You said you wouldn’t do it, and you did a half-cock smirk (eye rolls included) to anyone who DID do it.
What am I talking about? TikTok. That app we all swore we would never download. And if we DID download it, it was just to see what all the hype was about. And then all of a sudden, our days are spent trying to come up with creative TikTok ideas and go viral.
No matter what stage of TikTok immersion you are in, the reality is… you’ve spent a bit of time on there by now.
And you’ve probably noticed a nauseating amount of dancing, and a few** persistent fashion trends that magically appear across the platform as if it was some co-ordinated high school pep rally…. But, for TikTok.
Now, let’s first begin with a bit of vocabulary that you should probably know. Ya know, because you’re now a part of youth culture and all.
Now, most of these terms have found their roots in popular culture outside of TikTok, and have just found a very pleasant and warm home within the app. If I’ve learned anything about Gen Z while being on the app, they too like to embrace their own identity.
I mean, as a millennial we had to have a designated color. Millenia pink, and boy was it a “thing”.
And just like Millenials, Gen Z also wants to have their thing, so they have fully embraced these terms and identifiers akin to saying “i’m a brunette” or “ I am __insert age here___. They are viewed as personality markers.
Why should you care? Well, you don’t have to. Go on about your day or just skip to the part where we discuss TikTok Fashion trends… But, I think this helps paint a very visual picture.
Vsco Girl: This term has been used to describe Instagram people AND now TikTok people. It’s basically a very specific mood consisting of easy fashion like oversized t-shirts and jean shorts. Puca shell necklaces, scrunchies, and hydro flasks. It’s “effortless fashion” meets California 90’s vibes.
E-Girl: An evolution of what we as millennials considered “emo”. But with a modern twist. A girl with pink eyeshadow and winged eyeliner, with a typical layered fashion look. Most likely a long sleeve shirt with a layered graphic t-shirt on top. They can wear vans, beanies, or even ball chains, and consider themselves “edgy”. Flirts with Lolita vibes and anime sometimes has hearts painted under the eye.
Soft Girl: Think of all those dreamy, girly silhouettes with just a little bit of 90’s nostalgia. They love hair clips and headbands, lots of pink/blush tones. They love cute tanks, pastel colors, and anything with feminine details. Chunky white sneakers also make the list. Lip gloss and subtle sparkle tones. They are kind of the opposite of an e-girl, as they want to look cute, and approachable, sweet even.
Ok, now that we have some of the terms out of the way…. let’s dig into the fashion trends that have magically taken over TikTok.
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TikTok Fashion Trends
Half Bleached Jeans
Not only are these jeans EVERYWHERE on TikTok. But there are also a million videos showing you how to make them. [ hair accessory trends like the hair scarf]
I did it, and here is my video and results. To be fair, they are pretty chic. And a great summer aesthetic.
@gabriellearrudadesign
Bleaching my jeans- do you think they turned out? ##howto ##fashion ##bleachedjeans ##stayathome ##keepbusy ##tiktokfashion
♬ Alice in Wonderland – Joanna Wang
Oversized T-shirts
@addisonre@zach..vance♬ After Party – Don Toliver
Worn casually and with jean shorts or even bike shorts, these shirts are a TikTok staple. While “showing skin” seems to be a prevalent trend on Tiktok, modest and oversized items are also present. Oversized t-shirts are a popular clothing piece and they seem to portray that effortless, easy beauty preferred on TikTok.
Where Instagram is more polished and more “put-together”, Tiktok focuses more on the easy-going beauty. That includes a lot of casual fashion pieces, like oversized t-shirts. Bonus points for 90’s vibes or brands like Adidas and Champion. [ 14 ways to wear a white t-shirt ]
Crop tops
@charlidameliopls lmk who made this dancr♬ original sound – samantha_long_
Cropped tops seem to be key in the TikTok stratosphere. While I know TikTok is diversifying rapidly in terms of the age range, and I myself do LOVE a good crop top. I can’t help but wonder if the crop top trend has to do with the age of a lot of popular creators.
