Opinions on aesthetic culture?
- Locked due to inactivity on May 24, '22 3:54am
Thread Topic: Opinions on aesthetic culture?
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How do you guys feel about certain clothing styles and cultures like e girl or boho being popularized?
I personally think there's a strong distinction between aesthetic expression and cultural identity.
As someone who grew up deep in the metalcore and emo community I was personally kinda offended by the e girl scene because I felt it really had little regard for the cultural values of the styles it appropriated. It overly sexualized something that was build by a community of people bonded by their life experiences and music.
If I saw a random person wearing any sort of clothing just cause they liked it it wouldn't bother me, but watching hundreds of girls wash out all the culture behind their monthly fad just to toss it away when the next thing comes along really irks me. Like I would've spent months saving up for those demonias you bought for a month and then called "cringe."
Again, I'm not personally offended by how individual people chose to present themselves and I never intend to assume someone's experiences or cultural identity, but specifically fast fashion and TikTok maddens me to no end. It feels cheap since most of the time the people appropriating the styles know very little about the cultural history behind it.
I'd like to get your perspective on it though! Am I being judgy? I do that more often than I'd like to think! There's always a fine line between gatekeeping and disrespecting others and people tend to disagree where that line is quite often. -
On the flip side, just the other day I found a bunch of redditor saying a hippie was culturally appropriating dreadlocks and that confused me to no end lol. That would be the last thing I'd consider appropriation since there are
shared values in dreads across many different cultures. -
100% agree on all your points here.
Which honestly is one of the reasons I dress so plainly. I don't pretend to know the associated cultural identity of a look I might otherwise attempt, because I don't know. Honestly I wish I did, maybe then I could find more people I could relate to. But I have no idea how to learn about that kind of thing.
So instead I just wear jeans that I like the look of and keep my associations to the band tees and Starset wristband I wear. Other than just liking it, I also wear my hair long since as a guy that tends to have an association with listening to heavier music. And...that's about it.
Also idk what the deal with reddit is but people say all kinds of ridiculous things on there, so I'm not surprised about that one lmao -
I hate fast fashion. Like I literally HATE it.
Suddenly something is popular because of some viral TikTok, and then the clothing product is sold out. For like a week, and then suddenly it’s not trendy anymore, and people are never gonna war the clothes that they bought. -
I personally can't stand e girl for that very reason.
And as expressed on social media, people think that goth means walking around like you never wash your face or fix your hair, always being depressed, cussing people out, and obsessing over murder. This paints a very bad picture of the gothic community, which I am proudly a part of, myself. What we have deep understanding for is only a mockery for the people walking around here talking about how goth they are because they flipped their parents off, listen to heavy metal, and dress in literal rags. -
I've been alt/goth since my preteens- but I'm actually personally open to new sub genres of fashion that takes inspiration off gothic style or more. I adore fashion sm. I personally enjoy aspects of egirl clothing style and use it myself sometimes. Just the fashion aspects to it. Obviously gothic culture isn't limited to clothing style, so you can be goth while trying other fashion but anyway.
I disagree with certain aspects to egirl fashion. Like the sexualization of it. I think it's wrong, especially because egirl fashion takes inspiration from a lot of Asian fashion too- but I have no issue with other people wanting to find a new style to express themselves with and which they think looks cute on them as long as they're not being offensive with it by sexualizing it. Whats interesting to me about egirl fashion is, when plainly speaking about only the fashion itself- is how many different influences u can really see in it and I think it does show a part of teen culture today.
I dislike fast fashion trends though- where something will be cute for a week and ur lame if u don't have it and then the next week ur lame if you do have it. That part I really dislike, but for some girls I also acknowledge that it's just part of their journey to finding themselves and what works for them or trying to fit in and belong somewhere. Instead of getting pissed at girls switching their style up, I prefer to approach the issue of why female fashion is so quick to go in and out of being desirable and not desirable for young girls. I adore all the different fashions that get created. I don't really get why some people in the alt community have to be so snobbish towards newer sub genres or new people trying to find their place in it. I don't get why we can't embrace these newer kids and help them learn about the cultures and genres instead of get angry at them and shun them for it and then question why they don't think the fashion is cool anymore and how they can cycle through it all so quick -
I'm not an expert, so here's my amateur opinion. I also may count as one of the types of people you're talking about so here's my side.
