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Life

Maintaining Individuality in an Aesthetic Based World

Katie Leis
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Temple chapter.

Being an aesthetic is the newest trend, but you shouldn’t feel forced to change your entire lifestyle to fit into one.  

TikTok is a platform that has influenced many people’s personal styles as well as introduced many new aesthetics. Every month there is a new “it girl” who lives an unrealistic lifestyle. Many girls who use Tik Tok all look up to her and want to be her. This has caused a shift in society where people think they MUST fit in to a certain aesthetic and live like influencers to fit in. Many people are losing their individuality as they are trying to follow in the footsteps of others.  

It often feels like you need to pick one aesthetic and stick to it, and even if you do not go out of your way to fit into one, you still get labeled as a certain aesthetic. Due to the Tik Tok algorithm, there has been a new “it girl” every month, and every girl aspires to live a similar lifestyle to her. One of the more recent examples of this would be Alix Earle. Even though she has openly admitted to getting lip filler and plastic surgery, many girls still go out of their way to buy the same products and clothes she has in hopes to look like her.  

As a result, many girls, especially younger girls are all losing their individuality in hopes of turning into someone else because she’s popular and pretty. When people do this, they excuse it as growth, or a change in taste. Other times it can have the underlying thought of “if I don’t look like the girls that are idolized on TikTok, I won’t be liked by others.”  Obviously, there’s many factors that go into why people want to fit into a certain aesthetic, or be like an influencer, but there are a lot of things to remember.  

One of the main ones is that just because it works for somebody else does not mean it will work for you. This can apply to clothing, skincare and makeup products, and even a lifestyle. Just like how we all have different body types and skin types we all do different things in our day-to-day life, meaning that all these things may not impact you the same way it does others. Although it may be upsetting, it’s a good reminder that you are different from others. Even if you like different types of aesthetics, you do not need to fully commit to one. You can take different parts from each one and make it your own. Not fully blending into one aesthetic makes you stand out which increases both your own confidence and personal style choices.   

 
I think it’s important to remember that you’re you for a reason and that is a good thing. Enhancing yourself and discovering new things is always something fun to do but don’t think it’s mandatory because you have seen hundreds of clean girl aesthetic lifestyle TikToks. 

Hi! My name is Katie and I am the TikTok Coordinator for the Temple University Chapter! I had started off as a staff writer for the fashion and beauty section, and then after a year of writing I had become the Tik Tok Coordinator. I am a senior at Temple University who is studying Journalism and Digital Media Engagement. Throughout my entire school career I had always loved writing, and thought that Journalism would be the perfect fit for me! With writing for Her Campus as well as Refine Magazine, it is safe to say that magazine writing is something I can see myself doing long term. Moreover with my love for photography and content creation, running the Her Campus Tik Tok is a perfect way to incorporate those skills as well as tie in what I learned in my Digital Media Engagement minor. Outside of my academics I keep myself busy with my numerous hobbies. I love being able to go outside and walk around. Whether it is to go to a cafe or to a store, or just wandering around for fun. Moreover, I love photography and scrapbooking. Being able to capture memories in a fun and unique way means a lot to me. I also love being able to spend time with my friends as well as make new ones!