Around your teenage years, many students feel the need to “fit-in” in order to feel popular, and one of the ways some try to accomplish this goal is through clothing trends;  however, some believe that through this society as a whole is seeing less individualism.

“I do not believe in trends. I do believe in individualism, creativity, and risk.  You will never stand-out if your objective is to fit in.  […] There are many trends, and one of the most commonly seen is through clothing. Individuals seek to feel accepted and fit in, thus, we see less individualism and more of the same aesthetic throughout our society,” Izzy Pombo, senior model with close to 5,300 followers on Instagram, said.  “The concept of fitting-in is so romanticized.  Our objective should never be to fit-in. We are not puzzle pieces.”  

Most also believe that one major way these trends begin and are spread is through social media, including senior Vince O’Brill.  

“Social media definitely has an impact on most trends because it has taken over our lifestyles.  A majority of today’s people cannot survive without social media or the use of technology,” O’Brill said.  “Most information is passed around through the web regarding celebrities, new clothing, and new technology releases.”

Both O’Brill and Pombo believe that the idea of the celebrity lifestyle influences many people in today’s society – mainly because normal people aspire to be physically alike to celebrities.

“I think trends have to do with marketing: the disillusion of making people think that if one buys an object they will instantly become happy,” Pombo said. “Even though a lot of us know that isn’t true, we still fall for it. But, after a quick period of time, our joy from that material possession fades, and all we are left with is another ad telling us that this ‘new’ object is what will ‘truly’ make us happy.”

With the joy found in these trends seeming to fly by, O’Brill also believes that the flying by could have something to do with the shortening of teenagers attention spans.    

“I feel like [trends] have quickly passed because people noticed how ridiculous they were. Also, if no one was to partake in the trend, then it would quickly fizzle out,” O’Brill said.  “I think, over time, people lose interest in [trends] – causing them to completely forget about [them].”  

Experiencing the desire to splurge on new clothing items herself, Lauren Mandal, senior, agrees that the shortening attention spans are a definite effect for these fast moving trends.  

“You spend all this money on new outfits and fashion, just for it to fly by really quickly.  Once one trend is over with, you feel the need to go out and buy the next one.  Frankly, over time, this money adds up,” Mandal said.  “The time of trends sticking around seem to be getting shorter and shorter due to attention spans shortening, making it harder to keep up.”

This desire to splurge causes many teens to spend their money on clothing items that they truly may not even like or that will last, according to Mandal.  The question that remains to many is: are these trends worth the money or your individual style, what is really important?