Finding “Your Style” In the Age of Social Media and Fast Fashion

Written by Caroline Kawabe | Designed by Emily Chiu | Photographed by Mia Peterman

How the rapidly changing trends create a challenging environment for one to find “their style”

It seems like every time I open up my phone, I see a new trend posted on social media. Advertisements appear in every corner of my Instagram feed. TikTok videos showing their newest clothing haul with all the latest clothing trends and how to style them consistently pop up on my For You Page. The different ways people utilize social media to get creative is amazing, but I can’t help but feel that all the commotion and everyone constantly telling you what to do can get in the way of individuality. With trends changing by the minute, how does one come into themselves and develop their own unique style? How do I figure out what I want to wear? How do I figure out who I am, stylistically?

Clothes and fashion often serve as a reflection of one’s inner self. People utilize fashion as a creative outlet, a way to express themselves, a way to showcase their individuality. However, with the current phone-dominated cultural environment, fast fashion seems to rule the world; it’s hard to really escape that. You have to figure out what it is you like, what it is you want to convey, what it is that makes YOU the most confident when you step out your front door.

First of all, you have to listen to yourself. Tune out all of the commotion outside and spend some time in your own room with your own clothes and pick an outfit that you feel the most confident or most like yourself in. Find an outfit that showcases YOU.

In high school, I considered myself somewhat lucky, as I went to a school with uniforms. I liked the idea of not having to worry about what to wear everyday, especially in a school environment, which had its own challenges outside of fashion. However, there was still variety and chances to explore. Which of course, meant there were going to be trends. Even at a school with uniforms there were trends on how you popped your collar, how you wore your skirt, what shoes you were wearing. And what I soon realized was that these trends weren’t necessarily universal, they were just ways students found to express themselves through accessorizing their uniforms. We had options for shirts, sweatshirts, and skirts, and I loved it. Once I got into a groove, getting ready for school became exciting. I liked seeing how I could make my uniform a little more “me.” Students used accessories, shoes, socks, and hairstyles to embellish their uniforms. I loved finding new socks to pair with my Mary Jane-style Dr. Martens sophomore year, or cute different ways to style my white high tops and braid my hair senior year. I think it helped me find my style one accessory at a time.

I soon figured out what I loved and didn’t love, what I felt confident in, and what just wasn’t me. Jewelry was a huge part of my fashion in high school. I never have had super long or nice nails, so I loved dressing my hands up a little bit with fun rings. I loved the beach and surfing, and so I found ways to incorporate that into my style. I wore my Hawaiian-inspired necklaces, and I loved keeping little braids in my hair when it was curled. These patterns eventually translated into my outside of school life and style. I kept the preppy chic ideal of school and mixed it with my natural beachy vibe. I was able to find what I felt comfortable in and make any type of outfit from going out, to going to class, to staying in a bit more “myself.” Especially coming across the country from Southern California to Boston, adding a bit of surfer chic to my city wear allowed me to keep that part of myself close.

My advice to you: take it one step at a time. Try and block out what the rest of the world is saying and find one piece that you just LOVE. Whether it’s jewelry, a skirt, a shirt, or a pair of shoes, make it yours. Then, just go from there. Your style doesn’t need to fit into one lane, adhere to one trend, or follow one stereotype; it just needs to make YOU feel good.