Article originally written for NUTS magazine, Issue II, February 2025
Deprogramming the trend cycle from a psychological vantage point
Please read this piece slowly, and re-read it if necessary, because this might come across to be a little tough love. If the problem is fast fashion, then the underlying issue is the trend cycle. Without the consistent desire to fulfill the latest trend, the motivation behind purchasing an item of considerably low quality, entangled with the adoption of willful ignorance for the item’s production, would be significantly decreased. In other words, the need that fast fashion fulfills no longer endures, which also renders moot the argument that the low prices of fast fashion are the main drive. Fast fashion exists within the same paradigm of reason which underpins fashion consumerism as a whole.
I asked ChatGPT to summarize the main driving factors of fashion consumerism. Accordingly, I was given these categories:
peer/social influence,
media and marketing,
perceived social status,
emotional fulfillment,
fear of missing out (FOMO),
seasonal trend cycles,
and individual expressions of identity.
Let’s focus on one at a time. Social and peer influence is a long discussed topic in the realm of drug habits. The proverbial, “would you jump off a bridge if your friends did it?” – reverberates enough times in popular culture to have lost meaning beyond its repetition. Also, maybe you would jump, if it looked fun. What remains, regardless of the final decision, is the original disregard for negative consequences. The choice to partake in drug culture is not usually based on careful consideration of physical, mental, emotional results. The focus is instead on the glorification of the moment, combined with the underlying drive to numb or dramatize. There comes a point in an addict’s life, when they realize how much pain they were in all along, and that they numbed themselves out of experiencing years. A mourning period follows, which for some, never ends. It’s a sad reality, but joy is discovered eventually through healing and rebuilding. An addict must leave behind their enabling peer group in order to care for themselves, because the sphere of influence within the group is not based on the individual’s new goals towards self-betterment. There is no room for bringing to light what was previously being numbed out together. In other words, there becomes a need for the individual to assert their needs over the inclinations of the group. To return to fashion, there exists a similar dissonance between the consumer and their actual needs. The question of whether a purchase is deeply resonant for the buyer is not being asked in a fast fashion setting. The only contingent factor is whether one’s friend group thinks the clothing is cool. Everyone participating in fashion wants to feel cool. But if your friend tells you that a shitty piece of child labour plastic makes you look good, are they really your friend?
Media and marketing are the next factors driving consumer behavior, and given the manipulative power of these industries, your friend is not fully to blame. It is no secret that the design of instagram, etc. is built to confuse the user into a basic reactionary and mindless state. Within this state of mindlessness, a stream of similar but unremarkable images gels into subliminal messaging, convincing the viewer both to buy a pair of tan cargo pants, and that it was their idea to begin with. It is extremely difficult, at this moment, to discern one’s genuine aesthetic interests from what social media is feeding the user. Many people are aware of this dynamic, but not able to detach from it. The practice of mindfulness can then be of great assistance, in order to disengage from the coercion of the techno-capitalist desires. Attention is a muscle, and those need to be built. Stimuli consumed has a relationship to self-control and passivity, so training the mind to hold sustained focus allows for agency. Misdirected attention can seep inwards spiraling into habitual rumination, multiplying unhappiness. What’s a common reaction to unhappiness? Consumption.
The third category of factors driving fashion consumerism is perceived social status. But actually, let’s talk about perfectionism. To be perfect is to be without flaws; untouchable. Attaining perfection is akin to obtaining security and protection from vulnerability. To be aware of one’s flaws, and to allow them to remain, is to be a potential victim. For example, the harrowing possibility of receiving negative judgements is potentially avoidable, via the appropriate purchase. This is an illusion of control, and the reason why it is so hard to stop, especially in the face of any formative experiences regarding hyper-criticality. Maybe it was years of it, or simply one isolated but especially painful incident, but the insults that stung will fester. This shame, this seed of a core self belief results in constant externalized comparison. The evils of over comparison to others is not a secret. It’s ok to be imperfect, or to not fit others' standards. Trying one’s best is the only thing needed for finding true fulfillment in life; hold on to that. The connection of self criticism to social status lies in our current capitalist hierarchy. At the top of the pyramid are the wealthy, the famous, the fashionable. It’s also ok to want that for oneself, and it’s counterproductive to be ashamed of one’s desires. The real dilemma worth criticizing, is to question what is truly driving these desires. That’s a whole year of therapy for some.
Chat GPT’s next two categories are emotional fulfillment and FOMO. These two are not really different from the others. Emotional fulfillment has been the consistent underlying driving factor, because humans are humans, and humans are irrational beings. Dealing with FOMO utilizes the same mental toolbox as social influence, because it requires prioritizing individual needs over group think. Plus, as with anything that gives FOMO, there is comfort in the fact that there will always be another “one”.
The final category is individual expression of identity, which is also somehow the stickiest to parse through. To truly self-express, one must feel completely free. Unfortunately, in current society, freedom is tangled with ideas of capitalist achievement and social status. One possibility for the rediscovery of freedom is the return to play. Play; as described by Donna Haraway is, “A raw opportunism, where things work stochastically to form emergent systematicities. It’s not a matter of direct functionality, but those that propose the possible-but-not-yet, or that which is not-yet but still open.” This could mean, living in the present is a necessity for truly moving forward. It could mean that letting things come and go easily actually creates more resilience. Maybe, making a weird random choice will go badly, and that’s fine. Maybe laughing about it will help to determine what to do next. This is not a call to return to childhood; only a reminder of what used to be possible, and what still is. The world is dark right now in many ways, so if there is any space for hope, why not go for it?
Anyway, this is all stuff I needed to tell myself. Hopefully it’s helpful for someone else too.