Really enjoyed this article. Thinking along those lines of wanting anonymity, it's one of the reasons Reels can't substitute for Tik Tok. You can build a TT following without knowing anyone from your life, whereas on Instagram, most people have a following with people from their real life. To build a following on Reels risks exposure to those in your real life
That's such a great point! I saw a comment that said Substack is for the girls who have no idea how to use TikTok which is me.
Also when I wanted to promote my Substack on IG, I started with a new account instead of sharing on the account I've owned for 10+ years as it wasn't really about gaining a following but just doing something for me.
I've also started using IG less because I don't feel like sharing what I'm doing all the time. It's funny that my parents, who were very much the "you spend too much time on your phone" type folks, have been "Are you okay? you haven't shared an Instagram story in ages, we don't know what you're doing."
The rebellion is here. The internet in its current state of algorithm fate ruined personal style, homogenized cities, and has made the world a lot less interesting. Time to go back outside.
Insightful!! And thanks for linking that Vox article, very informative read. I've been considering getting a "dumb" phone for a couple years now and as my iPhone 11 takes a shit on me, it might happen soon. I have thoughts about offline fashion after my own experience "detoxing" social media over the last four years.
I am generally offline; I don't keep IG, X, FB, or any of the mega-platforms on my phone. I haven't had TikTok since 2021. There is def a struggle to stay in the loop with your local community and the national/global community by making this choice. But-- it made me a more mindful consumer of information and media. I love to watch Youtube video essays or read Substacks about the newest microtrend that I know nothing about. It's like watching zoo animals. My fashion inspirations rise from my non-fashion "meatspace" world: my friends, my partner, landscape, architecture, art exhibitions, and uber-niche films and performances at my local indie movie theatre. Without the infinite scroll, I keep newsletters for local journalism and art spaces to keep up and fill the void.
My dressing changed significantly since 2021. My life in grad school, working at a non-profit, hanging out with local artists and activists are some components of my day to day that have influenced my wardrobe. I'm also pretty broke, so I limit myself to a couple big ethical purchases a year and otherwise shop secondhand. Drugstore makeup is all I can afford. I know what clothing/fabrics make me uncomfortable so I rule it out, no matter how trendy the item is.
Professionalism has increasing importance in my dress, though I love eclectic and risky fashion. In turn, my style has cultivated itself naturally as my career develops and my circles tighten. Not paying attention to internet fashion trends has generally made me much happier, even if people think what I wear is weird, ugly, or uncannily off-trend. "Fitting in" hasn't been my agenda historically, but separating yourself from online subcultural spheres makes you realize how homogenized even the "counterculture" has become. I find myself inspired by the older women in my life (which is most my social milieu) and the subcultures of my city (which is not LA or NYC, rather "nondescript"). My body and I are more unified since I'm not constantly inundated with model and celeb imagery throughout my day. For better or worse, my sense of self is fortified as is my immunity to peer pressure and trend FOMO.
Of course, I do follow fashion writers and magazines (big and small), but I am more picky about how I engage with trends overall-- how can I make this fit my lifestyle and my aesthetic tastes? Is this "Madison"? And how is she changing?
Thank you so much for sharing Madison, so many brilliant and thoughtful insights. I def think we can all consume culture more mindfully offline and across alternative digital platforms and sounds like you're absolutely nailing it.
I'm struggling to disconnect from socials as it's a requirement for my day job to be plugged in so I'm trying to only look at them during work hours and on my work laptop.
I make my boyfriend take so many pics of my outfit when I dress cute but 95% of the fits never make it online. It’s like I enjoy the act of posing and documentation but not the actual publication of it. I like the idea of experimenting with cropping or obscuring my face because some days I feel so awful that I won’t take a selfie of a good outfit purely because I don’t like the way my face looks (in comparison to what I see online, obvi). This was such an interesting read!
Thanks for the comment! I def feel the same way, I've only just started sharing outfits online and usually don't like how my face looks but trying to document the clothes. I have tried to get my bf to take photos but I never like how they turn out 😂 either he's not a photographer or I'm too hard on myself. It's probably the latter.
Ive always thought the cropping heads out of photos thing is for Pinterest and discovery optimization. The idea of optimizing anonymity is really interesting to think about. Great piece Kayla!
