I’m sitting in bed, scrolling through TikTok, as one does when they’re a week out from the beginning of the winter quarter and trying their hardest to dissociate. I suddenly see a video where a girl is calling out the rise of “twee” culture and how it is not good for the body positivity movement, set to Zooey Deschanel’s/Her and Him’s “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here.” Curious and confused, I click the sound and am bombarded with the visions of my preteen nightmares. Skater skirts, peter pan collars, polka dots, and oversized bows flood my screen. What is this? Why do I see a million Rachel Berry lookalikes? As I delve deeper, I see that the 2012 Tumblr Girl/twee aesthetic is on the rise again. Some people are all for it, like the girls that are posting their outfits-of-the-week videos, and some are against it, like the first video I saw that started this delve into madness. That video is now long lost to the algorithm, but its impact is still there.
I think to myself, “weren’t we JUST in the Y2k revival?” Not even a month ago, we were all praising slip dresses, micro bags, and baby tees while dreading the return of low-rise jeans. That started my spiral into analyzing the trends that have emerged since TikTok’s skyrocketing popularity in 2020 catalyzed by the pandemic. First, the ’70s were popular in the summer of 2020, characterized by Farrah Fawcett hair, Fleetwood Mac, and festival tops. I also associate this with the rollerskating boom, which made sense due to people looking for new activities during the lockdown. As we moved toward the fall and winter, “dark academia” emerged, a style reminiscent of the preppy ’80s and 90’s New England upper-class style. It was tennis skirts, sweater vests, and Ralph Lauren. Spring emerged, and in a flash, Y2K was popular. This style remains popular still, most likely because it aligns with the 20 Year Trend Cycle, which states that every 20 years, the most popular style and culture will reemerge.
Now, as we head into 2022 with the twee epidemic on the rise, everything I know about the trend cycle is thrown off balance. Before this, everything could be played off as just “retro style,” but twee isn’t even ten years old. Has internet culture broken the trend cycle? What will this mean for actual trend forecasters and the fashion industry as a whole? What does this say about our generation?
I think it’s important to note that Gen Z is one of the most adaptable generations. As children that grew up alongside rapid technological advancement, we had to learn to grow and evolve at a much faster pace than most generations. While I believe it’s a benefit that we can easily adapt, I also believe that technological advances have permanently damaged us. We’re addicted to stimulation and our attention spans are worse than goldfish. Our pace of thought is faster than any other generation, which is better for innovation’s sake, but incredibly detrimental to everyone’s mental health. This has been expedited further through TikTok, and now it’s affecting our fashion.
Trends rise and fall at the drop of a hat, and it’s not at all sustainable to the future of fashion. Any progress made to the Slow Fashion Movement is lost on Shein and the microtrends of TikTok. I’m unsure of how the fashion industry will adapt as microtrends move too fast for proper collections. Fashion houses have already increased their collections to stay relevant, sporting upwards of four a year instead of the traditional two. What will differentiate high fashion from fast fashion if they increase the quality anymore?
I don’t know what the future of fashion will look like, but at the moment, I’m apprehensive. I don’t appreciate how fast we’re moving, but I hope a new mentality develops for a more sustainable future. While the trends continue to change, it’s important to remember that while it’s okay to buy this month’s trends, it’s better to think about your closet in the long run. That being said, I seriously hope the twee aesthetic doesn’t last too long before I start to think it’s a good idea because I really can’t go back to my Glee phase.
Words by Caroline Tetlow.
Graphic by Fai McCurdy.