The Paradox of Individualism in Fashion: How the Pursuit of Uniqueness Created a New Monoculture
Scroll through any social media platform, and the fashion landscape appears endlessly diverse. Hyper-specific aesthetics bloom and die in a matter of weeks. Micro-trends dominate TikTok and Instagram feeds, only to be replaced by the next “core” before most people can even adopt the previous one. Young people now build entire identities around references pulled from past decades—sometimes from eras they never lived through. On the surface, this appears to be a golden age of personal expression. Everyone is encouraged to find their niche, curate their own aesthetic, and differentiate themselves from the crowd. Yet the pursuit of individuality has produced a curious result: everyone is desperate to look different, but within each niche, everyone is starting to look the same. What Monoculture Used to Mean Monoculture once referred to a visible, shared fashion consensus. In the 2000s, the dominant looks were unmistakable: skaters in oversized baggy jeans and graphic tees, JNCOs and...