The Extinction of Personal Style

How social media hinders individuality 

Isabella Hobbs

Trends are nothing new. Styles woven through pop culture date back centuries, from corsets and wide-brimmed hats, to poodle skirts, to go-go boots. These fashion staples are what allow us to dress up as a certain decade and still be recognizable in 2026. 

However, what makes today’s trends different is the amplification they receive through social media.

If everyone is wearing the same brands, buying the same brands, and adding the same brands to their wishlist, where is there room for self-expression or originality? 

Speaking from personal experience, a few scrolls on my feed will reveal the same homogeneous aesthetic: Parke sweatshirts, Rhode eye patches, and Frye Boots. Don’t get me wrong, like many people my age, I am drawn to these trends, and have even added a few to my personal wishlist. 

But I feel as though we are entering a different era of trend culture, one where rather than being presented with trends through television, magazines, or celebrities, trends are now driven by the everyday individual on the internet. As a result, people feel as though they have to play catch up. 

In other words it makes fashion feel less like a choice and more like an obligation. 

There is always a new brand to discover, or new item to save your money up for, and this constant cycle of consumption leaves no room for individuality. 

There is a particularly narrow middle ground where expression is allowed, but only to a certain extent. 

Criticism is harsh for those who conform to basic styles, but even harsher for those who don’t. 

Clean girl aesthetic, downtown girl, model off duty— repeat, reuse, recycle. By the time you catch up to one trend, social media has already moved on to the next. 

Social media has hindered all expression of individuality and has made fashion a cookie-cutter, standardized community with no room for distinctiveness. 

Fashion, rather than being utilized as one of the greatest forms of self-expression, has become just another way to fit in. We can only hope with the resurgence of thrifting and second-hand shopping that people will rediscover their personal style and embrace their selfhood… even if that in itself becomes another trend.