Why is everyone trying to dress weird?
Ben Taylor (he/him) // Crew Writer
Christina Williams (she/her) // Illustrator
Walking down any of Vancouver’s prominent shopping streets—Commercial Dr, Main St or Cambie St, to name a few—one is confronted by a myriad of curated vintage clothing stores. While the concept of vintage stores as an alternative to fast fashion is at its core good natured, many of these boutiques are perfect examples of how the alternative and the eclectic have been co-opted. Vintage thrift stores should—in theory—be incredibly unique, but paradoxically many of their layouts and racks end up looking exactly similar. The particular clothing items and brands vary, but almost every store has an abundance of leather jackets and worn-in graphic tees, making the browsing experience uniform. Of course, a big reason for this is that vintage thrift stores are curated, which allows for owners to select items that are trendier and more likely to sell quickly. The quest to dress differently from everyone else thus leads many to end up looking exactly the same.
Take the classic vintage graphic tee for instance; once a symbol of adoration for one’s favourite band, movie or monster truck, has now become simply a way for swagless teen boys to conform to the latest trend. When I was in the eighth grade, everyone was posted up in the Adidas Ultraboosts, Champion hoodies and jogger style pants either from Zumiez or Boathouse. It was absolutely monoculturish, but at least no one was pretending to be different. However, upon returning for my post-covid senior years, I noticed a surge in white air forces, Alice in Chains t-shirts, Hard Jewelry pendants and mullet :/. Rappers like Destroy Lonely and Ken Carson—both Carti affiliates on the Opium label—were at the forefront of a new wave of trend hoppers: the ‘fashion demons,’ also described as the contemporary equivalent of the Hypebeast. What sets these two eras apart is not that they all conform to the same style, but the attitude towards conformity, and the desire to be perceived as different, underground or alternative. Now the ‘alt aesthetic’ is probably the most noticeable aesthetic among high schools and university students alike.
The heart of this movement—the desire to dress in a unique style—is understandable; I even empathize a little with it. But, the problem I see is that folks want to dress differently in the same way they see others dressing differently, as opposed to just having a truly personal style. This spawns the most shameful archetype of dresser there is: The Poser. One who wants the glory of being deemed cool without putting in the work. This may seem to be a vain and futile thing to get worked up over, but the point is that you don’t need ultraboosts or a vintage leather jacket to have style. This doesn’t only apply to fashion either; there has been a shift away from individuality in all facets in our generation.
Eclecticism and hybridization have become an essential part of existence on the internet. Take for instance a site like Pinterest which is perhaps the most inherently eclectic platform there is; the process of collecting infinite images, styles, recipes etc. is the purpose of the app. And once upon a time Pinterest was a safe haven for the eclectic, but the current state of Pinterest serves as a great example of how eclecticism has been co-opted by many apps and social media platforms. The platform is full of targeted advertising, and the company even has agreements with Google, Amazon, Aliexpress and Etsy to fill feeds with items matching what they like. On top of that, users’ feeds are often riddled with AI generated images and art.
The internet has made eclectic subcultures more visible than they’ve ever been, which is not intrinsically a bad thing. However, the reality is that social media turns these subcultures into trends, which are then made accessible to the general population through marketing and advertisements. Social media has also allowed for globalization of these trends, making them homogenous across countries and cities, while in the past cities may have had their own unique style or trend specific to the region. The desire to be eclectic is what leads many to ride these trends, creating an endless cycle where styles fall in and out of fashion depending on what the market serves up. Again, this is not meant to be a piece dissing people who enjoy thrifting or fashion in any sense. Personal expression should always be tied to one’s individuality and interests, and not to some corporate algorithm.
If you’re a Hypebeast reading this, know that I respect you and your craft deeply, as long as you truly believe in it as well.