Photo by Wikimedia Commons
The current re-appearance of Y2K fashion is the perfect example of trends showing resilience. You might have seen your mom wear bubble-gum pink halter tops and chunky flip flops in her old disposable photos from summers in the ’90s, similar to what is popular in fashion right now. The re-emergence of trends illustrates how powerful and resilient fashion and pop culture can be.
Fashion and pop-culture trends can all be attributed back to social psychology. Social psychologists Henri Tajfel and John Turner came up with the ideas of in-group and out-group in their social identity theory, which examines the portion of an individual’s self-concept acquired from their membership in relevant social groups.
Being in the in-group is ideal, as a person sees themself as part of the “us,” while the out-group is the “them”. When generalizing this idea with fashion culture, the in-group can be seen as individuals who follow trends and the out-group as people who do not. A central hypothesis of social identity theory includes that group members of the in-group look for negative traits or aspects of the out-group to help enhance their self-image. Applying this to fashion trends and pop culture, this mentality could be why people follow trends set by celebrities or other people they look up to. Because these individuals are seen as relatively liked and superior, it is only natural that people desire to follow them. Trends and popular culture are not inherently bad or unhealthy for society. Rather, they can create a sense of “tribalism” or a herd, which gives people a sense of unity or harmony with each other.
Trends and popular culture are not inherently bad or unhealthy for society. Rather, they can create a sense of “tribalism” or a herd, which gives people a sense of unity or harmony with each other.
The reason why trends reappear every so often is due to many factors. There are only so many ways that fashion and pop culture can be altered. Once individuals no longer progress towards a goal, they tend to regress. Additionally, things that are trendy such as disposable cameras and video recorders are trends that younger generations were unable to participate in. Therefore, it only makes sense that people look up to older figures and try to mimic what they did. Thinking back to Selena Gomez’s Coach campaign around 2016, she used the infamous Huji filter on the promotional photos posted to Instagram. These few photos helped kick-start the retro photo trend, ultimately leading to the current photo trend which is disposable photos.
Another reason why people may be inclined to follow trends is that it works as a mental shortcut. By following what others are doing, it shortens and eases the thought process for someone. This was shown in a study by the infamous social cognitive psychologist Albert Bandura. In 1968 he conducted a study consisting of a group of children who were scared of dogs. Bandura had the kids watch a boy play with a dog. After the experimental group of children observed the boy happily playing with the dog, 67 percent of the children were willing to play with the dog. A month later, a follow-up study was conducted, and the children who were previously afraid to play with the dog were now inclined to play with the dog themselves. These children in Bandura’s study are a great example of how people observe other people’s behavior to create mental shortcuts in order to make decisions.
By following what others are doing, it shortens and eases the thought process for someone.
Imagine you are hectically getting ready to go out with your friends for a girls’ night out. You are not sure what to wear, so naturally, you will pick out pieces in your closet that are considered “in” or trendy to be cohesive with your friends. Within this group of girls, you will see staple trending fashion pieces such as oversized leather jackets or jean jackets, baggy jeans, leather pants, and mini skirts — all things considered trendy now and also in the ’90s and early 2000s. These outfits and trends that we wear separate us into in-groups that we desire to be part of, and it is all explained by social psychology.
European Journal of Social Psychology (1979). DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.2420090207
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (1968). DOI: 10.1037/h0025260
FAQs
Trends and popular culture are not inherently bad or unhealthy for society. Rather, they can create a sense of “tribalism” or a herd, which gives people a sense of unity or harmony with each other. Trends and popular culture are not inherently bad or unhealthy for society.
What is the psychology behind fashion trends? ›
Psychological Models of Fashion
Many psychological factors help explain what motivates us to be fashionable. These include conformity, desires for variety seeking, the need to express personal creativity, and sexual attraction.
What is the origin of trends? ›
The concept of trend in its original meaning has been used as a description for a turn or twist and was first used by economists and statisticians to describe an orientation in a curve; so that a rising curve from a data set was equal to a positive trend.
Why do people participate in trends? ›
Trends exist through a constant cycle of innovation and emulation. It's the way people embrace one another and interact with each other. People are obsessed with trends because joining a trend means you're part of a group; you are in, you belong. “Some changes are short-lived and they are normally called fads.
What do you call a person who follows trends? ›
plural trendspotters or trend-spotters or trend spotters. : a person who identifies and makes predictions about developing trends in the culture at large or in a particular field (such as fashion)
What are the three main influences on fashion trends? ›
There are certain factors that influence fashion, such as psychological factors, socio-cultural factors, economic factors, environmental factors, etc.
