Opinion: How Consumerism is Erasing Personal Style

 

Fashion has long been considered a form of self-expression. It is a reflection of individuality shaped by personal taste, experience and culture. But recently, personal style has been influenced by consumerist culture. Consumers are overwhelmed with choices. Yet paradoxically, they all seem to be wearing the same thing. The rise of ultra-fast fashion, led by companies like SHEIN, has accelerated the speed of trending styles. This reduces fashion to an algorithm-driven trend rather than personalized taste.
Ultra-Fast Fashion and the Death of Individuality
Brands like SHEIN have redefined the way fast-fashion functions. With thousands of new items added daily and production taking only days rather than months, the brand capitalizes on microtrends at an unprecedented speed.

Items that once took years to develop can now be mass-produced, shipped and discarded in weeks. The viral bow trend, for example, started as an aesthetic on TikTok to display vintage femininity. Almost overnight, SHEIN and its competitors flooded the market with mass-produced bows, sticking them to any possible garment and accessory.
Thrifting and the Commodification of Vintage Style
Thrifting has also been consumed by fast fashion. Styles that are popular to thrift get taken by fast-fashion brands. They then produce cheap imitations of these styles, reducing their original appeal and turning what was once unique into something oversaturated and disposable.

Even handmade items that independent brands spend months designing get stolen by fast-fashion brands and sold at an alarmingly cheaper rate. This cycle repeats endlessly: a niche subculture or aesthetic gains traction online, brands seize upon its style and within weeks, it’s commodified. 

Social media has only enforced this cycle. Algorithms shape the trends. TikTok and Instagram push curated aesthetics that encourage users to be consumed by fast fashion. Outfits are performed for an audience and optimized for engagement.
The Hidden Costs of Fast Fashion
SHEIN and its ultra-fast fashion counterparts have perfected this system. The company’s business model thrives on speed and excess, producing clothing at an unsustainable rate, ensuring that no trend lasts long enough to actually be enjoyed. The affordability and accessibility of these pieces make participation easy. When clothing is this cheap, it loses meaning; it becomes disposable, stripped of the emotional attachment that once defined fashion as an art form.

This doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of fast fashion’s ethics. The speed at which fast fashion companies operate comes at a significant human and environmental cost. Garment workers, often laboring under exploitative conditions, endure long hours for extremely low wages, with little to no protections in place. Reports of unsafe working environments, child labor and wage theft continue to surface, yet the demand for cheaper and faster fashion persists.

The materials used in fast fashion are just as concerning. These brands use synthetic fabrics like polyester, which are derived from fossil fuels and shed microplastics into the environment with every wash. The dyes and chemicals used pollute waterways, also contributing to environmental problems. While the low prices make these clothes accessible, they come with a hidden cost, one that underpaid workers and our planet pay.
Reclaim Your Own Personal Style
Maybe the future of fashion isn’t about rejecting trends entirely but about reclaiming them. We should not just wear clothes but rather wear them with intention. Personal style shouldn’t be dictated by internet cycles but rather by our own sense of self. Thrifting, upcycling and supporting ethical brands are ways to push back against the cycle of overconsumption. Fashion should not be another product of an exploitative system. By making more mindful choices, we can turn away from mass-produced style and toward something more authentic, more sustainable and more personal.

 

i.habib@dailyutahchronicle.com

@israbii