I hear people talking about personal style online all the time. Those interested in fashion often use the terms ‘style’ and ‘personal style’ as one side of the fashion dichotomy, the other being trends. It often seems that people use ‘style’ as a way to position themselves above other people. People who have ‘style’ do not participate in superfluous trend cycles.While other people mindlessly follow fashion trends and cycles, I’m above that because I have personal style.
The most interesting thing about fashion to me is that it’s always changing and then changing back; I’m sure you’ve heard of the term ‘trend cycles.’ Jeans are the most obvious example of this. In the 2010s, everyone was wearing skinny jeans and that was the norm. Now, we’ve moved a long way from that; people are wearing wide-leg jeans, boyfriend jeans, mom jeans, cargo jeans, and so on. And of course, none of this is original. People were wearing loose-fitting jeans in the early 2000s grunge looks, as well as 80s bell-bottoms.
Trend cycles are natural, but of course they’re not great in terms of the environment and overconsumption. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with buying a new pair of jeans every once in a while. But, when an article of clothing starts to feel out of date a month later, there lies the issue. Capitalism and subsequently, the fashion industry wants their consumers to feel that way, keeping people in a cycle of always needing to buy something new. And I think this issue has a lot to do with social media, but I digress.
Personal style does not belong to the fashion-interested and aesthetically-pleasing. I believe every person naturally participates in personal style through their likes and dislikes. Most people don’t like and wear everything that is on trend at the moment. Maybe some things aren’t flattering on them; maybe some things seem tacky to them. That’s ok. I think that everyone has their own personal style in the way that everyone has preferences. By choosing to buy the blue shirt over the red, or by liking the way a specific neckline looks on them, people build their personal style through every fashion decision they make
So, instead of shaming people who don’t have the most unique ‘personal style’, I think we should encourage people to wear the clothes that they already have and that they feel comfortable in.
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