You can’t go on a social media scroll without hitting some sort of sponsored content, influencer ad, or product placement. Selling products through a screen, however, is not a new concept. From Instagram ads, to YouTube ads, all the way back to TV infomercials, companies utilized the media to promote their products. Since the newest social media app TikTok’s rise to popularity in 2020, I’ve noticed among myself and my peers that we are spending more money on social media ads now than ever before because we want to achieve a certain aesthetic, or participate in yet another fleeting trend.
Let’s look at the “That Girl” aesthetic. This trend is primarily promoted by rich, white influencers who represent one standard of beauty. Their aesthetic romanticizes a life of pilates, waking up at the ungodly hour of 5 AM every day, the $600 Dyson Air Wrap, Charlotte Tilbury makeup, Apple’s AirPod Max, and essentially all of Drunk Elephant’s skincare line. While there is nothing wrong with wanting to participate in a trend, it’s important to take a step back and consider whether or not you, or your bank account, actually need these things to live your own aesthetic life or if that is the life you wish to live.
Time and time again beauty gurus and self appointed “fashion experts” promote products that their followers buy because they trust the influencer’s stamp of approval even though its been bought. The trend “things TikTok made me buy” has amassed thousands videos that people partake in. I have fallen prey to buying things because of a TikTok video I’ve seen. Yet, I tried the product once and never again, having wasted $20 for the sake of “keeping up.”
I assert that this incessant spending and increase in materialism stems from a desire to fit in, keep up, and increase similarity among a social group. I’ve seen so many videos that reference becoming a “Matilda Djerf Minion” or “Bella Hadid Bot.” While these women are praised for their originality in styling—I even draw inspiration from both these women when picking out my outfits—I think it is equally important to have my own sense of style as well. It’s very easy to get lost in the masses of what everyone else is wearing or doing or buying etc., but it’s critical to embrace your individuality as well.
TikTok aesthetics and material goods are fleeting, but your sense of self will be part of you for the rest of your life, always in flux but consistently you. Instead of becoming an amalgamation of trends and must-buy products, I challenge us to all take a step back and reevaluate. Being “That Girl” doesn’t mean you have to wake up at the crack of dawn and dress exactly like everyone else. Being “That Girl” means being the best version of you. Not everything that one does needs to be apart of an aesthetic. It can be freeing to let go of the labels and live as you intend to, free from the influence of your for you page.