Teens & 20s, fast fashion, instagram - YouLookFab Forum

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Teens & 20s, fast fashion, instagram

Peri

Veteran

So my friend told me something that floored me...confused me...made me sad. Her daughters have the attitude that you only wear things a handful of times, because everyone sends Instagram all the time and they are in all these pictures and after awhile you can't be seen in the same items over and over again.

She said that they would rather have 30 tops for $20 each than 6 tops of better quality. Basically, quality didn't matter when you intended to pass things on after wearing them 2 or 3 times. Enlightening insight into why the handful of kids I know have started to prefer ON, 21, and thrifting over JC and BR. And exactly the opposite of Angie's post today about getting the maximum use out of a small capsule of items.

All because of Instagram? Like they are all Hollywood now and can't be seen in the same thing twice. I could fall smack over about what that says about our culture, society, instant and easy everything. But what I would like to know is:

If you have kids...is this prevalent or just a small subset?
If you are a teen or 20 something...what do you think about this?
And has fashion really gotten to the point where even normal people should be embarrassed about repeating outfits? Is that why the WIWs always show different combos?

General

32 replies

Latest reply was from Suz

shedev

Veteran

I don't have kids, but I do work with a lot of twenty somethings and it really does seem pretty widespread.

T-Rex

Veteran

Wow. This is news to me. But since you have spelled it out, it makes sense that this is a "thing" now. If fast fashion weren't so readily available...well, that's what makes it "fast" I guess...then I imagine that young people would put more effort into styling their clothing differently, accessorizing in different ways, modifying their clothing, etc. Some do, of course, and "yay" for them.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Wow. I am stunned and saddened, too. I had no idea. I do have a daughter, but she is younger (13) and not interested in fashion anyway.

Thrifting is common around here, but more for the fun of it, I think, and the opportunities it presents for individualizing style.

I would think that kids with environmental knowledge and concerns would not go along with this.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Jesus. That's depressing. I hope my kids don't develop that attitude when they're teenagers.

Kristin L

Veteran

I feel like this is more teens/early twenties than late 20s. I'm 28 and I'd rather have fewer, nicer clothes than a bunch of cheap clothes that will only be worn a few times. When I was in my teens/early 20s, I did go for cheaper clothes because I could have more. However, I didn't (and still don't) care if someone sees me repeat an outfit.

For my WIWs, I typically only do new outfits because I don't think the comments will change too much.

rachylou

Veteran

Well, not in this house. But my people are serious about clothing and art, and I've no doubt passed that down.

Beth Ann

Veteran

Most of the 20-somethings I'm around are my students. I've noticed a trend toward dressing "up" and "better" in the last few years, which I like. Many of my students are engaged in inner city ministry or overseas missions. I have students in Uganda, Costa Rica and the DR right now. Seeing life in these countries moderates their closet stuffing, I think.

My kids are still 11 and 12, and I share my clothing budget only grudgingly. In my house, they'll have to get a job if they want to be spendthrifts, and even then, we'll require that they save a certain percentage of their funds!

Peri

Veteran

Now I'm wondering if this is a trend in other countries as well. Specifically France...the stereotype is that the French are so stylish and especially according to the Vivienne Files blog that they have small wardrobes of better quality and wear things for a long time and have no issues with showing the same clothes often. Of course, stereotypes are usually just true of a small group, but I've read this from so many sources.

Now I'm wondering if teens and 20s in other countries are changing as well.

Suz, I've heard kids say thrifting is good for the environment...now I'm wondering if that's just a cover and they are all just making sure they please the papparazi!

Thistle

Veteran

Interesting.

I work with a few mid-twenty somethings, and this was not something I encountered. But, you know, Accountants and Engineers. A different breed altogether.

It does make me sad, but thrifting does seem environmentally terrific, so there is that at least.

cobaltblue

Veteran

Hmm, I'm 29 and have never used Instagram. I wear the same pieces ad nauseam. I can't imagine wearing something only two or three times, unless it was an absolute mistake or maybe a wedding dress! $20 for two wears still sounds pretty pricey, CPW-wise, too.

catgirl

Veteran

Interesting and yes, sad on so many levels. Meanwhile I am veering more toward Angie's post today and a less is more attitude with my work wardrobe.

