The double-edged role TikTok plays in fashion | Opinion

The op-ed below does not necessarily reflect the views of the University Daily Kansan and its members.

When I first learned that TikTok would be banned in the U.S., I have to admit I was a little relieved. Finally, an end to late nights of doom scrolling, endless TikTok shop ads and random brain rot terms peppered into conversations with my Gen Alpha brother. 

With the app back up and running after a few hours of being down, I can’t help but feel nostalgic for the app we almost lost, one that molded my adolescence— influencing the music I listen to, the movies and TV shows I watch and, most importantly, the fashion I wear. 

Like many industries, TikTok has, for better or for worse, revolutionized fashion, “upending the system Miranda Priestly [of “The Devil Wears Prada”] championed,” according to the Washington Post. The social media platform has been a catalyst for the defining trends of the 2020s or, depending on who you ask, the potential end to fashion as we know it. 

When I think of the negative impacts TikTok has had on fashion, I immediately think of microtrends. Characterized by their short length, microtrends proliferated on the platform. 

From the “mob wife aesthetic” to the “clean girl trend,” to the countless “must-have” pieces of clothing that became “unfashionable” after a week— the infamous green House of Sunny dress and Brazil baby tees come to mind–microtrends on TikTok have ultimately shaped the way consumers look at fashion, always causing them to search for the next thing and ultimately buy it. 

Where in the past trends shifted around every 20 years, TikTok, in conjunction with other social media platforms, has accelerated this; trends change month to month, sometimes even week to week. 

“[TikTok influenced consumers] never owned more clothes, they say, but the fear of being ‘cheugy’ in last month’s viral item often gives them pause before they even start dressing,” Sakshi Venkatraman wrote for NBC News. 

From here, you can see where the issues begin to unravel. 

With people quickly purchasing and purging new clothing, most of which comes from fast fashion companies like Shein, TikTok’s quick trend cycle has led to environmental and ethical concerns. 

The fast fashion industry produces 10% of total global carbon emissions, according to Business Insider. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, there is evidence of forced and child labor in the industry across multiple countries. With TikTok microtrends fueling this industry, these concerns have only been exacerbated. 

Besides the environmental impact microtrends have had, one of the greatest offenses to fashion TikTok has caused is the “death” of personal style. 

I put death in quotation marks because, of course, personal style is still very much alive, I know countless people who use TikTok and are still able to curate unique tastes when it comes to fashion. However, I think it can be said that people do tend to dress like each other more often, likely due to the prevalence of these microtrends imploring people to dress a certain way. 

“We are deep in the throes of IG-inspired style, without tastes dictated by what’s trending on our discovery page,” Chloe Chou wrote for Nod Magazine. The same sentiment can be directly applied to TikTok.

When I’m on the app, I often see posts asking what the “it” (bag/shoe/color/etc.) is going to be. While, of course, none of these queries began with or will end with TikTok, I do find it interesting that so many people have a desire to dress like everyone else, regardless of whether they actually like the style. 

It seems TikTok has traded personal expression for conformity. While many of these issues are prevalent on other social media platforms, like Instagram, the loss of TikTok will likely significantly reduce them. 

While I may seem antagonistic when it comes to TikTok’s role in shaping 2020s fashion, I would be a liar if I said that the app hadn’t had positive impacts as well. 

The fashion industry is notoriously difficult to break into, but TikTok has democratized this industry, allowing people from all walks of life to model their style and their takes on clothes and share their love for fashion. 

An estimated 1.6 billion people use TikTok every month across the globe; for every user who is striving for conformity to trends, there is another who unabashedly shares their unique personal style with the world. A perfect example is  “@tinyjewishgirl,” a creator who has amassed over 800 thousand followers and over 100 million likes, sharing her incredibly unique style with fans. 

TikTok became a place for fashion history education throughout its run; a place for designers and models to share their craft and a place for small fashion businesses to find clientele. With over 77 million videos under the “fashion” hashtag, the app is crucial for building a community around those who love the art of fashion. 

I have my doubts that TikTok will actually be banned in the long run and if it does, another app will likely take its place. However, only time will tell whether that app will be able to replicate the role TikTok played in shaping our modern fashion.