Looking Famous

Fashion: (noun) “an aesthetic expression at a particular period and place and in a specific context”

[1] KAISER, SUSAN B. (2019). FASHION AND CULTURAL STUDIES. BLOOMSBURY VISUAL ARTS. ISBN 978-1350109605. OCLC 1057778310.

The Fashion trend I hope we leave in 2020 is: Looking Famous...

Two words I cannot mouth in that order without experiencing a rattling cringe. The bling, the sunglasses indoors, the Gucci, the Versace and the Louis V. Please dispose of, and do not recycle: The crouching pose with praying hands, the plotting and menacing hand rub-together, and the blue-steel, apparent amateur model/superstar socialite selfies using social media to bud an obviously soon to be, star studded career as a rich and famous.... um.... famous rich person.

2021 is not the year to decide you’re a Rapper, an Influencer or a Model. Right at this very moment, every smartphone wielding, Spotify listening, white teeth Millennial in the world is not humbly pursuing a career as the next great Scientist, Politician or Statistician. They are scrolling and scrolling and scrolling, constantly analysing popular online trends to formulate every aspect of their existence to amass hordes of followers, the life blood of their new found career as a “2 minute noodle” rich and famous Model/Influencer/Artist/Entrepreneur. Millennials aren’t studying and analysing stock market shares. They are studying and analysing how to get as many likes, comments and shares as possible on their social media account. The other imaginary units of digital measurement used to gauge value.

The ironic and disappointing part of it is that in this modern-day world, people become “famous” for anything. So unfortunately that is the constant confirmation for people to remind them how very possible it is for anyone, and apparently everyone, to become an overnight sensation. As long as you record a video or take a picture of it to post, any weird little thing you do at home in your pyjamas can make you an online viral hit. Whether its a silly dance you do in the kitchen, shooting a piece of rubbish into the bin and saying “Kobe”, or your dog singing along to some run of the mill, focus group formulated, robot A.I. music industry machine pop hit that stole every melody and lyric from some old song no one cares about anymore anyway.

Is the ideal outcome a world where we are all rich and famous? A world where no one has a boring “normal job” and we all just socialise and live lavish in our mansions like piggish wantless Medieval Blue Bloods?

Specific pieces of clothing or fashion trends are not nearly as painful as they once were. With mens tightly fitting V-neck shirts, I hope, safely archived in the early 2000’s along with the super chill vibe, loose fitting, tilted back beanie hanging off acoustic guitar playing, park loiterers heads, and of course men wearing flip flops and skinny jeans.

Exactly what people wear, or wore in 2020, actually doesn’t bother me. In fact, quite the contrary. Its the focus and value placed on what people wear that is the issue. I feel we place too much importance on brand names and labels. Who cares if your shirt says a cool word on the front of it... If Aliens were assessing our behaviour from a galaxy far far away, they would see us putting words on our clothing so the other monkeys will see it and feel some type of way. Im sure the Aliens would think it is ridiculous and see us as being primitive for doing so.

So wear what you please, just be a bit more humble about your post-able appearance and your “grind” or whatever it is you feel the need to constantly post about.

I hope in 2021 and beyond, people focus less on the fashion of looking famous to become famous and more on developing their skills or work and on cultivating their own individuality. Because people should be famous for what they do, not because of how they look. The classic phrase “ fake it ‘til you make it” does not apply here. I hope in 2021 I see less bootleg Drakes and less counterfeit Kim K’s. Less heart-broken, 2-minute noodle Rappers and more humble diligence across the board. I hope I see less influencers and less models, and more people investing time and energy into their own lives instead of being such consumed fans of somebody else’s.

Stop trying to look famous and just do you.