Laurinda

Veteran

The *retail* cost of clothing is so cheap, I can see that it would encourage the idea of disposability. $20? I picked up 2 T-shirts myself yesterday at ON on sale for $2.49 each, because I wanted to try out the neon trend. At those prices a teen could have 30 different shirts for $75, and if I were a teen or 20-something just finding my style I would have loved to have had that kind of a wardrobe choice. Bless those who enjoy it, but a 6-top capsule would bore me to tears today!

The *real* cost of clothing is the cost to manufacture it, store it, clean it, and in the end recycle or dispose of it and most people - especially teens - aren't thinking in terms of long-term consequences.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Peri, that's so interesting. Never heard of this before.

I totally support being done with an item after one season. I do that too. And by the same token I totally support keeping something for many, many years. I've had my Chanel bag for 20 years. I will never pass it on. And then there is all the stuff in-between.

I can understand the need to wear new stuff for instagram. The solution for this wardrobe strategy is to pass clothes on to each other to reduce the excess waste. This group of gals could have as much fun with clothing exchanges, thereby keeping looks fresh on instagram, and helping the environment.

I cannot speak for what is happening in Europe at the moment wrt Instagram and throw away clothes. Perhaps someone else can fill us in.

I have to say that my 81 year old Papa sprung to mind immediately here. He is the least wasteful person I know. He cannot understand why you would ever pass on anything that wasn't broken - and even then - he believes in fixing things until they cannot be fixed at all any more. That's what happens when you lived through WW2 in Europe. You had absolutely nothing during the war and for many years after the war too. Good grief. How times have changed.

Anyway. It's not a judgement, Peri. But merely an extremely opposite example.

Dawn

(website)

Yes, it is definitely a thing for many people my age to have as large a wardrobe as possible. That's where shops like H&M, Primark and Forever 21 win out.

Of course, the biggest problem is when you're on a budget thanks to unemployment, low income, etc., you often can't afford to make the big investments into decent clothes and have to buy low-cost anyway. They then wear out very quickly (I had a Forever 21 dress fall apart after 5 washes) and you have to replace them with more cheap threads. It's an unfortunate cycle that I can't seem to break out of at the moment.

kellygirl

Veteran

I think it's probably a subset. My DD's both Instagram and one has a YT channel about make-up and fashion. My youngest loves new things and doesn't like repeating more than once every two weeks. She's kind of like me in she wears the same silhouette and counters boredom by changing out the tops and shoes. My older daughter is starting to appreciate better quality and fit. She loves fast fashion but she's also started to realize that it's kind of nice to have nicer things that can be changed up by the addition of a belt, jacket or sweater instead of always looking for something new. She doesn't like to repeat the same outfit exactly but she will wear the same things differently. (I'm not sure if that is because of Instagram or not though.) I will say that they definitely wear their stuff more than a few times--we are a household of serial repeaters

T-Rex

Veteran

At least there are a few stores out there that specialize in buying and reselling used young adult clothing - which tends to be "fast fashion" mostly - around here. We have a Plato's Closet, as well as another, similar shop downtown that sells some new clothes along with the used. We are a college town, so having those two stores *plus* a plethora of thrift stores hopefully enables the people around here to resell or donate rather than discard.

Gaylene

Veteran

Somehow, given the throngs of teenage girls in the shops right now, this attitude doesn't come as any huge surprise. After all bloggers and celebrities seem to be able to pull off a new outfit everyday and "cheap chic" lets everyone join in the fun of sporting new trends and combinations--and everyone knows that purging your closet and sending off the unwanted stuff to the local thrift shop instead of tossing it into the garbage quietens down any environmental concerns.

I love this forum for so many reasons, but I also began to realize a year or so ago that I was starting to want and buy so many things just because I saw those items on this website in the WIWs and Angie's blog. I know my mother and grandmother would be appalled at the sheer volume of churning that went on in my closet in the last few years in my attempt to find my "personal style".

