If Social Media Didn't Exist, Would You Still Dress the Way You Do?

Is your wardrobe a reflection of you, or the likes and follows you hope to get?

(Photo credit: Shutterstock)

With the rise of social media and influencers, how we discover trends and define personal style has drastically changed.

Instead of using fashion to showcase our individuality and personal taste, it has increasingly become a race to keep up with ever-changing trends, often leaving us feeling like what we have is never enough.

There’s a constant push to buy into the latest trends—not necessarily because they resonate with us personally, but to align with societal expectations and project a certain lifestyle. Fashion has increasingly become a tool to signal who we are—or, more often, who we aspire to be seen as—allowing us to communicate status, values, and group affiliation through our clothing choices.

When everyone is buying into the same trends, fashion becomes less about individual expression and more about signaling affiliation with a particular social group or lifestyle.

Identity theory, a psychological concept, helps explain this. People often adopt behaviors, styles, and habits that reinforce the identity they want to present. In fashion, this means adopting trends to feel aligned with certain social circles or aspirational lifestyles. But when everyone is doing it, where’s the room for individuality?

FOMO and the Pressure to Conform

FOMO (the fear of missing out) plays a significant role here. The constant exposure to trends and lifestyles on social media fuels the pressure to stay relevant, often leading us to make purchases driven by the desire for social approval rather than personal preference.

To be fair, this isn’t something social media created. Fashion has always been a way to signify social status and group affiliation. In medieval Europe, for example, sumptuary laws restricted specific garments, colors, and fabrics (like silk and fur) to certain social classes to reinforce distinctions.

However, social media has amplified these pressures, making trends and societal expectations more visible and influential than ever before.

Social Media’s Influence on Style

Social media often serves as a platform for social validation. The desire for likes, comments, and followers can push people to conform to what’s trendy or popular, overshadowing personal preferences and self-expression.

This ties into herd behavior, where individuals follow the actions of the majority, especially in uncertain situations. In fashion, this means people are more likely to adopt trends simply because they see others doing so, rather than because it reflects their personal taste.

Social comparison theory also plays a big role here. People naturally compare themselves to others, especially those in similar social circles, using these comparisons to measure their own success, attractiveness, or social standing. When you scroll through Instagram and see influencers or peers wearing the latest trends and styles, you may feel compelled to follow suit to avoid falling behind or feeling inadequate.

Inspiration or Imitation?

If you ask fashion lovers why they buy what they do, the typical response is that they want to express their creativity, individuality, and personal style. But is it really self-expression if you’re simply recreating an outfit you saved on Pinterest or saw your favorite influencer wear on TikTok or Instagram?

Is it truly about your creativity if you’re buying the same fill-in-the-blank item because everyone in your social group has it, uses it, and posts about it?

We’re living in an era where it’s easier than ever to copy rather than create something authentically yours. The ability to curate a digital image has created overwhelming pressure to conform.

But when everyone is shopping from the same brands, following the same influencers, and filling their carts with the same Amazon or Revolve products, it raises the question: Is fashion still about creativity, or has it become about fitting into a prepackaged lifestyle?

Finding Self-Expression in a Trend-Driven World

Does copying looks really mean a lack of individuality?

For many, seeing an outfit on Pinterest or TikTok serves as inspiration, not imitation. Not everyone has the confidence or skills to put outfits together from scratch, but when they find something that resonates with their personal taste, copying it can actually help them express their style.

Maybe it’s not about where the inspiration comes from—it’s about how well it reflects what they genuinely like. Self-determination theory highlights this internal motivation, suggesting that when people feel their choices reflect their authentic selves, they experience more satisfaction.

Fashion has always been about adapting trends to fit your personality. Even if someone follows an influencer’s look, they can still express creativity by choosing outfits that align with their personal sense of style.

Are You Driven by Self-Expression or Social Pressure?

In today’s world, where influencers, social media, and capitalism shape our style choices, it’s easy to lose sight of what fashion truly means to us.

Is it still about expressing creativity and individuality, or has it become more about fitting in and being noticed?

If social media didn’t exist, would you still dress and shop the way you do? Would your style choices be the same if you weren’t influenced by what’s trending online?

Ultimately, what does your wardrobe say about you—and is that message coming from you, or from the likes and follows you hope to get?

Leveraging Social Proof to Drive Sustainable Choices

As social media continues to shape our style choices, it’s worth asking: are we dressing to express ourselves, or to fit into an ideal constructed by likes, follows, and trends?

For many, the pressure to align with societal expectations and project a certain lifestyle or group affiliation through clothing choices has transformed fashion from an individual pursuit to a communal signal.

But what if sustainable fashion could leverage this influence for positive change?

If consumers are shopping not purely from personal preference but for social validation, social proof becomes a powerful tool for sustainable brands to resonate with consumers’ desire to belong.

By strategically embedding social proof, sustainable fashion can become just as desirable, on-trend, and reflective of shared values as mainstream fashion.

In the full article, I share four actionable strategies that help sustainable fashion brands compete with mainstream fashion in terms of desirability and perceived value. Unlock these insights by becoming a paid subscriber.

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