Hello and welcome back to my blog! My Inquiry question for semester two is, “Where has true originality and individuality gone; is our society slowly losing authenticity within the constant urge to follow trends?”
I chose to do an Inquiry question regarding individuality as I find the topic to be extremely fascinating, especially in our modern day society. Whether I’m walking around in a shopping outlet, or sitting in class, I always notice a common pattern within the majority of people; identical apparel. As social media has grown at rapid rates, it is very easy to view new trends that surface. With millions of people being active on a variety of different platforms, it makes it almost difficult to ignore the content made regarding fashion and beauty products.
With that being said, in order for a trend to go viral, it first must be made by an individual. Therefore, one has to come up with an original idea to spread the word. I’m curious as to why we feel the need to follow trends based upon others and whether there is a sense of belonging when we associate alongside the majority of people within the community. For example, going out in public, from an observers viewpoint, it almost feels like some people are an exact carbon-copy of another. Currently, many hoodies and sweatpants are popular. A common item to view is an Aritzia hoodie and sweatpants. An item may come in a variety of different colours, but the overall piece is essentially the same. So, when we view the same products routinely, it may spark feelings of desire for the same clothing item; in the sense of fitting in with the vast majority. By no means am I against certain items such as hoodies or sweatpants because understandably so, they’re very comfortable. Although, seeing the same products over and over again makes the public feel mundane; lacking excitement and originality.
My goal with this Inquiry project is to identify how trends are made and how much of an effect it has on people who view and interpret it. In addition, I also hope to discover what differentiates trend setters vs. followers, and how some people feel the need to express themselves in an identical fashion as others. Moreover, I will research about individuality and compare our present day society to the past; exploring whether individuality rates have increased, decreased, or remain at static levels. I hope to learn more about this complex subject matter as it is very intriguing to think about. On a personal level, I definitely see a correlation between social media and a decrease in originality, so it will be extremely interesting to take a deeper look at different studies being conducted. I look forward to dissecting this subject matter within my three rounds of research, and aspire to educate myself further with regards to originality.
“Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.” – Brené Brown
Thank you very much for reading, and I hope that this topic relates to a characteristic of your life that you find important!
-Vanessa Vukovic