the death of personal style

I was experimental when I was in design school, now I work in finance and am super basic and don't care. I just want to be comfortable.

As a kid I was jealous of Inspector Gadget because he just wore the same clothes every day and no one ever noticed. He even had a wardrobe just full of grey trench coats.

As we get progress into middle age, the more eccentric you dress, the more ridiculous you look, because it looks like you haven't matured. Once people get to age 60 or older, you can dress the way you want because at that age, most people just don't care very much what other people think anymore.

I feel like currently I'm in a weird cycle of personal style where I struggle to dress myself like never before, which I think comes from lack of confidence in my current appearance (I am dealing with acne on a scale that I've never had before and I am getting a rounder stomach—which makes some of my clothes suddenly not fit—without any reason for these changes). It's that and the fact that my personal style with my work uniform is being singled out and squashed by our manager in the name of "safety," though everyone agrees this is a creative way for him to simply force us to dress how he wants us to without having to hear any pushback.

It's all incredibly frustrating and weirdly makes me feel like I'm not a person at times. Personal style is integral to confidence and identity imo (even unintentionally).

This somehow takes me back to the Halloween scene in Friends. Although everybody is wearing a costume, their costume still reflects their character, eg. Monica pulls off Catwoman so accurately to the details while Pheobe just wants to stand and talk like Wonder Woman. So I guess as long as we're happy with our choices, who cares if it's basic or not? We sure don't want to be in Chandler's place, unwillingly wearing a costume chosen by another person for the sake of having a costume.

I liked this video 😊

I dress kinda differently from the average, but I also wear the same outfit every day. It looks a lot like a japanese school uniform and is pink. If I'm feeling like doing something a little extra, I have a certain hairstyle that I do, along with a specific makeup look. That's about it.

My personal style journey started with trying to cut back on consumption. I noticed so many items in my wardrobe going unworn and I knew that they would make their way back to the thrift store where they came from. It was a waste of money and made choosing what to wear difficult with too many choices. I have since purged many unworn items and have taken stock as to what my "uniform/signature look" is.
I noticed the items I wore regularly were rarely colorful, always practical for movement, and always comfortable. I found my sweet spot where form meets function. What I do in a given day has also been a big influence on what I wear. I walk a lot so I have comfortable boots that I love. I am often doing something physical so thick denim is a staple. I'm outside a lot so I have my favorite hats to protect me from the sun or cold. I get dirty a lot so I have shirts I don't mind wrecking. And I will absolutely not wash clothes in any other way than big load of laundry.
This has essentially influenced me to dress like every farmer in my town but I honestly don't mind. I am often influenced by the working people around me or of the past. I love feeling like the items I am wearing are serving me correctly and it feels good to look at items I own and know that I will do good by it and wear it until it can no longer be worn. I rarely hear about practicality in conversations about fashion but I think it's something that needs to be remembered.

I've been in several contries, several different school all with a different clothing situation. And let me tell you I was stressed with uniforms and how terrible i looked, and I was stressed without uniforms/with wear whatever bc I still felt terrible. So take from that what you will. All I took away from this was that I would wear whatever I had to, feel terrible about it but as long as it was functional and get me through the day forget about it for the rest of the day and stay away from anyone who would bring my attention back to my clothes. A lot freeing for the mind if you complete a task and then move on from it. Like you're not supposed to keep thinking about something that's already done. Yeah so I realized my stress and anxiety was coming from expecting too much from myself and stagnancy.

