week 6 Emily: microtreds in america

 



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During this age in America, it feels like everyone is following the same template. We all wear the same clothes, buy the same things, and follow the same aesthetics, and build the same humor and personality, and yet we somehow claim to have our own individuality. We all want to be different, special, niche, and unique, but in reality, every unique thing we do seems to copy another micro-trend.

A couple of seconds ago, everything was about being whimsical. Then it was your swag, doing that dumb yoga pose in every picture, and suddenly, we needed to be chic. Everything changes so quickly that it becomes difficult to keep up. We used to adore the clean girl aesthetic, the minimalist look where your life is perfectly organized. Now, suddenly, we love looking messy, effortless, and like we are not even trying. Everything is colorful, everything is different. Don't even get me started with the teal and pink obsession, the LA pink wall, and Acne Studios. 

Like, no, 2016 isn't the new 2026, as I add to the caption of my new Instagram post. Gosh! Just give me a break! Nothing is cool anymore because everything is constantly being cool then instantly transforming to being lame. 

We were obsessed with matcha a second ago, and now a viral song can make an entirely different brand famous. Suddenly everyone needs an Arc’teryx jacket. Like, dude, nobody cares if your jacket “beads off”; aren't waterproof jackets supposed to do that? Oh, and also what were even those dot cakes? Everything becomes an obsession, and then almost overnight, nobody cares anymore. 

Honestly, I am starting to become scared of buying anything. I don't know what I genuinely like anymore or whether I am just being influenced by these micro trends. Is teal actually cute, or is it just another micro trend? I swore I would never like those capri pants, and now I can't lie; they're kind of cute. I don't know what I am buying or what I'm investing in. Am I purchasing something because I genuinely love it, or am I buying into a temporary happiness that will disappear as soon as the next trend arrives? What is the difference between something I will enjoy for years and something I will regret buying in a couple of months?

Take a look at the store Garage —their entire atmosphere seems to change every few seconds to accommodate whatever micro trend is popular. The clothes, the colors, and the displays. Everything seems to be designed around what people want right now. I mean of course, they'll accommodate what will get them money, but it just shows how fast our trends pass by and how fast companies are there to sell it. But if people want changes constantly, how can anything ever stay relevant? It makes me wonder whether these stores are selling products or selling the feeling of being a part of something.

I don't think there's anything wrong with liking trends. Sometimes something gets popular because it's genuinely cute, interesting, and fun and it's nice to share that with the world, but I think that it is so confusing and so boring to walk around in malls in America, where every single person looks the same, and everything is so temporary that you don't know what you are anymore.


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