Influencer or Influenced

Are You Making Fashion Choices on Your Own, or Following Trends?

By Katie Zivley, Managing Editor

Before getting dressed in the morning and heading off to class, many students check TikTok to see the newest outfit trends.

With social media platforms taking over our lifestyles, we often get lost in the fact that we are becoming what society wants us to be rather than what we want to be.  We should be getting up and choosing what we want to wear and showing who we are.

“There are people who influence, and they become the influencers, and there are people who are influenced and follow the influencer,” said Margarita Baeza, a sophomore.

Some of us are at school, working a job, applying for summer internships or doing all the above. No matter what your daily life entails, you should never lose sight of your values and who you are.

“Our generation and people in today’s society are constantly being influenced and influencing others through social media,” said Patricia Duong, a senior.

Thanks to social media platforms like TikTok, new influencers show up daily on your feeds with new content to be inspired by. Lots of these influencers online became who they are today from watching videos of others influencing them. Although this is a great way to get inspired, you should also dress how you want to, and not just what society expects of you.

“It’s important for people to remember that not everything online is true,” said Duong. “It’s crucial to use social media responsibly and critically to evaluate the information we share and consume.”