As long as you aren't harming/making fun of anyone, I think it's okay! Self expression comes in many different forms, and I think that's something to be celebrated!
Maybe it's because I have a certain aesthetic partly because I think it looks pretty, and don't really interact with the culture side of it. But it makes me feel good when I wear stuff that matches my aesthetic. And I think I should be allowed to feel good while wearing something. I'm not bashing anyone, and I don't try to be someone else. I want to be me, in a certain aesthetic because I feel it's personal. Maybe it's just me, but while I'm not in the "culture" of pastel per say, and I do think it looks pretty, it is more than that to me.
I feel a personal connection to it, and it helps me cope with my trauma. It makes me feel safe. And I don't see why others should condemn me for wanting to feel good about myself because I didn't look into the "culture" of it. I like what I like, and I don't think we should put ourselves in boxes.
As for "fashion" changing every week, that's a mess. But that's not how I view fashion. I don't really think fashion is about what is "in" and what is not. I think it's about self expression through what you wear. It's wearing yourself on your body, as if you were a canvas. So, I really don't believe in "popular" and "what's in" for fashion, because to me, that's not what fashion is. Maybe I'm the one in the wrong, but that's how I see it.
Anyways, those are my thoughts! I wanted to add a separate opinion because I thought it would spice up the thread a bit. -
Agree with all of you actually including pag! I think a lot of aspects of e girl fashing is freaking dope. A total double edged sword.
On one hand I was maddened to no end that what I was bullied for growing up became cool suddenly. I also felt a little lost in my own identity because what I had spent my whole adolescence building for myself and discovering suddenly became the norm and not interesting or unique anymore. That happens with a lot of styles so it's not a huge deal, but people would call me an e girl and that bothered me for a short period.
But on the other hand, from an aesthetic perspective I loved the fashion. Like acrimony said I loved all the different cultural influences. From a purely aesthetic standpoint I think e girl fashion really captures a lot of the best values from many of it's preceding influences and that's dope. It was also kinda cool to be able to go into any clothing store and find stuff I liked for a bit. Really the only problem I have with the scene is the lack of respect for those said influences.
As far was what's Pag saying I totally agree with you! As an individual you're allowed to express yourself however you want and that's totally cool. I don't think anyone owes the world and explanation and a written essay as to why they're dressing a certain way. Fashion is supposed to make you feel good so if you've found what makes you feel good you should wear it. My main issue is with trends and gross generalizations, not individual identities. -
I'm very into the fashion world and one thing that's standard across all major designers and fashionistas is that they know fashion history. The create a look and are very quick to say "I was inspired by this person." And they have a strong understanding of what and why certain things became popular
That is why I dislike fash Fashion. It's cheap and immatates great styles without putting any thought into the who what and why.
Punk fashion was formed as an necessity for the scenes. As a cultural reaction to the sterile world around them. If I imitate it I want it to be a solemn nod to the people who pioneered it because I respect them.
Respect is important! Express yourself however but you should respect the people build your style.. -
I agree strongly with Pags points as well. They put a lot of what I was thinking into words
Out of curiosity, how do you guys feel about those who cannot afford to shop outside of fast fashion merchandisers? Many people want to get into the scene and fashion but they don't have the expenses to shop at proper labels or buy genuine products (as opposed to fakes and knockoffs) should they be excluded from the aesthetic until they can afford it because fast fashion is a bit problematic for brands and problematic for the environment and work conditions? Or is there an exception for them? I see this debate online alot from people arguing you should be allowed or should not be allowed and etc etc -
That's such a complicated issue! A lot of YouTubers explain it very well. If someone can only buy fast fashion then I absolutely get it. Clothing is one of the most wasteful and damaging industries and it really sucks. In the past people used to have less clothing but it was all well made and repairs were more common. Trends used to last for longer periods of time because of how long it took to circulate information. Now with the Internet, the lifespan on trends is shortened and since many countries are dealing with late stage capitalism and bubble economies, many brands are focused on pumping out cheap new content for maximum profits and thats very damaging to the environment
Again with the late stage capitalism stuff though, I can't hardly afford to buy expensive clothing that has actual value and is well made and very few people can! It doesn't help that much of the thrifting scene has turned into scalpers either.
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