Choose Your Character

In a world with competing aesthetics, how do we find ourselves?

By: Kaitlyn Tarakji

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Credits: Pinterest

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It’s 8:30 in the morning and there’s twenty minutes to spare before your first class, so, naturally, an aimless TikTok scroll is in order. You’re sliding past the GRWM’s and the mukbangs when suddenly flashes of perfectly coordinated pinks flood your vision. 

After studying the shots of strategically placed yoga mats, cold foam-topped matcha and matching sets, you tear your eyes away to read the caption.

“She’s a pilates princess.”

What exactly does that mean? No clue. Regardless, the idea of a life that looks identical to Pinterest screen shots is too hard to pass up. You think “Yeah, this is it. That’s who I want to be.”

Now, it's 9 p.m and you’re in bed feeling oddly motivated as you scroll through Pinterest, meticulously adding pictures to a new board titled “This Fall.” 

One TikTok scroll away from the Pilates Princess aesthetic is a montage of cowboy boots, strung up bikinis and surfboards captioned “Coastal Cowgirl.”Another is a collage titled “Downtown Girl” with red converse, black coffee and notebooks scattered across the screen.

It may feel necessary to scratch the Pinterest board and start all over. Afterall, these one-minute montages are deciding who we want to be for the rest of the semester, or even, the rest of college.

When did one-off trends transform into entire lifestyles, and most importantly, why do we care so much?

Credits: @sagel0ve and @daydreamers on TikTok

With the increasing influence of social media, trends are inevitable. While they’re known to ruin individuality, nothing compares to the newly-growing phenomenon: fitting an entire style into a TikTok slideshow.

Each aesthetic comes with a perfectly curated color palette, shopping list and hobbies. A major aspect of fashion is experimenting, but it’s impossible to assess what we like with such strict indications on who we should be.

The rise of strictly-curated aesthetics has also taken over seasonal fashion. Pushing for a cozy coquette December ironically leads to a bow-less spring, since two seasons must rarely overlap in aesthetics. 

What’s a coastal cowgirl without a summer on the coast? Cowboy boots and shell necklaces are tossed the moment anything relatively pumpkin spice scented invades the For You Page. We can’t have a stagnant image of our personal style when we’re starting over every season.

Of course, there’s the sustainability aspect. How many times have we rummaged through countless thrift stores, only to find the same measly sheer Edikted top three girls wore out the night before? 

The cycle of buying to fit the checklist of a specific aesthetic is frustratingly unnecessary and would be easily avoided if we started actually purchasing pieces that look good on us, not just Pinterest.

So what’s the point? Forcing ourselves to fit into a certain box (or a screen) can create a faux sense of security in our identity. It may feel safer to know that you only wear this brand or that color. 

It convinces us that we know who we are, but how true can that possibly be? No one would notice if we paired matching sets with shell necklaces or low rise-flare jeans with bows and frilly sweaters because, ultimately, personal style doesn’t need a designated label.

How can we escape it? Acknowledge it. Next time you’re shopping and you catch yourself saying “It is cute, but not really for me,” try it on. 

That shirt you convinced yourself is “so last season” could absolutely work year-round. Purposely pick up pieces you’re not sure you’ll like, and eventually the trials and turmoil will flourish into a unique style that’s nothing but you.

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Kaitlyn Tarakji is a junior and an online writer for Rowdy. She loves scrolling on Pinterest for an extended period of time and questioning Carrie Bradshaw's outfits with her friends.