Mina! This is one of the best videos you’ve ever released. Fab job, babe!❤

my personal style has changed a lot. covid really changed everything. i go for comfort and function over everything else and i kind of mourn my old style. i'm no longer forced to go to church and have an excess of formal clothes with no occasions to wear them. my clothes may fit a trend by chance, but as a plus size person i often don't have the options to participate in certain trends anyway. i'm 100% way more concerned with how my body is perceived than my style tbh

For me its the other way around I feel like i dress less fun in comparison to how I would like and what would make me feel more joyful feelings towards the things I wear than I dress now just to fit in, its cowardly on my part, but I also feel like life is too short to set standards for yourself based on what others MIGHT be thinking. We don't really know, we more or less just assume the frequency or intensity of these expectations, even if one person might tell you its that way. Who is living your life after all, is it that stranger or is it you

You know someone is really stylish when any way she dresses doesnt affect your perception of her coolness (mina)

I’m stuck in a pajama Groundhog Day’ I need a uniform I can look classy in. I’m currently removing Athleisure wear from my wardrobe.

I think another factor that's killing personal style is that people are just not brave enough to dress differently anymore. With the pressure of social media and the fact that u could literally be recorded and posted online without u even knowing it is making everyone monitor themselves to make sure they fit in with their surroundings. During covid we were able to explore and try different styles without worrying about what the public would think because we were in the comfort of our own homes. It's not the case anymore today. At least thats what happened to me lol but of course it all depends on your environment, just like you said. I pray there will be a time when people will just mind their own business and stop judging others for having different styles

I am sorry, I am halfway through and the video is amazing, but I feel compelled to say that yes, you have simplified your style, it has been noticeable, but by no means does it look basic, all the elements are still there, just toned down. You still very much have a very personal style when it comes to make-up and the ornaments in your clothes 😭

Love this video! I am fascinated by the seemingly universally ingrained idea that looking more “clown” like (bright colours, no eyebrows, white face makeup and red lips) means that we won’t take someone as seriously or assume that they are less intelligent. I myself love to dress in bright colours and have always loved that your style is so bold and unique and cool; and yet I have even noticed that I find myself listening to your words a bit closer and found you to be more, idk, approachable(?) since your eyebrows have returned… I have been grappling with this internal bias as I know how extremely unfair that is!! I do wonder if all the clowns in the world decided to radically change their look to something different, would people generations down the track take that look less seriously?

As a fat queer girl I spent a lot of my teens and early twenties trying to blend in, I had attached an idea of ugliness to fat queer fashion and I felt the need to always be dressing up to avoid looking dirty and sloppy. Fat girls can't wear basics like trackpants and a plain t-shirt without people thinking you've just rolled out of bed so I was always overdoing it to look good and it was exhausting! Now over these last few years I've embraced being fat and gay! I want to look cute! I love pink! and I love flowy skirts and puffy sleeves! I look fruity as hell but who cares! My fat gay ass is revolutionary and I'll never go back

AY what a coincidence I’m actually just beginning a personal “fashion rebrand” and this video made me realize that I’m essentially just making sure my clothes reflect who I am and/or who I want to be in the world

Coming from a religious and "don't stand out too much" background, specially related to dressing, I've always thought that I was kept away from my own self-expression and to "match my inside to my outside", in case styling myself in a way that was against some conventions that truly harmed me while growing up.

Colorful clothes and hair, glasses with heavy makeup, curly hair being a teen in the 10's... All of those things gathered together to later in my adultohood gain more form and made me truly satisfied to the way I look. I also came from a more interior-metropolitan city, and now I live 4 blocks always from Paulista Avenue, in Sao Paulo... Like, the epicenter of fashion here in Brazil, and I feel total in my place, I feel noticed and I like being complimented for my personal style from total strangers and engage in conversations that make me meet sweet and interesting people.

For me being described as unique is special, since I was always perceived as someone that did not catch attention, or "too humble" or even shy - despite I'm not! Plus being a nerdy-neurodivergent girl also gave this sterotypical association of not being that cover-girl or even compliment as beautiful. I grew up listening from my relatives that I was smart, kind or quirky, never pretty, and I could say that was more than happy for habing a self-esteem based in my qualities as a person, but which girl in our society don't want also to be seen as good-looking?

Nowadays I'm more than happy in dressing in my own way, not feeling pressured at all, being sustainable and reflecting this in my wardrobe with thrift and second hand clothes, while being fun and seeing each day as being my own "main character", my opportunity to be me and not "die in life" unfullfilled with letting things go, unsatisfied with my exterior not matching the person I am and feel inside.

