As the daughter of a former stylist who has worked in the fashion industry for as long as I can remember, I have spent my life in crippling fear of being called the meanest insult in the fashion community: basic. As a kid, I worshiped Parker Posey’s layering skills, ditched hoodies for my favorite Gwen Stefani Harajuku leather jacket and dreamed of the day I could compete with Sarah Jessica Parker’s iconic outfits on Sex and the City.
In short, a “unique” style was everything to me. I started thrifting statement jewelry, scouring Pinterest for out-of-the-box outfit inspiration and altering almost every single shirt I owned out of terror that someone else would wear the same one as me. However, as I entered my junior and senior years of high school, it became exhausting. Putting effort into my style no longer seemed worth it to me, and I found comfort in massive trends and minimalist pieces. Neutral sweats became my favorite outfit and fast fashion advertisements plagued my phone. I was caught in a tug-of-war between being desperately unique and effortlessly basic.
This fashion journey of mine is not unusual. Teenage girls all over the internet have been voicing their struggles to step outside the bounds of trend cycles. They finally find a style, brand or accessory that sets them apart, post in it and watch the rest of the crowd take it by storm, dragging them back to the mainstream.
The truth is, everything is basic now. In an era of overconsumption, unrelenting cycles of microtrends and sharing every aspect of ourselves on social media, nothing stays unique for long. The only solution (other than gatekeeping, the biggest fashion crime of all) is to tune out the debate around a unique style versus a basic style altogether. Instead, focusing on finding personal style is the only way to feel confident in one’s wardrobe, image and skin. In an era where people are always trying to turn themselves into one brand that fits into one mold, break the mold completely.
The first step is to stop feeding into ever-changing fads and consumerism. People should wear or alter the jeans that went out of style three years ago. They need to buy from small, local clothing shops or thrift stores instead of ordering whatever most people wear on Instagram right now. They should layer the mismatched jewelry that they cannot decide between and see what works. Experimentation and fun, not comparison or imitation, should be the driving forces behind a sense of style. Uniqueness is basic — personal style will never be.
