Thoughts on Originality

A couple of months back, I stumbled upon a quote online that read, “A wise meme once said: Be a Grace Kelly in a world of Kardashians”. Ever since then, this single line has resurfaced my consciousness time and time again, being especially apparent every time I publish a new blog post or post an instagram photo. A disclaimer: this is not my slander on trends or any single person who follows them. In fact, I find myself succumbing to this many times. This is merely my thoughts on a broad topic and I felt that my readers would find it interesting.

As a millennial who has grown up with no pervasive technology to a young adult being constantly surrounded by it, I cannot help but notice the changes in the way my peers and I go about our daily lives. Obviously I have a keen interest in fashion, so I noticed how these changes affected this facet. The rise of social media platforms has essentially turned everyone’s life into an advertisement. We share with the public what we ate, where we go, and what we wear. 
A specific example of technology having an impact on originality:
I hate to bring up specific names but Kylie Jenner is one of the biggest faces on the instagram platform and even as a 18 year old, has so much online influence. I know for a fact everyone of you has found yourself on her profile for several minutes scrolling through her posts (haha). There has been a wave of “Kylie” style in the fashion industry in the form of body con dresses and tight pants with accessories of plump lips and smokey eyes. When I look on instagram, I feel so many of these fashion accounts are mirrors of each other and it makes me evaluate my own online content. Ultimately, I am faced with the question: Am I losing my originality?


I had a fashion blog back in middle school when instagram and other social media platforms didn’t even exist, or at least not at the level they are now. I remember loving fashion and having so much fun putting outfits together. However, now when I blog, I often question if there is such a thing as too much inspiration? Are we as a collective group falling victim to dwindling our personal sense of style to copycatting? If yes, is this even a bad thing?
Again, I am not at all saying those who follow trends are unoriginal and should be looked down upon. To each his own. This topic has just been on my mind lately and I wanted to hear my readers thoughts on the subject. 🙂 Do you think technology has been having a negative impact on fashion and being an individual? If yes, do see it as positive or negative?

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21 thoughts on “Thoughts on Originality

  1. Interesting topic. I think that's going to be a tough internal struggle with a lot of people. I don't know if I see technology as having a negative impact; but I'm not quite sure how to explain it. It makes me think of how it was back in Grace Kelly's day, there were always scandals and trends, but it's just that today it's more easily accessible because of all the social media platforms. I think it's positive in a way that it allows more individuals the ability to express/show themselves (leaving their digital footprint in the world) but it can be negative because it can be limiting, especially for younger people who just follow the trends. I think it's gonna be something we all have to become used to though, what with the social media landscape just encompassing everything. Like, I think it's going to get worse. I mean, we already have Snapchat and Periscope to basically film every single second of our lives. It's interesting to think about how much further it will go.

    coffeeslag

    COFFEESLAG Color Filled Spring

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  2. Loved reading your thoughts on this. I think it's natural for people to monkey see monkey do, and that's not necessarily a bad thing; it's how trends become trends because people love it! But I do think individuality can get glossed over in everyone's need to participate in that trend they keep seeing. Just keep fighting the good fight; uniqueness always stands out in the end!

    xo, alice / T Y P E N U

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  3. I love the quote “be a Grace Kelly in a world full of Kardashians” when I grew up we just had MTV and magazines. No social media, so we would make our own fashion mistakes and glories. I still see it like that, I enjoy browsing online and take inspiration. At the end of the day I do what pleases me. A great post and thought provoking x

    Shanel
    http://babblingonbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/nars-steven-klien-killer-heels-lipstick.html?m=1

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  4. This is super interesting! I think that nowadays the media show us so many different trends (that in fact they are all the same) and sometimes it doesn't allow us to be original because we take a little thing of everything we see, which is a shame. But I do think we can be original if we don't let ourselves get to many influence of the media. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

    http://www.blossomikebana.com

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  5. It's tough to maintain originality, because we're all a product of our environments + what we consume in pop culture, right? I definitely my style influenced by others- trends, celebs, even Kylie Jenner, haha. But it is good to put your own spin on things, whatever that is. Wear what you like, create what you like, and be inspired from whoever/wherever you like- but then find a way to make it your own.

    -Ashley
    Le Stylo Rouge

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  6. Gosh, I feel like I struggle with this myself. Not so much lately as I did a few years back. I went through a phase were I was heavily influenced by other fashionistas. Needing to dress how they did etc. In effect I've found that I've kind of lost my own sense of self because of this. Especially when it comes to fashion. I don't really understand my own style these days. I tend to stick with basics but I know I am more than that. It's hard to find that balance again, because at times I still find that I am influenced by others and attempt to mimic the way they do things, especially when it comes to Instagram. I don't post as much as I used to because I compare the content and quality of my own images to those others I admire and it never really “stacks” up. But that's ok. It's about being unique and bringing a new voice to the picture. And that is something I have to learn to embrace more.

    Sxx
    http://www.daringcoco.com

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  7. I feel like technologies do help to get inspired and in sense of fashion it has a great impact. However, I do feel that there is a certain line between getting inspired and getting too inspired a.k.a. starting to copy without noticing it. I do think that it can kill our originality and we start wanting to look like a certain person and we can start copying how they look, how they act. But I guess, it has to do with the person itself, either he or she is strong enough to hold their originality and personality or they simply let others control their so called 'originality'.

    -Leta | The Nerdy Me

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  8. So funny to come across this because I feel like I'm not using Instagram properly at the minute because it looks so different to everyone elses. I think its probably important to take inspiration from a variety of places but never to make anything a carbon copy of someone else's x

    Viva Epernay

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  9. This is a really interesting post, I definitely agree with you that we have so much information and technology at our fingertips now that a lot of people seem to be following the same trends, and feeling inadequate if they're not mirror images of people they admire, I think a lot of originality has gone out of the window to some extent. I find myself watering down my own quirks sometimes to conform to what I now feel society expects. Like you, I had a blog in high school and it was nothing like the world of blogging today, or even my own current blog.
    Having said that, I think its great that blogging has become a 'thing' in its own right and an accepted outlet, it's good to have like minded people to inspire us, but we just need to remember who we are too.

    Lucy x- Yellowicing

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  10. Yeah I definitely can relate. Sometimes, you can't help but compare your content with other people's. It can be a real damper on your own creativity. Just gotta let your personality shine through 🙂

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  11. True. There's always been “problems”, this is just a new generation one. Just a different culture and I guess we do need to get used to it 🙂 Thanks for reading, babe!

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  12. Hello Keri, thanks for sharing with us your thoughts! To me, technology is a double-edged sword – we get to learn and share many info through technology which was never made possible before “Google” ever existed 🙂 I wouldn't think that technology causes the lack of originality.. Rather, I think it boosts innovation and other forms of creativity as I get to read about how other bloggers in different parts of the world are doing and what is in trend etc. Of course you may find duplication in content as you browse across different blogs / sites but at the end of the day, just stay true to yourself and blossom like a lotus out of muddy waters 🙂

    xoxo, Aldora
    Aldora Muses – A Beauty & Lifestyle Blog | Instagram

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