aesthetic? It’s totally okay to get inspiration from these trends. What’s important is not to rely on “clean girl” as a crutch that prevents you from forming your true self. There’s no need to adhere to one thing or another- most of these aesthetics verge on unattainable anyway.
When microtrends grace your feed, ask yourself what it is you really like about the style or product. Figure that out, and find a piece that combines that new trendiness with your personal style. If you can, invest in sustainable fashion! Fashion will always exist as a form of daily self-expression: so make sure what you’re expressing is you.