What are four factors that influence fashion trends? ›
Factors Influencing Fashion
- Social Factors.
- Cultural Factors.
- Political Factors.
- Environmental Factors.
- Psychological Factors.
The people responsible for deciding what's trending are called trend forecasters, and they focus on two specific types of trends: microtrends and macrotrends.
When did fashion trends become a thing? ›
The concept of trend started in the 14th century when the upper echelons of society demonstrated their social position and wealth also by how often they could change their looks. The characteristic of fashion trends is that they rise and fall.
What are trends based on? ›
Trend analysis can be based on a variety of data points, including financial statements, economic indicators, and market data, and there are several different methods that can be used to analyze trends, including technical analysis and fundamental analysis.
Trends makes us insecure on what we truly like to wear. They create social hierarchies and exclude people who can't afford to follow it. Trends make us forget what makes us comfortable and who we are. What about those of us who like to change their style and try on new items?
Why do people blindly follow trends? ›
People experience the bandwagon effect for various reasons, such as because they want to conform with others in order to gain their approval, because they believe that relying on the opinion of others is beneficial, or because they're motivated by additional mechanisms, such as the fear of missing out.
What do you call someone who doesn't keep up with trends? ›
nonconformist Add to list Share. Other forms: nonconformists. A nonconformist is someone who doesn't conform to other people's ideas of how things should be.
What is it called when you don't follow trends? ›
Nonconformist is defined by Lexico as: a person who does not conform to prevailing ideas or practices in their behaviour or views.
What will be the fashion trend of 2023? ›
2023 Style Trend: Oversized Everything
With oversized blazers and extra-large shirts trending on the TikTok For You page every other day, Rayburn predicts the oversized trend will only grow in strength next year, with even the bottom of our pants expanding.
What are the 3 theories of fashion? ›
There are three theories that explain how a fashion may travel to mass acceptance:
- Trickle-down theory.
- Trickle-up theory.
- Trickle-across theory.
Fashion trends are influenced by several factors, including cinema, celebrities, climate, creative explorations, innovations, designs, political, economic, social, and technological.
What are the 4 C's in fashion? ›
The 4Cs to replace the 4Ps of the marketing mix: Consumer wants and needs; Cost to satisfy; Convenience to buy and Communication (Lauterborn, 1990).
What are the 5 principles of fashion? ›
The five basic principles of fashion design include emphasis, balance, proportion, rhythm, and harmony.
What are the major factor of trends? ›
As stated above, trends are generally created by four major factors: government, international transactions, speculation/expectation, and supply and demand. These areas are all linked as expected future conditions shape current decisions and those current decisions shape current trends.
To accurately predict fashion trends one must observe and analyse social cultural movements to project a short, medium or long term impact on the direction of fashion. Trend forecasters use a mixture of intuition, research and data to create a scenario which they then communicate through writing and mood boards.
Do fashion magazines create trends? ›
Fashion magazines – those lifestyle trendsetters that we flip through every once in a while. They help us keep up with the latest trends of celebrities, designers, and fashion icons. What's the first magazine that comes to mind? Probably Vogue, as it creates trends that the fashion industry follows.
How do fashion trends get decided? ›
Trends today also originate from myriad sources, including celebrities and influencers, runways, textile manufacturers, social media, music, and more. Their appearance and disappearance are calculated by designers, but also by outside parties like stylists and trend forecasters.
How does fashion influence psychology? ›
Fashion can define our inner feelings.
It can also define how we are feeling on that specific day. Our moods change every day and sometimes more than once in that day. Our fashion choices bring those feelings to the forefront. As well as show our feelings feelings, fashion can also show our values.
How does psychology relate to clothing? ›
The psychology of clothing is complex and taps into culture, symbolism, neuroscience, sexuality and many more aspects of the human experience. Fashion and clothing influences behavior in multiple ways; our perception of ourselves, how others react to us, our confidence and self-esteem.
What are the physiological factors affecting fashion? ›
Physiological Factor
It includes age, skin color, body structure, height of the person, etc. With growing age, people change their choices. So, fashion is essentially guided by such principles as well.
What are the five basic psychological factors that influence fashion demand? ›
Match
- Boredom (restless and desire for change, demand)
- Curiosity (interest in change for own sake)
- Reaction to Convention (reaction to convention: rebellion or adherence)
- Need for self-assurance (be accepted)
- Desire for Companionship (seek a mate, get a group and dress a certain way)
