TikTok users see different kinds of fashion explode in popularity on the site — and then disappear just as quickly. It’s a constant cycle of meteoric popularity known as microtrends.
Many of these microtrends are a part of specific fashion trends known as aesthetics: Many of you have probably heard of “clean girl,” “fairy core,” and “coquette” are ones currently circulating. But there’s always a new aesthetic popping up and shifting the dominant culture, causing people to change their looks over and over again to keep up.
(Photo Credit/Olivia Clark)
“Clean girl aesthetic” involves basic clothing an minimal makeup. “Fairy core” is inspired by nature as well as fairytale-like clothing. “Coquette” is feminine and girly, the style often revolves wearing bows in the hair, skirts, and dresses.
Senior Annie Lordanopoulos explained that she has noticed a lot of fast fashion trends on campus that have been featured on TikTok. “Usually just whatever I see on TikTok I see it repeated at school.” She further added, she believes this is because college students are the target audience. When it comes to sustainability, Lordanopoulos added, “now everything is just so in demand and people want it all the time.”
LMU junior Kyla Parkin explained that she doesn’t get the hype.“When I gravitate towards a certain thing, I kind of stick with it and it’s not because I don’t want to try anything new, that’s just me,” she explained.
LMU junior Quinnlan Brawn said she doesn’t understand why people have to stick to one aesthetic. “I see a lot of more very specific boxes people are going into now. I feel like they’re either full-on cottage core all the time, or they’re full-on 90 streetwear all the time. Or full-on thrifted baggy all the time. I just I feel like for me I’ve always been a weird mix of everything.”
One issue with microtrends is that they lead to overconsumption that in turn creates massive amounts of landfill waste and other pollutants. Once people are done with the trend and on to the next, they often throw it away or donate it, which may also lead to landfill. Brawn has noticed that TikTok trends come and go rapidly. “Every month, there’s just new clothes coming in that people think are cool. And so they’re making more and more different styles and stuff and I feel like it’s going to waste.”
Brawn stated that she has noticed how early Y2K clothing has made an appearance on the campus as well as thrifting. While thrifting is more environmentally friendly, it has risen in popularity causing thrift prices to increase, thus leading many to resort to fast fashion. “I love that thrifting is popular and stuff, but people are taking advantage that it’s popular and upping the prices of thrifting, which takes away the whole point.”
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