It's rather strange to travel to my hometown, visit church with my family while having yellow or bicolor hair, and now being seen through different lenses, as someone beautiful and authentic. I like being remembered this way, specially for those who never accepted different kinds of beauty and now that they live alongside someone not-conventionally-pretty, they can slowly learn to be more gentle to future generations as they learned to be with me, genuinely noticing that I was unhappy straightening my hair or only wearing black to blend in, and I would find myself in colors, funny earings and Melissas and self-expression rather than being typically blonde, shaved or not wearing glasses.

I have several thoughts!

1. Clothes can be a sensory nightmare for me (AuDHD life ✌🏻). So my ‘personal style’ is comfort. Like I mainly wear leggings, activewear (etc) and some dresses. If I like something I buy it in every colour 😂
I’m a basic bitch and I’m fine with that.

2. I had a uniform all the way through school and I definitely preferred it. It takes away so much stress! Also, one less thing to be bullied…

3. To be honest, I didn’t even notice your change in style. I’ve always seen you as stylish so every time I watch one of your videos I’m like “yeap, there’s Mina!” I think your energy comes through without the need for the curated outfits side of style (if that makes sense).

I'm an aspiring musician and also someone who has loved fashion and dressing eccentrically for years now. However I've noticed recently that when I post things on social media that don't highlight the way I look, it gets SIGNIFICANTLY less interaction. And this has been weighing on me for a while; I want my music to speak for itself and I want people to hear what I have t say and actually LISTEN. But dressing eccentrically is a major joy and passion of mine too. It feels silly to be that I have to choose between the two but I have considered not sharing anything on social media that isn't music related. But having an artistic persona is also very important!! ARRGHHHH so conflicting. This video put those things into perspective for me, so thank you Mina Le!!

i don’t dress for attention or to be unique. in fact, i hate drawing attention to myself and i hate that many of my outfits to tend to make people stare a bit. i dress the way i do because it feels like me, it’s an expression of myself. it’s also a way for me to be creative. dressing up gives me confidence and makes me feel like i’m being authentic to who i am, i don’t feel comfortable in basic clothes. they make me feel like i’m wearing a costume and trying to be someone i’m not. there’s nothing wrong with basic fashion, and i do dress basic sometimes for practicality reasons, but not everyone dresses eccentrically because they’re looking for validation

Wearing a plain black or white shirt to work would feel uncomfortable to me simply because I like to take attention away from my face with loud colourful clothing (i have acne) 🤡 same reason I got piercings actually, people tend to stare at them instead of pimples.

I agree that personal style is more about repetition than anything. My personal style is just stubborness. I've been wearing the same patterns, shapes and clothes for years, to the point that they went out of fashion and came back again. People say "that looks so you" and "that new piece looks like it's already yours" when on a rare occasion I buy something new that I really like. I don't dress weird, but I feel like I've developed a style that is both comfortable for me but at the same time communicates exactly what I want to the outside. It's my second skin and it feels like home, if that makes sense.

I just don't want to be naked in public.

it's weird for me that I keep on thinking on selling most of my clothes right now. I just watched a documentary on the Happiness of Self. Also, Emma Chamberlain making a capsule wardrobe resonates with this topic. are we all just in a simulation? it weirds me out sometimes that my thoughts are not original one and how those seem like floating around the air and globally.

this video came at such a right time for me! i have been struggling a lot with my identity these few weeks and my sense of self has been down these says because of it and this was a great video that kind of speaks to what im feeling! thank u always mina 🩷

Nothings harder to pull off than a v neck 😂

Whenever I go to the local library to study I do my pretty makeup, hair and dress up so because I feel even more motivated.
Like “uhh look at me I’m pretty AND smart” idk it’s dumb but funny and somehow it works

Loved this yapp session.

