Within pop culture, there are a lot of types of trends that come and go. Regardless of what ones catch your attention, it can be hard to keep up.
Trends in fashion, entertainment, beauty, video games and more are constantly evolving and changing. As trends emerge, the economy thrives because of how much money it can cost to stay on top of whatever is new and shiny.
I have only encountered a handful of people whose stress levels are genuinely affected by whether or not they’ll be able to purchase the latest from their favorite brands. Most other people cave to such trends from time to time but don’t let it affect their wellbeing. It can be exhausting to live under the pressure of feeling like you need to buy certain clothing or play a certain game in order to feel included. The neverending fear of being excluded drives us and trends emphasize that.
If you’re anything like me, you dip your toe into trends from time to time, but you’re usually a bit late. Typically, I have either not paid enough attention to what was going on in pop culture or wait to see how long aspects of trends stick around before caving to them. For example, I never downloaded or had any interest in Musical.ly, so when it became TikTok in 2018, I waited to see if its popularity would solidify as a favored social media platform before I downloaded it. In 2020, when Among Us had a spike in popularity, I stared confusedly at memes about the game online until my learning community decided to play it together and someone had to explain it to me.
With the issue of fashion, there are a lot of bigger issues at hand in relation to trends. While there are consistent changes in fashion that come every season from high fashion luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Gucci, the fashion trends of the average person fuel fast fashion. Companies scramble to produce clothing that is unique but still fits in with the latest trend in order to keep sales up and stay relevant. Sure, plenty of companies are able to ethically create great clothing products, but a lot of the time that means the cost of the inventory is not as affordable. It is a true downward spiral.
As you try to navigate trends that require some money to leave your wallet, I encourage patience. Try not to impulse buy and wait a week or so to see if a trend dies down. That way, you’ll be able to better decide whether or not to purchase something and if the trendy products are no longer a hot commodity, you’ll probably be able to buy them at a discounted price.
When various forms of entertainment gain popularity, don’t stress yourself out. If your friends judge you for not seeing a movie or playing a game, you need new ones, but good people aren’t going to care about that kind of stuff. Additionally, fitting in is overrated. The only opinion of you that matters is your own, so don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself to make others like you.
The excitement of new things is, without a doubt, very intoxicating. It can be very fun to revel in the anticipation of the release of something fresh to listen to, watch, play, etc. At the same time, disconnecting from the hustle and bustle of our high speed society and giving in (or not) to a trend whenever you want is extremely cathartic. Do whatever makes you happy and don’t pay any mind to people who don’t want you to be.
Tate Raub is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Tate know by tweeting her @tatertot1310.
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