Alternative fashion, including punk, grunge, goth, and emo, for decades has been a constant force for many to exemplify their beliefs of values against the cultural norms of fashion and lifestyle of their respective eras. That said, what happens when those alternative styles become mainstream? Thanks to the internet and social media, especially TikTok, alternative fashion styles have gotten so big that they’ve become prominent fashion trends.
The unfortunate side effect of this is that these fashion styles have become whittled down into generalized boxes by the general public. It is to the point that they are lacking the flair and countercultural angle that they had in their early years. That isn’t to say that people who practice what these alternative styles were originally meant to do don’t exist; it’s only that sticking to aesthetics has seemingly superseded any uniqueness in these styles.
Alternative fashion isn’t always meant to be palatable for general audiences. Creativity, uniqueness, and the confidence of presenting however you feel like is what truly sets a person apart. In the past few years, being low-key and not cringe has been a leading factor hindering the creativity and expressiveness in these styles.
To truly be alternative in the current year, people should push to be more genuine about their fashion preferences and try to explore styles that don’t fit the boxes people expect when looking at these styles.
That isn’t to say that dressing in toned-down versions of these styles is bad, but variety is important.
