Tumblr: display of the modern fashion era, or mere fad?

Warning: post may be narrow-minded.

2012, the year of Tumblr.

Of course Tumblr is used also as a social networking platform, but I see it as more of a 'lookbook' like website where individuals share their fashion styles and flaunt the good things in their lives etc. When I first joined the community, I treated it a tool for building up an archive of artistic photography, an upgrade to deviant art and myspace combined. In the end it turned out to be pretty much a reblogging experience of thinspo girls in rad clothes and makeup posing in weird 'oh-im-so-dope-and-thin' positions. Of course a lot of the times I'm indeed intrigued by the artistic quality of what Tumblr users upload, like its gifs and landscape images, but most of the time it's the human photography that gets the most views and attention.

Right now, I still believe and hope that Tumblr will remain to be a sort of lifestyle/fashion blog where people show their individualism in their pictures and posts. However recently after extensively exploring the ever so popular site I began to have some doubts.

Taking a VERY stereotypical stance, the average girl from Tumblr is roughly below legal age, wears vintage/boutique brands, follows the 'hipster' culture, wears unconventional makeup such as black lipsticks and blush under their eyes, dyes their hair into pastel pinks, lilacs, blues and greens (etc), reblogs explicit material about love, sex and drugs but probably never even had sex or taken drugs, pretends to be weird most of the time and write in a tone that is different to how they would normally speak. The average Tumblr guy also goes for the 'hipster' style, are upgrades from 'emos' from the 90s, scrunches their hair to their foreheads, wears skinny chinos, supreme/obey caps, large sweaters, has mose piercings and tattoos, and girlfriends that are the girls I just described. They often either play the guitar, or skateboard.

And I say the word 'average' for a frustrating reason. There was never a clear reason why the hipster culture became so big and how young people became so obsessed with vintage/independent things, yet all these Tumblr users appear to be fully fledged, going for generically the same look and style. So I think it's obviously unnatural and man-made: people were made to accept and embrace the culture because everyone else is doing it.

To be honest, there is nothing wrong with this and personally I think young people taking more notice of their personal styles is a very good thing. Also, a lot of people on Tumblr really do know how to wear their stuff and most importantly they do it with confidence. But my problem with this is how people are too overconfident to the point that they believe independence is something they can flaunt. They begin to take their freedom of speech, dress, whatever for granted and act based purely on their emotions. You often find people saying how they 'don't give a fuck', how they 'only live once' or how they want to live for the moment in the way that they want to without any consideration for others. What I think is dangerous about this is that originally not everyone started off wanting to rebel and be different, but sites like Tumblr are making them think that this is the way forward, in other words Tumblr is almost promoting egoism and narcissism. 'This is the way I am, haters gotta hate' is a concept that is all too familiar.

There are so many signs visible through Tumblr media of how people have 'too much fun'. I don't want to sound like a grandmother, but it's true. People live to make themselves look good, with no consideration for any others. For example people would take these coloured gas tubes and spray them across woodlands. They set fire to things, pose in front of dead animals, have radical opinions of everything and says 'fuck you' to everything. They want and desire everything, complains about everything and wants to break out of the system. These people live having no respect and thought for the environment, other people that care about them or are affected by their behaviour, and no priority other than themselves. To me, these people are pathetic, because they could have originally been unique individuals with smart ideas and untainted intelligence, but instead they give themselves up to the internet. It's not a fashion platform anymore, but a factory for the mass production of single-minded beings with no apparent interest in anything but how to look and act independent (or so what appear on the surface). They say 'fuck the system', but do they know what the system even is? Do they have any idea how much freedom they already have but take for granted? Somewhere in the world a person their age could be restricted from the internet and is living with no knowledge of fashion. They say 'I don't care', but what more can they not care about? There are people out there their age who have miles more responsibilities and worries, like how they can survive, afford to go to school, make their family united.

It's such a shame, because these people really ruin the name for the people who are truely passionate about fashion, are not wannabes and do care about the existence of other things as well as themselves. I often facepalm at how loads of people ask about why their lives are so depressing, when all they do is post pictures of themselves and expecting masses of anons to comment on it.

Everyone knows that individualism is a beautiful thing, so why does everyone still mindlessly copy each other? and worse, trying to become something that is unoriginal and that they can't relate to?

Human beings are such puzzling creatures.

my opinions of fashion, beauty

"Fashion should not be expected to serve in the stead of courage or character." - Loretta Young

A lot of my friends have asked me about my perceptions of fashion and 'looking good' after they realise that I'm getting increasingly more fashion aware. First of all, I'd like to make clear that I post about fashion NOT because I want to get into the industry, become a fashion guru, an online celebrity or any of the sort. I only want to be fashion conscious, but don't want to be a slave to it. I don't want to 'educate' in any way on how I think others should dress; the last thing I want to do is show off all the branded clothes to persuade my readers to do the same (I don't have branded clothes anyway). There are too many people in the world to group everyone's sense of fashion into 'good' and 'bad', and collectivise opinions about beauty into 'acceptable' or 'unacceptable'. Some people may think a natural look is 'pretty' whilst others think a well done up look is. To be honest I don't even care, or even want to know about what others think look good. I do my makeup the way I want and dress the way I feel most comfortable. 

