X/@LordPFJoyde
Well, none of them are going to have to change.
The viral snap of a gaggle of nearly identically dressed Gen Z women huddling on an Alabama street corner may have raised eyebrows among more seasoned fashionistas — but what was once a strict faux pas is now the hottest fad.
A decade ago, arriving in the same outfit as another woman would have been a sartorial nightmare. Now, heading out on the town in identical outfits — in this case, light-wash jeans, a dark-colored top and white sneakers — is considered normal.
“You’ll never find another me,” snarked the X user who originally posted the widely seen image of the homogenized homegirls.
The sarcastic social media post sparked a heated debate on the platform, prompting remarks from older generations about Gen Z’s supposed lack of personal style.
“I can’t believe I sound like an old-timer, but it’s wild how everyone dresses the same now! We may have dressed badly, but at least we had some PERSONALITY!” one user lamented.
“Me back in 2009-2013 wearing stilettos, business casual, club gear and almost breaking an ankle,” an Instagram user commented underneath the same photo posted to Old Row’s account. “Now this is it sad.”
“This is every city. Every bar. Jeans, black top, forces,” one said of the outfit, which experts say is a nod to ’90s style copied by the likes of Hailey Bieber and other popular influencers.
Gen Z favorite retailers like Boohoo, PrettyLittleThing and ASOS have edits dedicated to “jeans and a nice top” — the ubiquitous early aughts trend and way of dressing that once applied to any occasion. This go-around, it’s an array of light-wash denim and, you guessed it, dark-colored tops.
Tina Grasso, the founder of Australian label Chouchou Intimates, told News.au that “all generations do this,” since fashion is “influenced by trends, pop culture and shared experiences.”
But fashion critics have played the blame game on the disappearance of personal style among Zoomers, many pointing to the internet’s microtrend cycle that has birthed a plethora of aesthetics and “-cores” — “cottagecore,” “corpcore” and “balletcore,” for instance — as reasons for the “personal style epidemic.”
“If you like somebody’s style on TikTok, you can look up ‘grunge fairycore’ or whatever on Pinterest and find everything you need,” 25-year-old Tessa, a content creator in Hawaii who contributes to the popular fashion YouTube channel ModernGurlz, told Vox.
Social media users can search in a comments section or follow a link in bio to find the exact same garments that their favorite influencer is wearing. Soon enough, everyone’s style is identical.
“Back in 2006, you wouldn’t have been able to go on Instagram and find every single item tagged in someone’s outfit — you’d have to look through a magazine or go to Macy’s and try your best,” Tessa added.