By Megu Mizuno
The growth of social-media fuelled aesthetics has changed how fashion operates.
The rise of “aesthetic culture” on social media first appeared with the growth of platforms like Tumblr and TikTok. On these platforms, personal style and fashion are categorised into specific boxes, or aesthetics: lace and ribbons for coquette vibes, minimalist beauty and slicked‑back buns for the clean girl aesthetic. While these offer a variety of fun styles for self‑expression, the deeper question is: are these trends helping us express ourselves, or simply forcing us to fit in?
On one hand, the online community is great for inspiration. Clicking on a hashtag like #coquette or #cleangirl instantly provides styling ideas from people all over the world. It makes fashion accessible to everyone, without needing to buy expensive magazines. Online creators and influencers act almost like personal stylists, showing viewers exactly how to piece outfits together. Instead of just looking at clothes in a shop, you can watch others try them on, do hauls, and share styling tutorials. This makes fashion more interactive, because anyone can share their aesthetic and inspire thousands of others with their look.
On the other hand, these trends can easily turn into pressure traps. To truly belong to an aesthetic, you are often told you must buy specific items, such as expensive lip oils or trendy water tumblers. Because TikTok trends change every few months, people feel pressured to constantly buy new clothes just to stay relevant. These trends rely heavily on fast‑fashion brands like Shein, which produce massive amounts of clothing to match the latest aesthetic. This creates environmental waste, involves unethical labour practices, and raises concerns about product safety. Still, despite these issues, many teenagers spend money on clothes that will be out of style within weeks simply to fit in.
Furthermore, these labels can lead to social judgement. If you do not have a clearly defined or trendy sense of style, people may judge your entire character based on what you wear. Dressing in basic or “unfashionable” clothes can make others assume you are uncool or uninterested, even if that is untrue. Because of this, teenagers often feel obliged to follow whatever style is popular at the moment to avoid being judged or left out.
Ultimately, aesthetic culture is neither entirely good nor bad. It is a great source of creative inspiration, but it becomes a trap when labels begin to dictate how we live and encourage unnecessary spending. The best way to navigate this is to remember that these trends are simply other people’s ideas and preferences. No one should feel pressured to match a certain style to be accepted. True style comes from mixing your own interests with pieces that inspire you, rather than letting online algorithms and stereotypes define who you are.