What a great piece! I personally think how I dress would stay the same, but I think it would allow the conversation of curation of personal style to return to normal - which would allow people to individually dress and embrace their true style.
Love this article! I think I can offer an interesting perspective. In undergrad I was into fashion. Now I went to an arts college so creative expression was the norm, plus in middle and high school I was confined to uniforms so I felt an unbridled sense of freedom being able to dress how I wanted. This was prime 2015-2019 so still in a sweet spot of social media and I was the little darling who was daring with her fashion. I remember telling people to dress your best because you never knew what the day would bring. I love that my clothes made me visible, unique and helped create my identity. Cue 2020, a lot happened culturally, politically and now we were confined in doors. I no longer felt the need dress up. Why? Who is going to see it? I remember people posting outfits online or challenging themselves to dress up for Zoom meeting. To me, it felt inauthentic. Personally in my life I experienced severe isolation, a resurgence in my chronic illness, and weight gain. This heavily impacted my outlook on fashion. No longer did I have the energy to plan outfits like I had in the past and I was isolated and didn’t feel the performative need to express myself externally like I had when I was in college. Plus my weight gain illustrated to me that it was a privilege to be able to dress trendy and express myself via my clothing and that privilege is for the thin and conveniently attractive. Even when I wanted to, it became increasingly hard to find clothes that spoke to me that would fit me and the options that were put in front of me felt akin to a uniform and very basic. The designs themselves almost encouraged me to be invisible and draw the least amount of attention to myself as possible. Originally it was devastating, I truly felt like my ability to express myself was being taken from me. At the same time the beginning of a shift towards conservative values was beginning, which now is a full on cultural war almost. My style pre-pandemic labeled me as an “other” as liberal, progressive, experimental, and intellectual. During those years I felt safe expressing myself that way but as time as gone on I’ve realized that if I expressed style in an authentic manner that I could potentially be making myself a target. I’ve leaned into the anonymity trend for several reasons one, is for actual safety and anonymity from judgement whether it be about my looks, my weight or my beliefs another is simply due to the fact that I no longer have access to the clothes I’d want to wear since my body has grown. I’m still working on regaining the confidence I once had and preaching to myself that my body is beautiful no matter what size and no matter what clothes I wear. I’m trying to be more creative with my clothes because to me it communicates that I / my identify have invert worth no matter what size my body is. Lastly I find that I lean into the anonymity trend because it’s relatively easy to pull off and requires little effort. As someone who’s physically ill this is a comfort for me. I find solace in the fact that I can throw on leggings and a baggy sweatshirt and no look like “a homeless person” (there is an entire think piece in that statement) but a moderately trend woman in her late 20s. It helps communicate that my identity is not my illness or laziness which pre the rise of errendcore etc it would have communicated but allows me to participate in the culture and world in a nominal way without judgment. Sorry this is so long! Just my thoughts. Overall wonderful piece and I’m excited to read more in the future.
I only got Instagram and TikTok because my friends urged me too and finally have deleted them both. In terms of fashion, I definitely do not miss the constant bombardment of aesthetics and "cores". Everything has to have an aesthetic, a category and that drove me crazy. Once my friend referred to me as a "jorts girlie" and I get it, I wore them a lot over the summer but it really annoyed me. I don't want to be defined by two pairs of cheap denim shorts I bought for my holidays, I'm more than that!! I mean no ill will to her, but that comment further fuelled my disdain for everything having an aesthetic or being an (insert literally anything) girlie. I miss the days when I was a kid and no one had a smartphone.
Gosh, I've been taking pics of my outfits for so long (17 years) that it would feel weird to stop doing that (I've always included my head/face), but I've been slow to uptake on modern media. I only got a smartphone in Dec '23 and my only online presence was my blog until I started my Substack.
Take that all away...would I still dress the way I do? Yea, I would! I love expressing myself through my clothes - I feel that I'm less influenced by what others wear because not many people dress like me anyway. I've primarily shared my outfits because I love talking about them, and don't have a lot of Fashion People in my real life.
Really enjoyed this article. Thinking along those lines of wanting anonymity, it's one of the reasons Reels can't substitute for Tik Tok. You can build a TT following without knowing anyone from your life, whereas on Instagram, most people have a following with people from their real life. To build a following on Reels risks exposure to those in your real life
That's such a great point! I saw a comment that said Substack is for the girls who have no idea how to use TikTok which is me.
