What comes to mind when you hear the word aesthetics? If you're anything like me, consumed by never ending Pinterest boards and doom scrolling social media, it has become interchangeable with ‘style’ – almost a blueprint for fashion, lifestyle, music or even interior design. Aesthetics might as well be a guidebook on how to live your life through [insert aesthetic here] ideals. I had no idea that ‘aesthetic’ held any other meaning until a few days ago, when my professor shed light on its true definition and opened my eyes to the influence our current understanding of aesthetics has on the fashion industry.
Originally, aesthetics referred to the philosophy surrounding the nature of art and beauty, and the creation and appreciation of such beauty. Somewhere down the line, this archival meaning shifted from one emphasizing individual beauty to focus on specific styles. I attribute such a change to the fast paced notions of trends present on our screens and the societal overuse of words until they lose all meaning (kind of like when you say the same word over and over again until it no longer seems real).
I don’t want to seem pessimistic to the point where all I’m doing is trashing the shift in aesthetics, as I’m well aware that languages are fluid and evolve through the formation of new words and changes in situational uses. Not to mention that the new interpretation of aesthetics has the power to promote sustainable fashion so long as you can forever commit to one aesthetic (which I understand to be nearly impossible). Much like language, we as humans are forever changing and transitioning into new versions of ourselves, making it almost inhumane of a question to ask us to commit to one aesthetic. And so, we move from aesthetic to aesthetic, evolving our personal styles while inherently promoting sustainable fashion through our overconsumption tendencies.
As a society, humans categorize almost everything from gender and race to aesthetics, but being human is so much more dynamic than these categories allow. Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest promote specific aesthetics, framing them as aspirational lifestyles and leading to conformity as individuals feel pressured to align with fleeting trends. A shift back to the original meaning of aesthetics sheds light on the individuality that exists within trends, giving people the freedom to wear what they think is beautiful rather than succumb to the societal pressure of fitting into a specific category.
Keeping the appreciation of beauty and art in mind, I propose we revert back to the original meaning of aesthetics, focusing on our individuality and the idea that beauty can be found in everyone and everything. Embracing personal expression has the power to both promote sustainable fashion by limiting overconsumption and waste, while also challenging rigid social categories. As dynamic and ever-changing beings, we shouldn’t have to confine ourselves to predefined boxes.
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