High school is a weird time. You’re finding yourself, sexualizing yourself, and trying to be older than you actually are…. And social media has only made that easier. I know I experimented with showing skin in high school much to my parents’ chagrin. But, whether it has to do validation or it’s just a fun fashion trend.. Crop tops are a thing. [ how to wear crop tops as an adult]
Tie-Dye
@avani👉🏼😴♬ DJ Yames Mashup 2 – dj_yames
If bleaching your jeans wasn’t enough, TikTok also fully endorses tie-dye. In all forms, shapes, and sizes. Real equal opportunity player on this one.
A big trend: tie-dying your sweatsuit with Lysol (similar to the jeans above). Here is a quick tutorial.
@noelparreiraDIY Walmart Sweatsuit ✂️ ##tiedye ##artsandcrafts ##crafty ##fashion ##walmart ##shopping ##tutorial ##fyp ##foryou ##foryoupage♬ Swarm Swamp Swim cosmo sheldrake – noelparreira
Good luck…
Honorable mention: Asymmetrical closure jeans are also a looming trend on tiktok. Check out my post on summer fashion trends to hear more about them.
Sweatpants
Again, this one comes down to age and flexibility- IMO. Sweatpants are commonplace in high school and college, and that’s an easy answer to see why so many of the users wear them. [ how to make sweatpants cute ]
There are high-waisted sweatpants trending, and also the super low-rise rolled sweatpants ( a la Emrata). If you have the abs to pull these off, well, this is your time to shine.
@emrata##tiktokchallenge♬ Supalonely (feat. Gus Dapperton) – BENEE
High-rise leggings
High rise black leggings are slimming and easy. TikTok has a very “effortless” beauty vibe (minus the extremely impressive makeup vides). Most of the popular creators and trending videos are not super “done up” like on Instagram.
Leggings are easy to wear, chic, and allow a lot of movement (dancing, tricks, etc). [ how to wear leggings and look so stylish ]
90’s graphic sweatshirts
90’s fashion has made a big resurgence everywhere. And with all these evolutions of emo girl and soft girls popping up, it is no question as to why graphic sweatshirts are also a big trend. [ graphic sweatshirt outfit ideas that are so chic]
@zoifishhmy laugh at the end bc i STILL CANT DO THE HANDWORK😩🤧🤧 tragic (DC: @ddalaijaa) ##foryou ##foryour ##foryoupage ##foryourpage♬ original sound – ddalaijaa
Again, to hammer it home, TikTok is fun and effortless. Or should appear that way.
The graphic sweatshirt, especially when styled right, makes you appear like this beautiful girl next door. Who would look sexy with bedhead, and adorable cooking up Sunday pancakes in her an oversizes sweatshirt. Idk, you get the picture. Easy and chic. Bonus points for 90’s vibes.
(other colors available)
Makeup: minimal
There are some creators who make insanely elaborate makeup videos. Kudos to them. They are showing off true-talent and skill. However, most of the top creators keep their looks simple. Minimal, or “no-makeup makeup” is more youthful and easy-going. [ no-makeup makeup how-to ]
So what’s the deal with TikTok?
Right now, I see TikTok continuing to grow. It currently has over 800 million active users and is the most downloaded app in 2019 in apple.
41% of users are between the age of 16 and 24 (source). And the United States is the third-largest country to be active on TikTok.
What do I do with this information?
Well, nothing and everything. Use the app, see how the trends are shifting, and embrace it as a new social media platform (for now).
While I personally believe TikTok will continue to increase its reach and dominance in the social media world, no one can tell you that for certain.
However, the beauty of TikTok is
1. It’s very fun
2. it’s low commitment and
3. it teaches you (if you are creating) to very quickly get your message out. The skill of communicating in this quick and efficient manner is invaluable.
So, go learn renegade. Or, actually don’t, because it’s already out of style.
And if I forgot to mention, Tiktok trends move FAST. So just sit back and enjoy the ride, and don’t stress if you can’t jump on a specific bandwagon fast enough.
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