Angie's quiet message about her carefully curated closet sometimes gets a bit lost in all the excitement of a new season and new trends, but I'm starting to hear her voice more and more when I start thinking about my own wardrobe needs, wants, and "holes". From other comments on the forum, I know I'm not alone in my wanting to move in a more thoughtful and responsible direction. I find myself mentally applauding some of the comments on the K/R threads which encourage a poster to think a bit more before committing to a purchase. It's not easy to swim against the tide rushing through the shops this time of year, but I'd like to think that, if any group could do it, it would be this one. And maybe we might influence a couple of teenagers along the way.

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

My three girls are all teens, but not wasteful. They have a moderate consumption of clothes, and they both thrift and buy some fast fashion, but they wear everything to pieces. They are concerned about the environment and worry about the future & climate changes. In our area a lot of kids have very expensive clothes, and I think they wear them for a while - at least staples like jeans, shoes and jackets/coats. Some are big spenders, other not, but anyway I think Instagram definitely as changed the ways some look at fashion here as well. A sad development.

T-Rex

Veteran

Peri, this is a guess, so take it for what it's worth.

I'm betting that the trend in France is being slowed down by cultural norms, but that it's still probably happening. That's assuming that fast fashion is as ubiquitous there as it is here. If the ratio of fast fashion shops to higher quality fashion shops is lower than here, that may slow it down, too. I mean, if you are a teenager with limited transportation available, and the teen targeted, fast fashion clothing store is on the other side of town, there will be less impulse shopping at the very least.

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

This is not new. When I was growing up, the Popular Girls would brag that they only wore things Once. And they would go home and change into new outfits all the time. This was almost before the internet (I think I got internet at home in Grade 8 or so, and this started the year before).

Growing up, I didn't have a lot of clothes, so I wore the same thing very often (it wasn't good quality, but because of money and stuff, they were usually hand me downs), and I got teased and bullied about it. I did realize as a kid that the Popular people had clothes they can change very often, and I think they wore a lot of Club Monaco.

Thinking back, it's kind of silly to put nice quality stuff on kids who will just wear it once! I have lots of pics of me with my friends doing various things and it doesn't bother me if it's the same item of clothing, and it's started to bother me less even if it's the exact same outfit if it looks good.

Thinking about it now, I think the Popular Girls are still into fast fashion and believe that you need to have new stuff all the time. I guess some people just like lots of new exciting things

celia

Veteran

If I am being honest to myself and you, I try not to wear the exact same outfit when I meet the same group of friends for whatever function. I do update my wardrobe every season because I wore my items to death on the previous year or because I have 'holes' in my wardrobe.I do not, however, trow things out just because I have to have something new.

I know that ,back in the day, members of my family would alter themselves items so that they looked like something new for a party.

Instagram and facebook just made the process of 'keeping up ' faster and the 'fast fashion' culture that we live in subverted many of the commom sense aplied to clothes that was passed from generation to generation.

I know 20 somethings that live for posting pictures
on facebook and every time have a different outfit and I know some that
use the same items but simply style them in a different way.

Image and social networking is a part of our current lives and the
younger generations are answering to that challenge as well as they were
educated for it.

Isis

Veteran

My teen daughter and young son (age 17 and 20) have a strong ecological, sustainable, non-wasteful bent. They actually are more similiar to Angie's Papa and Ingunn's kids then what you describe (although they do post a lot of pics on facebook !) It doesn't matter to them if their clothes repeat. Both buy largely from thrift stores (because of recycling) and wear clothes until they are worn out.

I think many kids are thinking about the consequences of their actions for their future world.

Anonymous

We know people who won't be seen in an outfit more than once. Not only that, but they're nosey and have the nerve to ask how much we pay for things. As far as I'm concerned, it's none of their business how much we pay, and I think it comes across as snobbish.

I have 4 DDs, 3 of which are between the ages of 15 and 21. I didn't raise any of them to be this way and, as far as I know, none of them are. The 3 younger ones still live at home, and I can assure you they don't mind wearing their outfits more than once. I do the same. I think, really, it's all in how you raise them. My DDs don't have sparse wardrobes, and I'm certainly all for buying a new dress for a special occasion or whatever. That said, we always shop with the idea of wearing something multiple times. And the less times a garment is expected to be worn, the less I'm willing to pay for it. For example, I pay less for their dresses because they don't have very many occasions to wear them. I pay a lot more for their jeans, athletic shoes, etc. that get a lot of wear. For me, it's all about the CPW, and that's what I'm trying to teach them.