I hope my personal style in general just suits me which it does but I think that is the end goal considering clothing is wearable art.and like clothes I am art.

THE FINGER GRAB!!! I WAS LIKE “OK period!!” 😂

When going to a party or some other social event I always notice how differently I get treated when I wear something "boring and basic" vs something a little more eccentric and "fashion forward". It's literally a night and day difference of strangers ignoring me or wanting to talk to me and know all about me. Really screws with your mind and I don't yet know what to make of it yet.

This might be my favorite video you have made.

Lol funny how mina and Emma Chamberlian both posted how about there styles have changed

This video could not have come at a better time! I've been struggling with this myself. I have never really been an artsy person or had a great sense of style myself, but I have always appreciated art and fashion, and I would also like to be able to look like someone who appreciates it all! I really do enjoy mimicking styles I see online, but I recognize how much it influences my shopping habits and how much it has morphed me into a "clone." I feel like there needs to be a bit of balance! It can also be an act of radical individualism to be okay with looking like everyone else or participating trends that speak to you.

I was always confused by the early 2020s discourse that discouraged looking like other people and finding your own “aesthetic” why can’t we all enjoy things together? 😭 it’s so ironic that the same people pushing this rhetoric go on a tirade against capitalistic consumption but pre-capitalist societies dressed mostly the same. Is individualism not linked to capitalism??

I guess maybe I don't get all this "well, they clearly don't have a personal style" trend going on. Clothes are just clothes. It seems par of the course that young people gravitate towards trendy pieces or whatever brain-rot term we use for what's in and what isn't. I see all these comments under this video saying well I dress this way and I'm an individual because of it, great? Just go outside and let people pile on outlandish pieces and trendy pieces and create an outfit outta that. If they seem happy enough then let them be. This who finding your personal style was born on the internet so people could find something to complain about. Posers have always existed. There just seems to be more now because of the internet. Let people explore fashion without having to have some weird backstory to as why they do it because I know for a fact have these people in the comments aren't doing punk shit to merit their swag and the same goes for half of the clothing whatever genres. This video essay stuff has to have more gray or have depth. It's tiring

Just because someone wears clothing not connected to their profession should not matter. It's your skills you are bringing to the table, not your outfit choices.

I think right now having personal style is quite hard. But as a person who does not have thousands of dollars to spend on clothing and also is very concerned with the lack of sustainability and ethics of most clothing brands, those two facts have automatically pushed me to really think about my style. Which clothes do I want to buy, that I feel confortable in and will want to wear for at least 10 years?

At first I'm like, "how would you even know who to copy?" but "regurgitated microtrends" explains a lot. Thankfully I'm immune because even if there are men's fashion stuff, what's it doing for me

I'm sorry, but this video was very white and very American. I found myself disillusioned by the end of it.

External validation is fine, I guess, but I actually just like putting colors and textures together in a way that expresses something.

I dress alt since the day I was allowed to but it feels like when I “perfected” the look the less punk i was. I’ve been thrifting a style now that looks like 100 English teachers mashed together and I just know I’m still punk. Fashion or not

Personal style evolves from not buying a lot of stuff. If you only have a small wardrobe and only buy 2-3 pieces a year you’re wardrobe will be more personal as you love your clothes and replace things you don’t like. I myself have two very different styles in my wardrobe (cute skatergirl and - let’s call it alternative, feminine witchcore). I wear how I feel but tbh, I cannot imagine myself wearing basics (jeans and white shirt or something), because I never feel like it. I have a few outfits that are basic enough, but they still have a quirk that won’t fit in. Also most of my clothes don’t need much styling and are rather comfy (long skirts! Love them). Personal style has to fit into your life. It’s OK if it’s basic. It’s also okay if it’s flamboyant as long as you feel good getting dressed. But I think it’s important to find it for not buying crap. Also thinking you NEED basics can lead to overconsumption. For example I have one Jeans for normal life, one for gardening. Most people would think it’s not enough, but I don’t need a second good jeans.