Also when I wanted to promote my Substack on IG, I started with a new account instead of sharing on the account I've owned for 10+ years as it wasn't really about gaining a following but just doing something for me.
I've also started using IG less because I don't feel like sharing what I'm doing all the time. It's funny that my parents, who were very much the "you spend too much time on your phone" type folks, have been "Are you okay? you haven't shared an Instagram story in ages, we don't know what you're doing."
yess! you get it.
The rebellion is here. The internet in its current state of algorithm fate ruined personal style, homogenized cities, and has made the world a lot less interesting. Time to go back outside.
Insightful!! And thanks for linking that Vox article, very informative read. I've been considering getting a "dumb" phone for a couple years now and as my iPhone 11 takes a shit on me, it might happen soon. I have thoughts about offline fashion after my own experience "detoxing" social media over the last four years.
I am generally offline; I don't keep IG, X, FB, or any of the mega-platforms on my phone. I haven't had TikTok since 2021. There is def a struggle to stay in the loop with your local community and the national/global community by making this choice. But-- it made me a more mindful consumer of information and media. I love to watch Youtube video essays or read Substacks about the newest microtrend that I know nothing about. It's like watching zoo animals. My fashion inspirations rise from my non-fashion "meatspace" world: my friends, my partner, landscape, architecture, art exhibitions, and uber-niche films and performances at my local indie movie theatre. Without the infinite scroll, I keep newsletters for local journalism and art spaces to keep up and fill the void.
My dressing changed significantly since 2021. My life in grad school, working at a non-profit, hanging out with local artists and activists are some components of my day to day that have influenced my wardrobe. I'm also pretty broke, so I limit myself to a couple big ethical purchases a year and otherwise shop secondhand. Drugstore makeup is all I can afford. I know what clothing/fabrics make me uncomfortable so I rule it out, no matter how trendy the item is.
Professionalism has increasing importance in my dress, though I love eclectic and risky fashion. In turn, my style has cultivated itself naturally as my career develops and my circles tighten. Not paying attention to internet fashion trends has generally made me much happier, even if people think what I wear is weird, ugly, or uncannily off-trend. "Fitting in" hasn't been my agenda historically, but separating yourself from online subcultural spheres makes you realize how homogenized even the "counterculture" has become. I find myself inspired by the older women in my life (which is most my social milieu) and the subcultures of my city (which is not LA or NYC, rather "nondescript"). My body and I are more unified since I'm not constantly inundated with model and celeb imagery throughout my day. For better or worse, my sense of self is fortified as is my immunity to peer pressure and trend FOMO.
Of course, I do follow fashion writers and magazines (big and small), but I am more picky about how I engage with trends overall-- how can I make this fit my lifestyle and my aesthetic tastes? Is this "Madison"? And how is she changing?
Thank you for this, Kayla!
Thank you so much for sharing Madison, so many brilliant and thoughtful insights. I def think we can all consume culture more mindfully offline and across alternative digital platforms and sounds like you're absolutely nailing it.
I'm struggling to disconnect from socials as it's a requirement for my day job to be plugged in so I'm trying to only look at them during work hours and on my work laptop.
I make my boyfriend take so many pics of my outfit when I dress cute but 95% of the fits never make it online. It’s like I enjoy the act of posing and documentation but not the actual publication of it. I like the idea of experimenting with cropping or obscuring my face because some days I feel so awful that I won’t take a selfie of a good outfit purely because I don’t like the way my face looks (in comparison to what I see online, obvi). This was such an interesting read!
Thanks for the comment! I def feel the same way, I've only just started sharing outfits online and usually don't like how my face looks but trying to document the clothes. I have tried to get my bf to take photos but I never like how they turn out 😂 either he's not a photographer or I'm too hard on myself. It's probably the latter.
What a thoughtful capture of how our distaste for online is reflected online. Makes me think (and want to crawl into a hole please)
Joining you in hole!
Ive always thought the cropping heads out of photos thing is for Pinterest and discovery optimization. The idea of optimizing anonymity is really interesting to think about. Great piece Kayla!
