Microtrends: What's on your TikTok Shop Today will be in the Ocean Tomorrow
Delaney Leigh
January 5, 2024
1.92 million tons, or roughly 4,232,875,434 pounds, of textile waste are manufactured each year.
Why? Microtrends: the styles that dominate the fashion market before inevitably ending up in a landfill a month later. A microtrend is a short-lived style, often popularized on social media.
As a recent example, after the release of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” which grossed over 1.4 billion dollars in the summer of 2023, the microtrend commonly referred to as “Barbiecore” emerged. The trend focused on vibrant shades of pink in a variety of different clothing styles from “preppy” to “grunge,” appealing to my peers of various personal styles.
Shein, a brand that has been involved in many alleged labor and mass production controversies, embraced Barbiecore, likely due to their involvement in fast fashion.
Fast fashion allows brands to quickly produce garments, often at lower prices than sustainable competitors, though production is often through corrupt means. Fast fashion is associated with labor abuse and harmful environmental impacts. It’s no surprise that this industry of fast fashion takes advantage of producing what’s trendy at the moment as microtrends are powered by fast fashion.
Microtrends are popular, and a phenomenon my peers and I are often tempted to participate in. Yet, while scrolling through my TikTok “For You” page, I cannot help but roll my eyes whenever a trend emerges such as Barbiecore because it seems that once a trend is around long enough to gain attention, it slips into oblivion never to be seen again. At their current short life spans, microtrends are economically unsustainable for the average consumer to consistently take part in, particularly when the old fads are often thrown out or never worn again. Apart from the economically unsustainable issues that come along with microtrends, the brands that mass produce many of the styles shown online benefit from the short-lived trends, whilst their workers and the environment suffer. However, there are ways to participate in microtrends without contributing to unsustainable fast fashion brands.
As mentioned before, Shein has been alleged to have taken part in many labor controversies. One controversy claims that in some Chinese factories, some employees work 18-hour days with few breaks. The compensation for the long days of work are poor as well. When wages are converted to USD, some workers earn as little as two cents per item. These low wages are likely not unique to the realm of fast fashion, as the rough estimate for fast fashion workers making livable wages is 2 percent. Only 2 percent make the amount of money they need to live comfortably.
Along with the inequitable labor difficulties, the environmental impact of fast fashion and microtrends is equally as unacceptable. Every year, of the 80 billion garments purchased by consumers, 85 percent end up in landfills. The excessive waste is only one of the environmental issues caused by microtrends; the effects on the world's oceans are severe as well. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the clothing industry, a large part of which is fast fashion, has “led to an estimated 1.4 million trillion plastic fibres in the ocean.” The microplastics of microtrends often contain toxic substances for marine life, with adverse effects, ranging from stunted growth to death. The attraction to fast fashion brands is often popularized through social media, leaving frequent social media users, many of whom are teens like me, quite vulnerable to the marketing attempts of fast fashion brands.
Buying trendy clothing at affordable prices may seem like a tempting offer to our generation. Fashion is frequently used as a form of expression, so buying trendy, affordable, fast-fashion clothing can seem appealing to those who like to closely follow fashion trends or experiment with different styles. Fast fashion, however, is not the only way to get reasonably priced, trendy clothing. As most teens don't have a large amount of money to spend on clothing, second-hand shopping can be a more sustainable option both economically and environmentally. With the increase in online second-hand stores, it has become easier to find exactly what you are looking for while shopping sustainably.
While switching up your style once in a while isn’t an issue, when excessive, your guilty pleasure “it’s cheap!” purchases can further disastrous, often irreversible effects of micro-trends. It is important for our generation to remain conscious of our consumption, learn about the brands we are supporting, and attempt to fight against some of the most pressing issues today, including climate change and unjust labor practices. So the next time a new style quickly arises on TikTok, think twice before buying that trendy piece.