Critical Thinking, Herd Mentality, and Micro Trends

                  This is now my second attempt at writing an article for this site. I didn’t like the first one because it seemed to mansplain too much and that’s not the point of this at all. I don’t know everything and my opinion is not law. This (coupled with the current state of the political climate in the United States) has got me to the topic of critical thinking and herd mentality. It’s not a topic I have broached in my writing for quite some time. In fact, the last time I felt inclined to write about this was during Donald Trump’s first presidential term. Not that anyone reading would know any different, but this will be a bit more casual and conversational than my previous attempt. I mean, if you wanted to consume more formal jargon on ‘critical thinking’ and ‘herd mentality’ you should probably find a more credible source anyway. Alas, this is my opinion, so let’s get into it.

“Herd mentality (noun): the tendency of the people in a group to think and behave in ways that conform with others in the group rather than as individuals” – Merriam-Webster, Dictionary

                  For example, remember the story about the rodent that saw one of their group jump off a cliff so the rest of them jumped too? That’s herd mentality. Though ironically this was staged by Disney. The director put them on a conveyor belt and threw them off the cliff. Absolutely despicable. Yet, most people (myself included) saw that video and thought, Oh wow, that’s so sad. Kind of pathetic, but what can you do? No one I knew even questioned it. We took this display of herd mentality and just acknowledged the tragedy. Most of us probably arrived at some conclusion involving small animals’ underdeveloped brains and moved on. There’s no moral to this anecdote. I’m not that clever. Simply an observation.

                 What I wanted to talk about was herd mentality and critical thinking among people. This is an immensely large topic so I’m focusing on clothing trends on the internet. You can use your critical thinking skills to apply this to other, more important things than deciding between a gingham or micro stripe shirt.

                  I understand the mental ease that clothing trends on the internet provide. It takes a lot of pressure off the decision fatigue that occurs every morning as we get dressed for the day or go to shop for clothes. They act as societal uniforms. They help us sort ourselves into boxes regarding who we are or are not. Really, they help take the pressure off figuring out who we are, and I get it, no one has the time. Past the lecture about overconsumption and the ecological footprint one leaves when partaking in the revolving door of fast fashion, it works. Societally we spend so much time trying to typecast everyone when no single individual was ever meant to be typecast at all. So inevitably, we consume, grab the latest label some 15-year-old girl came up with in her room that gained traction, and wear it proudly like a gold star sticker on our chests. And then, when the next best label is presented to us, we grab that one. The internet and social media have sped up this process that used to take years to cycle through, thus, the birth of micro-trends, excessive overconsumption, and mass amounts of waste. This is particularly potent when it comes to clothing since each label comes with its own literal uniform.

                  Making intentional choices in life is hard, taking the time to read this little thought piece is hard, and deciphering between something you like and something that makes you feel like you is even harder. I think the misconception around topics of individuality and intentional choices is that you have to know who you are to make those kinds of choices. I disagree. I don’t think anyone really knows who they are, it changes too frequently. I simply believe that over time you pick up on patterns within your own behavior and then get to evaluate and work on those trends. Personally, the way I don’t lose myself knee-deep in internet clothing trends is to pick apart trends and figure out what exactly I like about it. Take the trend apart and put it back together the way that suits me best. I’m not saying that following trends is evil, but there is something a bit sinister about seeing an outfit on Pinterest and being able to copy and paste it into your shopping cart within 5 minutes.

                  By investing time now, you’ll save yourself both time and money down the line. Just ask yourself: What do I actually like about this outfit besides its general vibe? Is it the cut? Color? Color combinations? The layering? Styling? The accessories? There are so many ways we can be intentional in our day-to-day lives, and this is just a tiny, superficial one. Now please apply this outside of the internet’s micro-trends.