What a great piece! I personally think how I dress would stay the same, but I think it would allow the conversation of curation of personal style to return to normal - which would allow people to individually dress and embrace their true style.
Love this article! I think I can offer an interesting perspective. In undergrad I was into fashion. Now I went to an arts college so creative expression was the norm, plus in middle and high school I was confined to uniforms so I felt an unbridled sense of freedom being able to dress how I wanted. This was prime 2015-2019 so still in a sweet spot of social media and I was the little darling who was daring with her fashion. I remember telling people to dress your best because you never knew what the day would bring. I love that my clothes made me visible, unique and helped create my identity. Cue 2020, a lot happened culturally, politically and now we were confined in doors. I no longer felt the need dress up. Why? Who is going to see it? I remember people posting outfits online or challenging themselves to dress up for Zoom meeting. To me, it felt inauthentic. Personally in my life I experienced severe isolation, a resurgence in my chronic illness, and weight gain. This heavily impacted my outlook on fashion. No longer did I have the energy to plan outfits like I had in the past and I was isolated and didn’t feel the performative need to express myself externally like I had when I was in college. Plus my weight gain illustrated to me that it was a privilege to be able to dress trendy and express myself via my clothing and that privilege is for the thin and conveniently attractive. Even when I wanted to, it became increasingly hard to find clothes that spoke to me that would fit me and the options that were put in front of me felt akin to a uniform and very basic. The designs themselves almost encouraged me to be invisible and draw the least amount of attention to myself as possible. Originally it was devastating, I truly felt like my ability to express myself was being taken from me. At the same time the beginning of a shift towards conservative values was beginning, which now is a full on cultural war almost. My style pre-pandemic labeled me as an “other” as liberal, progressive, experimental, and intellectual. During those years I felt safe expressing myself that way but as time as gone on I’ve realized that if I expressed style in an authentic manner that I could potentially be making myself a target. I’ve leaned into the anonymity trend for several reasons one, is for actual safety and anonymity from judgement whether it be about my looks, my weight or my beliefs another is simply due to the fact that I no longer have access to the clothes I’d want to wear since my body has grown. I’m still working on regaining the confidence I once had and preaching to myself that my body is beautiful no matter what size and no matter what clothes I wear. I’m trying to be more creative with my clothes because to me it communicates that I / my identify have invert worth no matter what size my body is. Lastly I find that I lean into the anonymity trend because it’s relatively easy to pull off and requires little effort. As someone who’s physically ill this is a comfort for me. I find solace in the fact that I can throw on leggings and a baggy sweatshirt and no look like “a homeless person” (there is an entire think piece in that statement) but a moderately trend woman in her late 20s. It helps communicate that my identity is not my illness or laziness which pre the rise of errendcore etc it would have communicated but allows me to participate in the culture and world in a nominal way without judgment. Sorry this is so long! Just my thoughts. Overall wonderful piece and I’m excited to read more in the future.
I only got Instagram and TikTok because my friends urged me too and finally have deleted them both. In terms of fashion, I definitely do not miss the constant bombardment of aesthetics and "cores". Everything has to have an aesthetic, a category and that drove me crazy. Once my friend referred to me as a "jorts girlie" and I get it, I wore them a lot over the summer but it really annoyed me. I don't want to be defined by two pairs of cheap denim shorts I bought for my holidays, I'm more than that!! I mean no ill will to her, but that comment further fuelled my disdain for everything having an aesthetic or being an (insert literally anything) girlie. I miss the days when I was a kid and no one had a smartphone.
As an anon account, I totally agree! I no longer want to be perceived
Gosh, I've been taking pics of my outfits for so long (17 years) that it would feel weird to stop doing that (I've always included my head/face), but I've been slow to uptake on modern media. I only got a smartphone in Dec '23 and my only online presence was my blog until I started my Substack.
Take that all away...would I still dress the way I do? Yea, I would! I love expressing myself through my clothes - I feel that I'm less influenced by what others wear because not many people dress like me anyway. I've primarily shared my outfits because I love talking about them, and don't have a lot of Fashion People in my real life.
Excellent article, Kayla, thank you!
Fabulous to hear Sheila and so impressive you've resisted a smartphone for so long! ❤️
This is an interesting observation, and thanks for sharing your thoughts on the matter!