Why I don't think you should be following trends
If you're in your early 20s or mid 20s you may have started slowly recognizing trend cycles. It could be trends with fashion or home decor or even lifestyles. You might even have started recognizing the history associated with trends and when trend cycles are repeating themselves. You may remember trends that were so amazing and incredible when you were in high school and looking back are now hella ugly. If you were well off enough to buy into trends you might still have those pieces lingering in your closet for your daily dose of nostalgia.
Currently in my life, I am recognizing all of the downsides to trend consumption and how it's not sustainable in the long run. Following trends in this economy is becoming harder both financially and mentally especially with the emergence of fast fashion and micro trends. I could definitely go into detail about the environmental impacts of this as well but I want these reasons to feel a bit more personal to y'all so I will try to stick to generalities.
Keep reading to gain insight on the issues with trend consumption and then some proposed solutions :)
What a waste
LOL this will be my only environmental rant I promise but let's be real. Trends are horrible for landfills and great for big companies. Think about how much clothing comes out every year, how much people are buying and then throwing away after a couple uses to follow a new trend. I am looking at you Shein. The prevalence of green washing is steadily growing in numbers as you can probably recall the "environmentally conscious" collaboration Kourtney K did with Boohoo.
As a fast fashion brand all you can do is slow down production and spend more money on making quality clothing but of course that doesn't make nearly as much money as their environmentally destructive current business model.
Expensive addictions
Let's look at another facet of life that is subject to trends which is home decor. Something I have fallen victim to a handful of times myself and are costly mistakes to make.
The biggest problem people face is that if they don't follow home trends, their house starts looking old and outdated which is a mentality we adopt when we are younger. If something doesn't look futuristic or modern, it's old and ugly. Examples of home decor trends are pieces like the olive tree, restoration hardware cloud couches, or home style trends like modern traditionalism or the modern farmhouse trend.
However, following every home decor trend and buying large and expensive pieces of furniture that go out of style means either falling behind and having an outdated home or going broke trying to keep up. It's all just impossible.
Conformity or Rejection?
People fear rejection in all areas of life and I think that's what makes trends so appealing. It allows people to feel included and take part of something big. It allows you to connect to people on a grand scale without having to say anything. You see a girl wearing a shirt that Bella Hadid wore and you associate her with Bella Hadid either consciously or unconsciously. If you wear baggy jeans or alt clothes that are paradoxically trends now, in niche groups, they label you as artist or a free spirit.
Our clothing sends out a message, or well it used to. Now clothing is so properly made that the only place it looks good is on camera where all the apparent flaws and the stitching falling apart isn't visible.
We are faced with the problem of conforming or staying out of all trends and being labelled old, outdated or just lacking style. Do you see a trend in this article? If you don't, the trend is that a lot of our consumption of trends comes from the insecurity or fear of being rejected by society or our peers. Not a very healthy motivator or coping mechanism if you ask me.
Finding your own style
If you made it this far congratulations! Here is all the good stuff and the solutions you've been waiting for. The first one might be scary but will change your life. Finding your own style will help transform everything in your life into happiness instead of chasing trends and temporary happiness. This part takes a bit of work and self reflection but is definitely worth it. Look at things that make you happy, draw inspiration from life. Do you love colour? Do you love neutrals? What textures make you giddy? What textures make your skin crawl? What makes you feel your best? What brings you the most peace?
There is so many endless possibilities with finding your own style and this journey is incredible and so eye opening. Living your life in a way that you love instead of living in fear of being outdated is so much more rewarding.
Recognizing trends that are you
Now at this point you may be bummed out because there was a really cute trendy dress or a gorgeous piece of furniture you really wanted but aren't sure if you should buy it anymore because it's trendy. I am here to tell you that you don't have stop buying into trends all together. If you find a beautiful piece you love, in your style (FIND YOUR STYLE FIRST MA'AM/SIR) you should go for it.
Things to look out for when buying into trends is:
1) Quality: What fabric is it made of? A good rule of thumb is natural fabrics tend to look better and last better.
2) Timelessness: Is it something you can wear for a year? Would you love your home for two years? Five? A century? If the answer is no I would suggest skipping.
3) Flattering: How do you feel when you wear it? How does your home feel when you walk in? Does this clothing piece make you feel confident? Does your home bring a renewed sense of self and peace every time you walk in?
Skipping trends
This is my last and final solution which is the hardest to do in the short term and the easiest to do in the long term and I'll explain why. It is so hard and tempting to resist cute new trends especially when you see all the people you follow or look up to following them. It is so hard for maybe 1-5 months but after that amount of time you might look back and be like ew no that's out of style or wow I don't even really want it that much anymore.
A lot of trends feed into impulsive shopping which is bad for your mental health and for you. Your slightly older self will thank you for all the trends you skipped. I know when I was younger I didn't come from a family with much and following trends was not even an option growing up. Now looking back I am really grateful because as hard as it was for me as a kid I am happy as an adult because I don't have a mass amount of clothes I don't even wear.
The starting point for this change in my lifestyle was to first recognize that I fall victim to the insecurity of following trends. Once I accepted this, I started looking around resetting, donating home decor and clothes, giving them to friends and family and starting fresh. For me it was easier because when I left home I had no furniture and not a whole amount of clothes. Now everything I own I adore. I am able to shop for nice quality clothing pieces every season and I am very selective. The question I always ask is "do I LOVE this?" If the answer is: oh I like it but I am not sure I love it. Then I will either take a couple days to think it over or I will return.
I really hope this article helped open your eyes to living a life you love and rejecting trends. Let me know what you think, I love all feedback and am so grateful if you took the time to read this whole article.
Love,
Simran
