Ever since the days of Musically, I have been a lover of the short-haul video app. Through lock-down, I learned countless dances and watched video after video of clothing hauls. I have even, on occasion, gone so far as to use videos as direct inspiration for outfits when I am completely stumped. However, two weeks ago, I deleted the app. Candidly, I have resorted to some doom scrolling on Instagram reels – however – it’s better than doing both. Here are 5 things I have noticed about myself, how I dress, and relationship with fashion since.
1: I feel more in tune with how I actually want to dress. While social media has myriad positives, I found that much of what I wanted to wear was driven by trend cycles, influencers, and paid placements. It is no secret in the fashion space that influencers have growing influence and power, with social media faces being given front-row seats at fashion week that previously belonged to journalists. Now there is much debate over whether these individuals deserve these seats, a topic about which, while I have many opinions, I do not wish to discuss in this particular post. Because of the large-scale impact these figures have, many posts in the fashion space are dominated by influencers with fairly similar aesthetics, who remain very on-trend and up to date with current cycles. Now, while I boast a strong personal style (a fairly basic one at that don’t get me wrong), I am not immune to the powers of these influencers, nor am I immune to trend cycles. However, over the past few months, I have increasingly felt that the clothes I wear and lean towards aren’t actually authentic to me. Furthermore, I have felt increasing pressure to shop, with continual frustrations at my wardrobe because I didn’t have a top similar to one I saw online, only to forget about it within a matter of days. This then begs the question – did I actually want and like it or was it just influenced to me? Since deleting, without the constant hauls, outfit inspo, ads, brand trips, trend predictions, 2026 ins and outs videos, I have been able to start tuning back into what I genuinely like wearing. Current trend or not.
2: I am thinking more critically about fashion and the meanings again On TikTok, there seems to be never-ending commentary on trends, micro-trends, trend forecasting etc, and since deleting I have been considering the basis of all of these claims. Don’t get me wrong, fashion is and should be accessible to everyone, and there is nothing wrong with people in the space talking about trends and their opinions. And as a fashion student, I have always loved knowing what was stylish and fashionable; however, since the rise of social media, I believe the meanings of style, fashion and trend have converged. While for me, they are starkly different to how they are so commonly used. Google’s (wish I could say Oxford) dictionary defines “style” as a distinctive manner of expression, design, or technique, representing a specific way of doing, acting, or creating. It refers to unique characteristics (e.g., in art, fashion, or writing) that differentiate someone or something, often conveying elegance, grace, or a fashionable appearance, “fashion” as a popular, evolving style of clothing, accessories, and behavior that reflects individual expression, social status, and cultural trends. As an industry, it involves designing and creating apparel. It also refers to a specific manner of doing something or the general appearance of an object and “trend” as a general, sustained direction or tendency in which something is changing, developing, or moving, such as shifting consumer behavior, fashion styles, or data points over time. It represents a prevailing tendency or widespread preference (e.g., a “growing trend toward remote work”), rather than a temporary, fast-fading fad. A WGSN article on what a Trend actually is highlights the difference between trends and fads, noting that trends slowly develop and rise over time, influenced by cultural events such as COVID. Fads move quickly, and have little connection to cultural events, and it left me thinking: are TikTok micro=trends and trends just fads? Probably.
3: I am using Pinterest more As mentioned, I have previously used TikTok for outfit inspiration, but growing up I was an avid Pinterest user. I used to reach about 200k monthly views on my pins, and heavily curated a personal aesthetic. One thing I love about Pinterest as it allows you to take inspiration without directly copying, if used correctly. I have built up boards with hundreds of outfit inspiration photos, and yet I rarely copy them piece for piece. I can take styling ideas, new ways to wear clothes, and just general ideas and incorporate them into how I dress. This allows me to gain ideas for when I am in a slump, while still being creative and developing my own styling skills. Now, I did see some posts talking about Pinterest partnering with Meta, and as an anti-AI girlie if there are any apps out there that give the same experience without AI please do let me know.
4: I am leaning into my creative side more When I was a teenager, I was an avid crocheter. I frequently made clothes for myself and the people around me, eventually diverging into knitting and getting a small knitting machine for Christmas one year. Over the past couple of weeks, I have been – albeit slowly – crocheting again. I am nearing the end of my first project: a backless, slouchy top made with upcycled cream and white yarn scraps. I have subscribed to longer, more detailed crochet tutorials on YouTube, exploring other techniques such as filet crochet, rather than skimming over a TikTok tutorial on 2x speed. Because of my limited interaction with crochet/knit influencers, I am also comparing myself to them less; I am putting less pressure on myself to finish a piece in a day, allowing myself to be more intentional and enjoy the process more. I also purchased a bag, for the first time in probably well over a year. While this may not seem directly creative, the bag itself is more fun and bold than many I have been tempted to buy recently. I believe this evidences the fun, free, creative side of me resurfacing again in very small ways. The world is a scary, volatile place right now, and I am not ashamed to admit I am finding it very hard to navigate the adult world in this climate, so I think it’s even more important to find these points of creativity and play, even if they only help a little.
5: I am being forced to think for myself again Now, the title may make me sound dumb, and I promise I am not. I find that when there are millions of videos of tutorials, advice, outfit inspo, “cool girl” content. Couldn’t figure out what to wear? Look at an inspiration video. Not sure what to blog? Look at what people are making videos on. Not sure what to cook for dinner? Watch a recipe video. Not much critical thinking or problem solving going on there. So, without this app, I am being forced to go back to those old ways of using my brain. Or at least searching a bit harder online. I am watching longer-form content, Googling and reading full articles, and trusting myself more. This, while only small, is allowing me to trust myself more, and as mentioned be more creative. I am not rushing through the tutorials on 2x speed, instead I am reading the instructions, or watching an in-depth explanation video, even breaking out a recipe book.
All in all, I think there is much to be gained from a TikTok hiatus. There is a lot to be gained from using the app, however, and I would like to explore marketing and content creation career avenues, so I’m sure I will download the app again eventually, even if only in a professional context. But for now, I am enjoying slowing my content consumption down, thinking more independently and critically, and really developing my personal style.
Wardrobe Diaries 