A common statement among young girls when figuring out what outfit to wear to an event often is, “Is this too much?” We find ourselves worrying about if we are overdressed or if a certain piece does not exactly match the vibe of everyone else. Now more than ever, anxiety stems from fashion and we have a desire to fit into the box.
Fashion is supposed to be about expressing ourselves in the way we would like to. There should not be stress or anxiety when it comes to choosing an outfit that could be a statement or overdressing for an event. If we feel confidence and joy in an outfit, there should be no question surrounding if we should wear it or not. If fashion has always been about the individual and their style, how did we land in this problem?
Like many new-found sources of stress, social media remains at the base of the problem. Younger individuals have greater access to seeing what the newest trends are, what has fallen out of style, and what everyone else is wearing at their age. Rather than focusing on our personal likes and dislikes, we are shifting to keeping with the trends and choosing our outfits based on them.
We all love seeing the latest trends and styles, but the downfall of them is they can remove individuality and uniqueness from what we see in the fashion world. There is less diversity within our clothes and accessories, and a lot of repetition regarding outfits. Because of this, we feel the constant need to dilute our outfits in order to keep on trend, therefore worrying we may be “too much.”
Social media and online fashion trends are not going anywhere anytime soon. However, the new generations need to be reminded of why the world fell in love with fashion: expression and individuality. Without these, there is no fun when it comes to fashion and outfits. If you love a certain shirt that is covered in a bright pattern, or that chunky gold necklace that can be spotted from a mile away, wear it and radiate confidence. Your outfit is never “too much”–the audience is too little.
