I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched influencers say “Run don’t walk!” about something that’s existed for years now… and I still fell for it. Yes, me and countless others are victims of this very trap–Microtrends. I used to buy every useless piece of junk on my feed before I even stopped to consider its effects on people and the environment. Now, I think twice before buying the newest trinket.

Microtrends are quick trends that only last from 3-5 years; however, they have more recently been going out of style within a few months “[with] the rise of short-form social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram and more influentially TikTok.” The rise in leopard print, the fall of colorblock t-shirts,  the broad range of jeans… I’ve seen at least 3 decades of fashion trends cycle in and out of Pinterest–all within my 4 years at Tallwood High School.

A trend that is actively going through this process is Labubus. After buying one, you’ll feel the need to buy more, filling landfills with cardboard packaging and the duplicates  you got. According to a business article, “..Many characters themselves, such as Labubus, are made of PVC and ABS plastics manufactured with toxic chemicals.” Blind boxes give consumers a “rush of uncertainty”, but I always thought of it as onset gambling. So put down that Pokemon pack and the squishy dumplings. I know what you are.

Absolutely do not use that $500 Shein gift card you found in someone’s bio. Fast fashion companies use cheap materials, labor, and mass production costs to make their products. For example, the plastic bag for each Shein product cannot be recycled.

Your favorite influencers and celebrities single-handedly introduce hyper-consumerism to teens and millennials. According to Haileu Hentz, people buy toys that remind them of their childhood, like Beanie Boos. Stated in an article titled “The Age of Trinkets and a global collectible Craze,” “ ..the community built around these toys blurs the line between connection and consumerism”. On the other hand, the rise of these microtrends negatively affects the people making them. For example, Shein workers take multiple shifts a day for up to 18 hours. Despite their intense workload, they barely make a realistic minimum wage. This issue is a problem influencers never bring up in their content, and something consumers like us won’t own up to.

Microtrends span wider than we think. It’s more than satin pants and deer-print faux fur. The environment and the psychological effect on us isn’t normal, nor should it continue to be normalized. So next time you’re about to click “BUY NOW,” ask yourself: “Do I even like it?”, “How often would I use it?”, and more importantly, “Do I need that?”