The following is an article I wrote for NYU’s Embodied Magazine for the upcoming print issue. I really love the piece and wanted to share in on here as well!

Aesthetics create small boxes that people are supposed to simply morph themselves to fit into, but humans don’t fit into a singular category. It should not be an expectation that everyone fit the “clean girl aesthetic.” Promoting the concept that everyone should change their appearance, home, and belongings to fit into what are essentially micro-trends disregards the financial burden that changing your entire lifestyle requires. Aesthetics water down the human persona to a few generic traits and interests.

Humans are multifaceted and intellectual beings that are capable of being interested in many subjects. A person should not be defined by whether they like the gym or shopping or reading, because it is possible to like all three at the same time. 

One interest, one color, one genre of art should not define you. 

There is a common conception on the internet that it is necessary to subscribe to an aesthetic in order to be cool and fashionable, but I very much disagree with this statement. 

Aesthetics are designed to recreate the style of someone else. They are often modeled after celebrities or characters, but they are not unique or innovative. Aesthetics start as someone’s unique style, but quickly turn that individuality into mass-market trends. Social media and the popularization of aesthetics praise the people who spark trends, and simultaneously discourage people from expressing their individual identities. New trends cannot be created if individuality is suppressed, which leads to us seeing the same trends recycled decade after decade.

In the world of aesthetics, “It Girls” represent the peak of individuality, setting trends for the rest of us to fall in line with. Fashion is a form of art, purposed as a mode of expression and creativity. Following the trending style set by an algorithm takes away the essence of the art. There is nothing wrong with deciding to dress in a certain inspired style or manner, but there is something wrong when we as a society deem someone not worthy of being considered fashionable because they choose to express themself rather than follow the crowd. Individuality is what creates progress, it fuels the future, so why are we trying to wipe it away?