Opinionated by Alex

A young adult’s view on the rising influence pop culture and media has on fashion.

Growing up in a world where our entire personalities are shaped by social media, I’ve noticed how easily both the media and pop culture have introduced the world of fashion in a completely different way than ever before. My generation is arguably chronically online. Now, me personally, I can’t get my head out of my phone. But why is that? Why are we so addicted to social media? The answer is simple: the algorithm. My entire Instagram feed and Tiktok “for you” page are constantly filled with content the algorithm knows I will consume. From music, movies and tv shows, and random videos that make me laugh, my feed is full of things I want to see. During the pandemic, there was not much else to do besides fully immersing ourselves into this world away from the real world. It is important for me to address that there were many negative effects to these circumstances for me, and everyone else who found themselves suddenly having no social life. However, I unintentionally began to dive deeper into discovering new interests. Moreover, I found myself picking up new hobbies, like photography and playing the guitar. But majority of my days were spent on the screens, and through these silly little apps, I discovered my love for fashion.

Fashion has always played a strong role in my life. I remember being dragged to the mall with my mom at a young age and absolutely hating every minute of it. I didn’t understand how someone could spend hours browsing through a store and looking at clothes. To me, clothes were just made to cover our bodies, I couldn’t imagine reading a fashion magazine, let alone having a subscription to Vogue. Looking back, I wonder why I rejected discovering my sense of style sooner. For so long, I defined my style by following what everyone else was wearing, instead of trying to shop for myself and my body. Maybe it was due to both insecurity and my strong desire to fit in. All I wanted was to look like everyone else. I’ll never forget trying to squeeze into the tiny “one size fits all” tops at Brandy Melville, convinced it would make people believe I was fashionable and make me feel good about myself, yet it did just the opposite.

I didn’t fully comprehend fashion or the purpose of it until I decided to subscribe to Vogue. It was a random decision, fully fueled by the fact that my favorite artist would be on the cover of the December issue in 2020. I thought “I’ll keep my subscription for a year, might as well right?” I had to pay the full price for the one magazine I wanted regardless, so why not get 12 of them, one each month? After flipping through that first issue I received, I realized the interview with the cover star was no longer the only thing I was now interested in. The first thing to grab my attention was the pictures and ads for all of the designer brands. It unexpectedly caught my eye, and I began doing more research on the brands to check out their latest collections, but the moment I began reading the articles was truly eye opening.

I felt like I was entering this secret world that I had been ignoring and refusing to explore for so long. Suddenly, it made sense why my mom’s favorite movie was The Devil Wears Prada. I could see why she loved spending hours browsing through Nordstroms and standing in incredibly long lines to try things on. I understood why she had been building a collection of bags since before she had me. I was suddenly excited to look though them, feeling joyous knowing I could borrow them whenever I pleased, even if I was just borrowing it to admire.

After changing how I viewed fashion overall, I have slowly started to develop my sense of style, and am currently trying to implement it into my wardrobe. It’s a difficult thing to do, especially as someone who is not the most comfortable with themself, but I do truly believe that I finally know what I like and what I think looks good. I can envision a somewhat clear image of my taste and personal style, whereas before, all I saw was what everyone else was seeing. That doesn’t mean my taste won’t continue to change and evolve, considering there is always a new trend to follow, especially now that so many old trends are resurfacing. I know I’ll only continue to grow, but discovering this new passion has changed my entire mindset.

Entering adulthood is one of the weirdest and most uncomfortable transitions I’ve had to go through, and I know I’m nowhere near finished with this chapter of my life. After graduating high school and leaving the only routine I’ve ever known, I’ve come to value being alone. Although difficult at many times, I’ve allowed myself to prioritize doing things by myself, and I find it almost therapeutic. I’ve learned a lot about myself and my aspirations, even though I don’t have it all quite figured out, I feel like I’m slowly getting closer to becoming the version of myself I’ve been searching for my entire life. I hope through sharing my love for writing and fashion, I can finally find and become that person I know I can be.