If anyone asks they're real- How desire has destroyed individuality

"Okay, but seriously, if anyone asks... they're real."

An obsession with prices. Tags. Name brands. The obsession with knowing what other people think of you. The desire to be perceived.

As my friends and I crowd around a shared computer screen looking at knock-off Maison Margiela Tabis, I suddenly have a moment of realization. Within everyone, there is a desire to be perceived as unattainable, or in other words, cool. In recent trends, the perception of cool often stems from micro-trends discovered on social media and reposts of Instagram posts, where many people struggle to define their exact style. I don't mean to say there's anything wrong with following trends, trendy clothes are trendy for a reason: they're cute! However, what is harmful about this mindset is the lack of individuality that lies in trends, where people follow only what they think they should wear.

What I don’t know is where that feeling comes from. I'm sure there's some logical explanation as to where the feelings of insecurity come from, but I don't know the answer to that. I am a nineteen-year-old writing a blog post, maybe check back a couple of years down the road.

I have always found it interesting how a person's opinion on clothes can change based on someone else's opinion, and I suppose that goes for everything in life. In my experience, there are two major things that have affected my perception of self-worth based on my clothing: the location where I am, and the people around me.

I could go on and on about how the recent decline in the state of the country's economy and political rulings results in different shifts in fashion, but I think individuality lies in more than that.

My first year in New York City, wow, what a journey. Never have I felt such a strong sense that I was the outcast in a place where everyone around me had a baseline common interest. I could've never predicted it. I found myself spending hours picking out my outfits, but the help of TikTok and Pinterest was never excluded. Something I used to be so excited about, the only thing most days I was excited about, turned into an anxiety-inducing chore.

It wasn't until I talked to my friends about how I was feeling that I realized just how common that feeling was. In a strange way, looking closer at what other people were wearing, and I mean really looking, allowed me to let go of that desire and start choosing for myself.

Like stated previously, I probably am not the best person to take this advice from, but here we are. Next time you go to get dressed, choose something that doesn't resemble something you're trying to dress like. Choose something that resembles you.

Add something you love to every outfit.