by Megha Lakha and Leighton Maynard
Free People fleeces, Stanley Cups, Split59s, Hokas, Mullets… sounds familiar right? That’s probably because each of these are current trends you have probably seen here at Lovett. But why these? And why do we tend to cycle through things on a seemingly monthly basis?
Trends are things we adapt to and emulate. Someone will come into school with a new bracelet and the next week everyone and their mother will be wearing that bracelet. But where did all these trends start and how do they spread so fast? We sent out a survey to the entire upper school student body to find out. Forty-six students took the survey.
In our survey, we wanted to know who starts these trends and where they come from. About 40% said Alix Earle, a relatively new TikTok influencer that has gained tons of followers since December. Many cited TikTok as a source. We asked which Lovett students are the early adopters of these trends, and the most recurring response was: “the popular ones”.
Now that we had an idea of where trends came from, we were able to ask about current trending items at Lovett. We asked about shoes and some popular responses were Ugg Boots, Mou Boots, Hoka Sneakers, Esse ut Esses, Golden Gooses (even though it should be Geese), and of course Nikes.
In terms of accessories, Lovett students’ favorite ones right now are Stanley Cups (And if you don’t want to pay $40, we recommend heading to your local TJ Maxx and grabbing a Stanley Cup DOOPPPP)
Since Lovett has a uniform and dress code many of the girls try to work around it by using jackets, leggings, and jewelry to elevate their outfits. Nearly 80% of replies named Split59 leggings (or “Splits”) and the Free People jacket. It’s honestly hard to walk to a class without seeing that navy pullover jacket and the Black Splits. If you haven’t noticed this you might want to go to the doctor and get your eyesight fixed.
For the guys in particular, New Balance shoes, Patagonia Synchilla, and Air Jordans were all things that were named repeatedly on the survey. And you can’t forget the mullet haircut that every guy seems to have. While many trends for guys were reported, someone offered a different opinion about boys’ trends: “guys don’t really have trends (they have it so much easier)”.
Self-care has been a big trend on the internet recently, so many people have been trying new products. If you were to go through a Lovett girl’s For You Page on TikTok you would most likely find videos about skin care products and makeup GRWM’S (“Get Ready With Me”). A lot of people listed fake tans and guashas (a face sculpting tool) as popular self-care items.
We also asked about some popular phrases, and “rizz”, “slay”, and “bruh” were the leading responses. If you don’t know what rizz is we suggest reading Mr. Newman’s article about “Lovett lingo.”
We were also curious about what the overall best and worst trends going around were. For the worst trends, many people said fake tans and bleached hair. Cassie Bell agrees that the “bleached hair is terrible.” On a different note, the best trends that people listed include Splits under skirts, mini Uggs, and “chess.com.” I bet you never thought you’d see Chess and Uggs on the same list!
Some past trends that may have once been cool, but survey takers now see as cringe were fidget spinners, music.ly, VSCO girls, preppy girls, dabbing, and aggressive side parts. Some trends students wish would come back are Fortnite, silly bands, summer 2019 TikTok, and, most of all, slime.
So the point is, trends will come and go, and so too will their effect on us. One person from the survey reflected on this. “When we add new people to the Lovett community they bring different trends and fashions along with them,” they wrote. “But not every trend stays there forever at some point they find that the trend was really dumb, and decide to stop wearing or doing it.”
Who knows what trend we’ll think was dumb in a month, what trend we’ll be nostalgic for in a year, and what trend we’ll be relieved has managed to stick around so that we don’t have to go out and buy a different fleece.
