Gen Z | April 23rd, 2025
Gen Z Fashion Is Moving Too Fast for Its Own Good
By: Jaylin Alleyne
It is no secret: Gen Z is setting the tone for what’s hot in fashion. From TikTok aesthetics like “coquette” and “Instagram baddie” to niche internet styles like “indie sleaze” or “clean girl,” our generation is shaping what people wear at a pace never seen before. But in the race to be trendsetters, we might be running into a new problem—trends are moving so fast, they barely get a chance to settle before we are on to the next one.
Just a few years ago, a trend could last a whole season. Now, something can be viral on Monday and outdated by Friday. One day, everyone’s wearing sambas, the next it’s all about ballet flats and oversized headphones. Thanks to TikTok and other platforms, fashion inspiration is everywhere, and everyone wants to be ahead of the curve. But this chase for the “next big thing” is starting to burn people out—and not just financially, but personally.
So the question becomes, how do you develop your identity and stand out among the rest?
“It’s all about being authentic to yourself and developing your personal identity. Capitalize off on being authentic and being yourself,” said Kyler Andrews, a 3rd computer science major.
Fast fashion brands are feeding off this chaos, pumping out micro-trends with electrifying speed. That means more clothes being made, more being thrown out, and more pressure to keep up. It is not sustainable for the environment or our wallets. And while self-expression is at the core of Gen Z fashion, sometimes it feels like they are being told to reinvent their style every two weeks just to stay relevant.
“Fashion is really like a rollercoaster. After the ups and downs in trends, it ends, then starts again, though each time, it’s with new people,” said Louis Brown, a 3rd year Broadcast Journalism major.
Worse, we are seeing individuality getting lost in the shuffle. Ironically, in a generation that prides itself on being different, we have created a culture where everyone is trying to be different in the same exact way. Trends that start as subversive or unique are quickly watered down, commodified, and overdone until they lose their magic.
Fashion should be fun, expressive, and freeing. But if we are constantly chasing what is next, when do we ever get to sit in what feels like us?
It is time to slow it down. Embrace personal style over microtrends. Wear what you love, not what’s trending. Because when the hype fades—and it always does—the only thing that will truly stand out is authenticity.
