Did you know people loved the desert so much that they would wait 12 hours in their car just to get there? It’s true.Â
The annual music festival, Coachella, has always had such traction, bringing in people from across the country just to feel the scorching 104-degree heat and dry air hit their skin. Coachella has been a yearly event since 1999 and seemed to have a peak around 2014-2016 because of social media and content creators having gone.Â
2014-2016 Coachella was the peak not only for the artists playing, or that it didn’t have much of a social media influence, but because of the fashion. 2014-2016 were the years for distressed denim shorts, boho chic, and flower crowns. As Kendall Jenner says, “This was Coachella 2016, this was the vibe at the time”. Clearly, Tumblr and Instagram were at their peaks at this time as well. Although now, this once carefree, almost vibe of Coachella has gone away, why?Â
Social media is always the answer!Â
Brands have always gone to Coachella; however, now with the rise of so many content creators, brands sponsor these people and hire stylists to curate outfits for people to promote on their pages. This uprise of sponsorship has led to people, sponsored or not, to make this festival of music become much more of a fashion show.Â
Now, buying or making up cute outfit ideas has never hurt anyone, except now thousands of dollars and time are spent on two or three days out in a desert, alongside an already expensive ticket. This year, Coachella tickets were $779 for general admission, including a shuttle with VIP at a whopping $1400. That VIP ticket is someone’s university tuition.Â
Prior to the influence of media, Coachella was fun, probably a bit more affordable, and seemed like a weekend to just chill and enjoy music. Cannot say the same for now, where instead of relaxing, there is stress about outfits and getting the perfect pictures, and being able to pay this ticket back.Â