Fashion to a teenager is a double edged sword: a joy wrapped up in a dilemma.
Picture this.
The alarms blares on your bedside table and you wake up today with the conviction that you are not going to be late for once.
You run to the bathroom, brush your teeth and shower in record time but as you come out you spot ‘The thing’.
‘The thing’ is your wardrobe and all your conviction goes out the window because there’s only one thing on your mind now.
‘What on Earth do I wear?’
Unsurprisingly, one of today’s teenagers' most recurring questions is the question of clothes.
Having graduated from the gaudy tops and rainbow leggings of childhood, teenagers are exploring what fashion means to them and giving rise to new trends.
So what is Gen Z’s most prominent style and how can you find something that fits you?
Given the rise of social media, teens are more spoiled for choice than ever before.
Fashion, for Gen Z, is something of a patchwork quilt- indeed a nice benefit of globalisation but on the other hand, it can create a bit of a dilemma for a fresh on the scene teen.
To find a more concrete answer regarding Gen Z aesthetics, a survey was conducted on people between the ages 13 and 25.
The survey named Dark academia as Gen Z’s best-loved aesthetic, followed by Light academia, Street-wear and Baggy Jeans respectively.
Upon being asked why she thinks Academia tops the charts, 17-year-old Saisha Retnasingam replied, “Partially because of TikTok and stuff.
“I feel like it's very Gilmore Girls, Rory Gilmore.
“Associated with lots of books and characters… popular in the media.”
The academia aesthetic indeed seemed to derive from characters like Elle Woods and Rory Gilmore in TV shows, featuring frequently on Pinterest.
The survey’s results could be seen to shed light on which shows serve as entertainment and which figures act as inspiration to 2020s teens.
Saisha agreed, stating that to her, fashion was a way to express yourself and “you can just really tell people's personalities and interests from their style.
“A lot of people like homemade jewellery… DIY sort of clothes.
“You can just really tell it's unique to them and genuine to them.”
Her own top styles, she said, are “the downtown girl aesthetic" and "a whimsigoth, Phoebe Buffay sort of style.”
The Friends fans must be delighted.
Now for the second million dollar question: how do you find your fashion sense?
Saisha tipped that she found hers, “through a lot of exploration and bad choices.
“And also a lot of Pinterest.
“Exploring lots of different styles until you kind of find what feels comfortable to you.”
There you have it.
Something that helps to get the ball rolling on the question from your hypothetical morning.
‘What on Earth do I wear?’
Hopefully something that comes from the heart, because if you learnt anything today, it’s that your fashion choice is a fingerprint- it’s unique to you.
