Why does everyone look the same now? (and how to find yourself again)
- Lilly Gidney
- Apr 21
- 4 min read
Recently, I've noticed how often everything online is starting to look the same. People's faces, bodies, micro trends that get snapped up so quick and everyone's style is merging into one. Is this just people following trends, or maybe something a bit deeper? When you scroll on social media, it becomes so hard to differentiate and even recall what you have just seen because nothing stands out anymore.
The Rise Of The 'Same' Aesthetic
Social media algorithms will always push similar content, especially if you make it clear what type of videos and profiles you prefer. Everyone that uses platforms such as Instagram and TikTok will have their own personalised algorithms so the same type of content will be constantly pushed forward.
When you're witnessing the same sort of videos again and again you will want to follow that particular aesthetic and maybe even lifestyle. Sometimes this can be unrealistic and very unattainable. Feeling pressure from the 'perfect' videos we see online is completely human and it would be difficult not to feel this way.
The increase of micro trends means the rate of different trends coming and going is so much quicker, resulting in aesthetics becoming trendy and social media users wanting to follow them desperately. The rate that micro trends come and go is damaging to the environment and also puts pressure on people to spend money constantly on new pieces and for different seasons all throughout the year. We shouldn't have to feel the need to buy into these micro trends and I think we need to be able to find our own styles again.
The 'clean girl' aesthetic has become so incredibly popular the past couple of years, with many people following this trend on their social media channels. It's understandable why this is the case as many people find comfort in this type of aesthetic and it can be satisfying to follow along, however, it isn't realistic and sets such a high expectation that people, especially women should follow. As this particular aesthetic and lifestyle has become so popular, a lot of people have tried to replicate it and put it in their own content.
Following trends is something that has been around for years and years, so this is never going to go away. However, we can help ourselves not get too consumed by specific trends and learn what we actually like for our own style. Implementing different trends is so much fun and can be so good for us as fashion lovers, but it's important not to lose yourself in the process.
Dressing To Be Seen
For many people there is a definitive gap between dressing for your 'real' self and dressing for your online persona. People want to put on a different look for their social media, maybe to influence a particular audience - even to not seem like their 'real' self. Dressing like your true self can come in many different forms. Repeating outfits, wearing pieces just because they're comfortable and even practical dressing for the most everyday errands is someone dressing just for themselves, without adding an extra level of performativity.
Even when we know we're going to be photographed, our type of dressing changes. The way we present ourselves comes across in all areas of style including makeup, hair and clothing. The pressure from the demand to look 'perfect' in this type of situation can be damaging to self esteem and even affect the way we express ourselves.
As a community of women and people who love fashion, there definitely has been a loss of individuality, within our outfit choices and even in our personalities. Real style is inconsistent, personal and imperfect - it shows individual personality which is something so lost nowadays. When we learn how to dress like ourselves again it will slowly come back.
Finding Your Style Again
One way we can go against the idea of looking like each other, is to look at what we actually love to wear. Forget about the trends and actually take a moment for reflection to think about our own personal styles and tastes. As women we have always been told to dress in ways that are flattering to different body shapes or colours that are going to minimise us. I think it's time we start dressing for ourselves again, trying to push away the worries of judgement from other people and wearing what we truly want to.
If we take away the trends that are circling at the minute, it gives us a chance to reflect on our true style and think about our favourite pieces we already own. I have managed to find my own style by thinking about why I dress a certain way and what I dress for. I do dress for comfort most of the time, with a little touch of trends here and there. The most important thing for me is practicality and confidence when deciding outfits to put together. I ask you to think about yourself for a moment and decide what is the most important thing to you when it comes to dressing.
When we start dressing for ourselves, it becomes much less of a chore and allows us to enjoy fashion once again. If we can detach our feelings about the way we think we should look, it becomes so much easier to dress because you know exactly what your style is and it gives you a chance to explore different areas.
Hopefully this blog post has given you an insight into dressing for yourself again and encouraged you to explore your true style - taking away the performativity of trends and the pressure from social media personas.
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