“What Are We Wearing?” TikTok Trends and the Loss of Individuality

By: Gianna Taft, Staff Writer Edited by: Catie Taylor

TikTok has cemented itself as an integral part of our culture. Whether it’s comedy, dance, or food content, everyone has been able to curate their feed to appeal to their preferences. However, the algorithms that users think exist to simply entertain them are doing much more––they are curating the way they think. 

During the Covid-19 lockdown, the Internet adopted the suffix “-core” to describe specific niche aesthetics, styles, and subcultures. From cottagecore to coquettecore, the addition of “-core” categorizes styles and ideas, placing them into a neat box. When a user engages with a video showcasing one “-core” or “aesthetic” on their For You Page, more will follow. In a way, it provides users with comfort to be told how to dress, present themselves, and what to like. It has become scary to gradually curate personal style. Rather, people want to be told where they best fit in. In doing this, however, it’s easy to lose one’s sense of identity.

Fashion has always been a form of self expression and communication. The way an individual dresses can reflect who they are and display parts of themselves that can’t be expressed through verbal communication. Personal style is an amalgamation of the people an individual has met, places they have gone, cultures they identify with, and overall experiences they have had. But TikTok subcultures and niche aesthetics don’t reflect this; They don’t take the individual themself into account at all. 

What is truly the issue here? What is the problem with people choosing to identify with and adopt these microtrends? One of the most apparent problems lies in how quickly TikTok trends die out. TikTok user @lottielashley outlines the stark decline in item interest through data in her “dumped 2025 fashion trends” video. For example, fold-over boots peaked worldwide from November 16th to November 23rd, and as of December 19th were in a 70% decline, killing the trend in a mere month. 

Not only do these numbers represent how quickly trend cycles grow and decline, but they also indicate how harmful microtrends are to the environment. These trends and algorithms fuel overconsumption and encourage purchasing fast fashion, both of which add to landfills and contribute to pollution. Fast fashion brands like SHEIN and Zara sell clothing that follows microtrends, with the intention of the clothes being easily disposable to make room for the next trend.

Many people feel the need to fit into one singular box, rather than incorporating multiple differing aesthetics into their personal style. TikTok comment sections are filled with an abundance of “what aesthetic is this?” Many users feel they are giving up a part of themself that resonates with one style in order to commit to another. 

People also have begun to combine styles and give them a new name, such as the “beachy grunge” aesthetic, which simply falls victim to the trend cycle all over again, influencing people to solely buy clothes based on an aesthetic's rigid structure. By committing to these trends, individuals miss out on fully expressing themselves and their personality through physical means.

This isn’t to say that viral trends and aesthetics cannot or shouldn’t ever inspire people. The fact is simply that people are losing themselves for the sake of being trendy. The question then becomes: How can people achieve personal style in an age that rejects individuality?It would be too simple and unreasonable to say that everyone should delete all of the social media apps they use and never consume fashion related content that may influence the way they present themselves. However, it’s time for people to put more thought in when purchasing items. Do they actually like leopard print, or did they see several people in their class wearing leopard print sweatshirts? Do they feel comfortable in their knee high buckle boots, or is that the most common item they see worn when they go out? 

“Most people don’t know who they really are,” said American businesswoman, interior designer, and fashion icon Iris Apfel in a 2016 interview for The Talks. “They feel secure if they look like other people or if it’s the look that everybody says is in…But you can’t learn style. Style, I think, is in your DNA. You have to learn who you are first and then proceed from there––and that’s a lot of work!”

As Apfel said, if fashion isn’t an integral part of someone’s identity or lifestyle, there’s no need to force it to become one. However, for the people who are very conscious of their style, it’s important to do self exploration. The act of dressing a certain way to succumb to societal stereotypes, norms, or false curated vibes is fruitless. Fashion is an authentic method of expression and should be treated as such. It’s important to discover what items make you feel comfortable, confident, and truly like yourself––because once that is done, other people’s perceptions no longer matter and won’t affect who you are, nor who you want to become.

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