Fashion Trends: Why Do People Feel a Need to Follow Them?

Fashion trends have always been ever-changing, along with the changing times. They are one of the biggest indicators of sociological, political, and economic conditions of a specific place in a particular time. Fashion trends will always be in our lives because clothing, as well as self-expression, is a basic survival need. And as humans continue to evolve, fashion trends also will.

Madonna, 80's fashion icon

Fashion trends, or trends in general, are a natural byproduct of society’s overall energy or vibes. They are like waves in the ocean most people can’t help but get carried away by. And for most people, following fashion trends are like going with the flow or surfing the waves – it’s exciting and it just feels like the right thing to do at the moment. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with following fashion trends as it somehow indicates wanting to belong.

There are also people who are anti-trend, deliberately going the opposite way of where the waves are going towards. They care a lot about trends, but they feel more excitement in being oppositional and subversive.

And there are those special ones who are not pro-trend or anti-trend, but know what their personal styles are and they stick to them for most of their lives. These people become iconic and known for the distinct way of dressing themselves, irrespective of what’s in or out in current fashion trends.

In general, I see the act of following current fashion trends as an attempt to be present in society and staying relevant. It is an attempt to connect to the majority, and a subtle way of saying, “I want to connect with people through my clothes.” And whether we follow fashion trends or not, styling ourselves is a very beautiful thing. As our bodies are our God-given temples, it is nice to decorate them nicely with different kinds of fabrics.