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Culture

Trend Cycles and Individualism: The Desire to Be Different

Samantha Haygood
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CU Boulder chapter.

A few months ago, I made an observation: everyone around me was wearing over-ear and wired headphones again. I wasn’t sure when the switch happened, but it was swift. For years, I had only seen people use AirPods and other sorts of earbuds, wired or Bluetooth. To see that suddenly wired and over-ear headphones were coming back was a welcome but weird change. 

Trend cycles now move incredibly fast. Traditionally, trends go through five stages: introduction, rise, peak, decline, and obsolescence. This would usually span over the course of years, but now they often last weeks to months. One example is the SHEIN influx starting in 2020, when people started to buy from the online store in bulk, contributing to many people’s alt phases and cottagecore wardrobes. However, with the help of social media like TikTok, these ways of dressing became oversaturated, leading people to give away their clothing when they realized it wasn’t their style anymore, and too many people made the same wardrobe choices. 

TikTok Beauty Products?width=1024&height=1024&fit=cover&auto=webp
Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels

I realized this headphone switch-up was another instance of changes in trends, which have become much more common nowadays. Despite this being a slower change, with earbuds reigning supreme since at least the early 2010s, it was still jarring. Everyone suddenly had over-ear headphones, and I couldn’t pinpoint why. Some people seemed to use them as accessories for their aesthetic to be more cohesive, while others just wanted a better sound quality experience. To me, it seemed people were switching from earbuds to headphones because 1) companies like Apple, Sony, and BOSE came out with their own recently, and 2) people were talking about and hyping them up on social media. In other words, companies and influencers influenced everyday consumers. 

These ever-progressing trends could be a result of our hunger for individuality. Now, this may not be the case for everyone; of course, this is my opinion. But the key thing here is people seemed to turn away from trends after they became too popular, widespread, and accessible. This is probably more obvious in fashion trends than in technology, but the point still stands. 

Young Americans seem to have a certain desire to be different — individual and separated from others in terms of how we present ourselves. So, when trends become oversaturated, we tend to deviate. One aspect of being our unique selves is gone, and suddenly we lose interest and move on to the next thing. Not that this is just our fault, but in our efforts to find ways to set ourselves apart, we end up putting ourselves into a box anyway. We buy the shirt, get the water bottle, and wear the headphones, but we’re never alone in those endeavors. If everyone is searching for the same thing, of course, we’ll have similar means of finding it. 

Woman in a white t-shirt and socks sitting on a chair, looking out the window
Photo by Anthony Tran from Unsplash

So, now what? If the search for individuality leads to the same result, what do we do? Well, it may be an anticlimactic conclusion, but simply seek what you enjoy. Participate in trends that make you happy and ignore the ones that don’t. Buying into a trend in the name of individuality will only leave you unfulfilled. Eventually, it will also become popular and devoid of uniqueness. This isn’t inherently a bad thing, but if you are chasing new trends to be different in some way, I’m afraid it won’t provide what you’re looking for. 

Frankly, being “different” isn’t feasible in today’s society. There will always be someone that’s super similar to you, whether they’re in your class or across the country. If buying a trendy item makes sense for you, like trading in your earbuds for a pair of headphones, then do it; just do it for the improvement of your life, not to separate yourself from the masses.

Samantha is an Editorial Assistant and Contributing Writer for CU Boulder's chapter of Her Campus. In her editorial position, she edits articles for clarity and provides guidance to other writers so they can improve their skills. As a contributing writer, she submits two articles per month, often writing in depth about social phenomena. Aside from Her Campus, Samantha is a senior at CU Boulder, double majoring in philosophy and sociology. She's currently working on an Honors Thesis in philosophy and hopes to go to law school after graduating in May 2024. She is involved in campus organizations like the Miramontes Arts and Sciences Program, the CU LA Program, and the Honors Program. This semester, she’s a mentor for learning assistants as an LA Mentor. Outside of a school setting, Samantha enjoys crocheting, reading, and writing. Overall, she’s very quiet, and her hobbies reflect that. She can usually be found with heaps of yarn or her nose buried in a book, silently enjoying her time alone. In addition to writing as a member of Her Campus, she enjoys writing short stories and pieces about her life. One of her biggest goals is to publish a book of stories and pieces that almost act as a memoir.