To Be or Not to Be

The United States is known for its swinging pendulum of ideologies. Social movements often come in polarizing waves. It seems like a never-ending cycle of extremes. These days, it is trendy to be contrarian, to reject and oppose the well-established norms that have perpetuated trend culture. But, is that a phase too? 

The trend cycle has been exponentially speeding up in the past couple of years. When you think of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, there are distinct attributes that make them unique, whereas fashion in the 2010s seems to be all over the place—from goth to twee to boho. The rise of social media and fast fashion is no help. As soon as a trend becomes an overnight sensation, consumers will purchase a product with next-day shipping. The future is now, and now is so yesterday.

A few weeks ago, everyone wanted a pair of Birkenstock Bostons. But by the time they came in the mail, the Tik Tok For You Page was flooded with people making fun of them. The same thing happened with butter boards. And indie sleaze fashion. And Euphoria makeup. Trends these days are as quick to go out of style as they are to come in. The minute there is push back, it’s onto the next big thing.

It is in our nature to want to fit in. Being part of an in-group is a survival tactic, after all. But, the act of blending in causes us to lose our individuality. If we all talk the same, act the same, dress the same and think the same, what’s the point?

In this sense, we are caught between a constant push and pull. There is the need to stand out, but also the desire to be current and relevant. If someone says a new funny phrase, in a matter of weeks, everyone on campus is saying it. If a variety of influencers on Instagram continuously promote a product, it has to be good, right? There’s just something so enticing about a lifestyle everyone is raving about. It’s something special to bond over, something that demonstrates your grasp on pop culture.

The constant flow of information on social media is a marketer’s dream and a trend-follower’s nightmare. There’s just so much happening at once; it's hard to sift through the actual beginning of a trend, and what is just being marketed that way. Then comes the frustration of liking something “before it was cool.” You liked it, then it got popular, then it got outdated. You can’t win. So, why try to? 

The acceleration of trend speeds has completely imploded the cycle entirely. While some things remain popular, there has been an emergence of personal style and individuality unlike any other time. Leverage it while you can; like what you want to like, wear what you want to wear, say what you want to say. If you like something unpopular, be proud of it. And if you like something popular… there's a valid reason why it's popular. If you care about staying up on the newest and coolest thing, why not make your own forecast? People are going to have opinions either way, so might as well have fun with how you choose to authentically express yourself.