I like fashion because it makes ME feel good. Fashion is an art form, and to be living in art constantly gives me a good vibe. I think if we were to dress for others, fashion itself will automatically become a very shallow concept and will willow away to nothing in a society where individualism is so important. Ironically if you consider the word 'fashion', it describes a conventional way of dress which is popular and 'mainstream' at a given period of time. As G.Bernard Shaw calls it 'an induced epidemic'. So in fact it's in some way already a very boring thing since if you think about it, eras in fashion have developed because people all copy each other to spread the styles. Presumably because they want to dress to look 'in', aka they dress for the opinions of others. So it's really down to all the people who literally do not care about others' judgments to make 'fashion' live up to its name. 

I think the saddest thing about society is how everyone has expectations and stereotypical views on everything. I don't ever remember learning that we all have to be skinny, have flawless skin, perfect hair, good fashion sense etc to possess 'beauty', but everyday we're exposed to expectations of how people should dress/look like and so i guess these ideas have stuck with all of us. I'm not saying people should stop thinking skinny, 'pretty' girls are not beautiful, but rather that there should exist all types of opinions about beauty, not just the ones everyone else thinks. Basically 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' is definitely something the society needs more of. I'm personally fine with people judging me on how I look, not because I think it's a great idea, but because it's already the norm as stereotyping people comes as an instinct to all mankind, which can't be avoided. Also, I wouldn't go change myself no matter what their opinion is, because everyone thinks differently and what s/he thinks looks good I won't necessarily think so. 

Like I said, for me fashion is an art form, and art is something that evokes the senses, which will have a different effect on everyone. Sure, in fashion art is overly commercialized and closely linked to money nowadays, but I don't think looking good is all about purchasing the most expensive brands and flaunting your status. If I think a Primark bag looks better with my outfit than a Michal Kors one, I'll wear the Primark. If someone points out to me that they are wearing head to toe in designer brands, it wouldn't make me think they're fashionable. In fact it will have the inverse effect if I didn't like what they're wearing. A look is a creation of art, almost like an artist working on a painting. Expensive paints and equipment wouldn't necessarily make a good painting. Then again what makes a good painting? It's so subjective I don't think anyone can properly define it. Different styles and techniques relate to every individual.  Just like not everyone will like Da Vinci's paintings just because he's famous, not everyone will like Chanel just because it's branded.  

Just one last and quite bitter rant...

I want to express my thoughts on the difference of the concept of beauty in the East and West and how much impact it has. Quite frankly said, I HATE how in Asia, people care so much about their looks to the extent that it's so obvious they are doing it for others to see. Open a magazine and there are endless tutorials and extreme weightloss plans. Some friends of mine hurt their already slim bodies by eating nothing and going to the gym excessively. Some Taiwanese people I know comment on my makeup the moment they see me, talk about dieting 24/7, compares breast sizes, and even make crude remarks about the size of my face, thickness of my arms etc. And I can't STAND the Korean obsession with having small faces. So what if I've got a big face? I actually like my square angular jawline thanks very much. I've actually had people tell me that I have an advantage of skinny legs (lol) because men in Asia go for girls with long skinny legs. I remember replying to that in utter disgust, because I'd rather die than to dress for men and 'sex appeal'. When I see girls with Prada heels in a university lecture, I just think they're going too far. Fashion and looking good is not an enjoyment anymore, it's more of a burden that's soul crushing and pointless. A motto quite universal to Asian women is 'there are no ugly women, only lazy ones', and I still don't know what to make of it. Sure, looking good is a skill because it shows the effort you have put in, but then again how can beauty be defined so simply? I know it's correlated to effort, but I don't think arduous effort is the only cause of beauty.

On the other hand, my Western friends have NEVER talked about my weight/made judgments on my appearance in front of me or told me stupid things like 'guys prefer girls with long skinny legs'. Everyone looks and weighs differently, and not all of them want to exercise/diet to achieve a certain look. Take Adele for example, she doesn't WANT to be like all the other skinny girls, and good for her. In fact, I find this more interesting, than seeing a group of skinny Asian people who all have the same frame and talk about the same annoying things constantly. In Asia, matching couples are definitely more common than in the west. If you see a stereotypically attractive Asian guy, you can bet is girlfriend is some sort of goddess. But in the West, guys go for girls of all shapes and sizes, looks and styles. It makes living so much more interesting and removes the heavy weight of expectations of having to be like something you aren't. 

All in all, people should dress the way they want and wear it with confidence. Wouldn't it be so bland if there wasn't a personality beneath the clothes and makeup? Afterall, bravery to look the way you want will never be out of fashion.