Appearances can be deceiving

BY ADRIANNA BEAN THE MIRROR STAFF

By definition, the word “aesthetic” means to be pretty or pleasing to the eye. However, the internet has taken the word and used it to classify the curated identities and subcultures spit out from the depths of the media, and the public has grown fascinated with these categorized genres.

Following the various resurgences of Tumblr, Pinterest and TikTok, the past decades have been plagued with different “cores” such as “cottagecore,” “fairycore” and “princesscore.” These names serve as different labels used to describe hyperspecific fashion or makeup styles associated with specific colors and looks.

From hiring beautiful models and celebrities for commercials, to the euphoric feeling a customer gets when they buy an aesthetically pleasing product, it’s no shock that aesthetics are used all the time in advertising and media. We as humans are usually drawn to things that are visually pleasing.

Companies like Starbucks, Maybelline and Victoria’s Secret pick certain color schemes and styles to make their brand more recognizable. Usually, the aesthetic reflects the brand’s values, message and goals.

On the internet, these curated stylistic identities often walk hand in hand with specific books, television shows and movies, some of which are granted their own aesthetic that people aspire to emulate. The “downtown fall girl” aesthetic is closely associated with “Gilmore Girls”, while the “coquette” aesthetic is grounded in Lana Del Rey albums, Dior and anything pastel pink.

Eerily enough, this phenomenon of the mind masks major flaws in the media. Nothing appears bad when it perfectly encapsulates an aesthetic. Thus, aesthetics make it difficult to draw the line between visual appeal and truly good content.

However, in this changing world of internet culture, aesthetics are not only used to manipulate people’s minds, but also to manipulate their identity. It goes a lot deeper than just dressing a certain style. For many, aesthetics reflect a lifestyle that they aspire to have, and try to affirm it into existence by dressing and conducting themselves in a hyper specific way.

For example, some young people strive to achieve the Rory Gilmore aesthetic, inspired by an idolized character from the television show “Gilmore Girls” in hopes of attaining her academic success and fashion sense. The “downtown girl” is considered effortlessly cool with her New York inspired wardrobe, dusty records and acoustic guitar.

These aesthetic identities are highly specific and can lead to entrapment and disappointment. Many young teens attach themselves to the newest viral micro-label as a way of finding their identity. In hopes of attaining a certain curated persona, these individuals may cut out other parts of their own identity so they can be truly affiliated with their ideal aesthetic.

Aesthetic identities are usually rooted in an unattainable reality, because people are not one-dimensional beings. While individuals might enjoy things associated with a certain aesthetic, people are not designed to be put in boxes of identity.

While these aesthetics are pretty on their own, they strip away a person’s uniqueness, compiling these looks into a homogenized style. Spend a few seconds on Pinterest, the main hub for aesthetic related content, and you are blasted with supermodel-level beauty in every image. And, like many things on the internet, these images are reliant on filters, lighting and makeup.

By attaching this unattainable beauty standard to an aesthetic and lifestyle that young people may connect their identity to, it’s simply another virus contributing to the existing epidemic of wavering self confidence that ravages our youth. Impossible beauty standards created on the basis of something that isn’t even real may leave many young adults endlessly chasing after something unrealistic.

It’s important to master the art of balancing an interest and an identity. There is nothing wrong with liking a certain fashion style or aesthetic, but it should never be at the expense of your true self. There is no need to box yourself into an aesthetic that does not encapsulate who you truly are just for the sake of being trendy.

The amalgamation of all your interests, influences and personality is unique to who you are. You are your own aesthetic, and that’s pretty darn cool.