TikTok, a controversial app as it is, has found a new trend to cause commotion online. Referred to mainly as āBirkinifyingā your bag, such videos started making an appearance just under a year after Jane Birkinās death. Alongside her acclaimed acting career in European film, Birkin was a renowned style icon of the 70s, allowing her to launch a personal brand of designer handbags. The Birkin Bag quickly became an iconic staple of the elite wardrobe, with exclusive waiting lists and extreme prices creating an unattainable aura surrounding the product that prevails today. Despite prices for these handbags starting at around the Ā£20,000 mark, Birkin was often photographed with her Birkin bag falling apart at the seams; overflowing with papers, makeup, you name it and decorated with keychains, ribbons and scarves. These photos became iconic in their own right, with many fans spotting a humorous contrast between the bagās expense and Birkinās treatment of it. Decades later, this noteworthy moment in fashion has translated into the modern world through the form of a TikTok trend. Viral videos on the platform feature creators with Birkin bags or similarly expensive designer handbags being dragged through puddles, stomped on, scratched with keys, adorned with keychains, necklaces and ties, all in an effort to mimic Janeās nonchalant, careless vibe. However, dubious TikTok users have flooded such videosā comments, questioning the morality of this trend, demanding the āignorantā spectacles of wealth be taken down.
At first, I thought little of this trend, being influenced myself to add a cute keychain or ribbon to my new lecture bag freshly delivered from Vinted. However, after reading the comments my entire view changed. I think partially because we are all so used to the narcissistic culture of consumption on social media – videos showing off wealth and an over-abundance of products with haul videos, house tours, and āGRWMā videos being among the highest viewed across platforms. The problem here is the obvious cost of the bags, which, given their insane fame and iconic status, creators are making no effort to hide. Platforms like TikTok are accessible to all income levels, and most importantly all ages, so videos like this are understandably disrespectful or giving the wrong impression to young people. The fact that creators are able to afford these bags in the first place as well as practically destroy them further heightens the fact that these videos are partially a display of wealth. Many commented on videos that this trend was simply ādoing too muchā, others determined that the excess accessories made the bags look cheap.
After a deep dive, I realised thereās a larger issue at hand here. Whilst online-fuelled overconsumption is a huge problem socially and environmentally, I take issue with the falsehood of social media. If you too are finding it difficult to believe the carelessly lavish lifestyles of these videosā creators, itās because they are probably not being truthful. This is not a phenomenon limited to this trend, or even TikTok, but social media platforms at large. Firstly, this can greatly impact viewers self esteem as this false flaunting gets more and more out of hand. Whether videos about business advice, makeup hauls, or red carpets, it seems a vast majority of videos online link back to the idea of wealth and success. Even private accounts shared among friends show only the highlights of peopleās lives: holidays, engagements, awards etc. However this is nowhere near reality and does not reflect poorly on your own ambitions. Whether a post has a hundred or a million views, it is rare for someone to post their problems online for the world to know about. Therefore, I find a trend like that of the āBirkin-ificationā entirely ignorant and in poor taste, as it fuels the social media industryās ethos of profiting off of peopleās insecurities.
I would like to clarify that this article is in no way disrespecting Jane Birkin herself. She was in my eyes a true fashion icon and an innovative businesswoman, a true inspiration to the next generation of powerful women, particularly given the restrictions to womenās rights in the 70s. It is the current online trend that I find problematic as it seemingly encapsulates all that is wrong with social media. For something that can bring so much joy into the world in terms of increased communication and quality entertainment, we know all too well the inverse hazards that this modern invention poses. I donāt think these videos must be taken down, but as I mentioned earlier, taking part in this trend in a mindful manner can be much more fun! Iām off now to add one of my keychains to my new lecture bag that I plan to use for years to come and indeed will not (intentionally at least) be dropping in a puddle anytime soon.