One of my DDs loves fashion and doesn't get as much wear out of her clothing as the others do. Because of this, I shop the less expensive stores--Kohl's, Plato's Closet, etc.--so as not to spend too much. One of my DDs really appreciates quality and loves stores like Express, American Eagle, Banana Republic, Hollister, etc. I don't mind paying more for her clothes because she gets years of wear out of each and every piece. And when she recently gained weight, she handed down some items to my youngest DD. The clothes fit her well and she loves them. She's young enough that none of the kids at her school know she's wearing her older sister's hand-me-downs. Like I said, in the end, it's all about CPW.

I'm becoming more and more picky about the purchases I make, especially now that I've lost weight and have replaced the necessary basics. I have everything I need for the moment, so I shop carefully to avoid future shopping mistakes.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I don't know, I see a little bit of that on here. Ever since I've changed my commuting look I repeat many items, eg striped Pendleton sweater. Overall the number of comments on my outfits has gone steadily down.
People are enthralled by the new, shiny objects.

DonnaF

Veteran

Because she doesn't take care of her clothing, I've made DD now age 19.75 buy her own clothes since HS. She doesn't use Instagram (no smart phone), but definitely buys fast fashion because she prefers quantity over quality and tires of stuff. She is a repeater, but some stuff doesn't hold up for more than a few wears. I am trying to show her what quality looks and feels like (I gave her my thrifted silk Equipment blouse that gaped when I sat down), but I don't think I will push much until after she graduates from college and is developing her work wear capsule.

Anonymous

This site is closely linked to fashion, which naturally is geared toward always having the next new thing coming in. Anna, just because you post outfits with repeats, I don't think you can tie that to lack of interest or participation on your threads.

There are new people coming to this site all the time, who probably haven't seen your past looks before. I certainly can only name a tiny fraction of your wardrobe. When you were posting commuting looks more often, even though you had common elements (like your shorts), you also managed to transform each look with your accessories etc. They all were worthy of comment, even for whatever reason people weren't commenting (do you even want comments?).

You lot are going to be absolutely SICK of my fall winter wardrobe because I only have a tiny wardrobe and it's all going to be repeats before long.

Marley

Veteran

I see this with my teen and early 20 nieces. They are huge fans of F21 and H&M - the clothes are trendy and cheap - they get bored with them quickly and/or they wear out. They also however, share all of their clothes with each other and their girlfriends. Many, many times I will comment on somthing that one of them is wearing and they will tell me that it belongs to so-and-so (a girlfriend/sister/cousin.) I think that (for them) buying the fast fashion is a great way to try out all of the trends - they're still trying to figure out what they like/don't like, etc. Also, getting bored with certain items so quickly has something to do with their developmental stage - they aren't all that equiped yet to consider quality over quantity. Also, because of the easy access to fashion on Instagram and blogs, they are exposed to so many more options - I'm sure that plays into it too! When I was their age I had so idea that there were all of those choices out there!

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I must have been such a hoarder . . . I'll admit to being surprised when a GF (in her 30's) had handed down some F21 shirts to me with the comment that they were the kind of thing you buy for just a season or two. That was about 5 years ago. I had honestly never thought of clothing in terms of a couple seasons lol! I figured, you bought it, you wore it, you kept it. Of course, I had a LOT of clothes amassed and only wore a portion of it in reality.
Now I can see how some items, especially trendier ones, could be bought with just a season or two of having fun with the style in mind. I have always craved variety and am one who rarely repeats exact outfits. I'll change up the shoes, or switch one color top for another. This is more for my benefit than fear of being seen in an outfit again. It's just more fun for me.

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

@ DonnaF - I wouldn't sweat it too much if your DD doesn't get quality right away. My parents are all about quality (especially my dad), and they tried to hammer this into me since when I was a kid, but it really hasn't sunk in until I was > 25. I remember when I was aged 19.75 I couldn't tell the difference in hand feel between silk and poly or rayon or cotton or anything, I just wanted BIG PATTERNS and BIG COLOURS and didn't really get why some things didn't fit and others did.

She's very lucky to have a silk shirt

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