Did Being in Style Go Out of Style?

The death of fashion groupthink births fashion individuality.

By Laurel Chang

Lea Rivel

Once upon a time, being “in style” was the ultimate goal. Glossy magazines dictated what to wear and the rest of us scrambled to keep up; buying the right jeans, copying the right celebrities, and treating trends like commandments. But today, in a world where one viral TikTok can birth a new aesthetic overnight, the very idea of being “in style” feels almost…outdated.

The speed of trend cycles has made “style” itself harder to define. What’s cool on Monday is old news by Friday. The rise of micro-trend buzz words, such as clean girl, fairy-core, coastal granddaughter or coquette, shows how fleeting aesthetics have become. Algorithms feed us an endless carousel of new looks. Fashion used to follow a rhythm: spring/summer and fall/winter. 

But now, the only season that exists is the current moment.

This hyperspeed has given people two options: chase trends or reject them altogether. Increasingly, the latter seems more appealing. The internet’s saturation of “style inspo” has made individuality a new form of rebellion. Instead of fitting in, people want to stand out, valuing self-definition over social approval.

Streetwear culture accelerated this shift. When sneakers, hoodies, and cargo pants entered the high-fashion conversation, hierarchy in dressing started to dissolve. Streetwear blurred the lines between designer and DIY, between status and self-expression. The hype-driven drops of the 2010s gave way to something subtler in the 2020s: clothes as coded language, where personal meaning outweighs brand value.

Social media, ironically, both dismantled and democratized “being in style.” Platforms like TikTok and Instagram gave everyone a voice in fashion’s conversation. Instead of following top-down dictates from editors or luxury houses, users became their own tastemakers. A thrift haul or “fit check” from anyone can inspire a global audience. Style is no longer something you buy but something you broadcast.

This shift has also challenged what it means to be fashionable. Dressing “well” has become dressing authentically. A scuffed pair of Converse or a hand-me-down jacket might tell a story far louder than a polished, runway-ready look. We live in an era where contradictions coexist: mixing high and low, old and new, masculine and feminine. “Being in style” no longer means following the same trend, but finding your own alignment within the noise.

Of course, the idea of being “in” or “out” will never fully disappear. Fashion thrives on the tension between belonging and individuality, imitation and innovation. But maybe that tension is exactly what keeps it alive. As trend cycles collapse under their own speed, the most radical thing you can do is simply know your taste and own it.

So, did being in style go out of style? Maybe. Or maybe it just evolved into something freer, something less about fitting in and more about finally feeling like yourself.