The Illusion of Subcultures in the United States : What Fashion Says About Culture

Growing up in Venice, California, I was exposed to subcultures more than mainstream culture. I grew up mainly with hippies, punks, nomads, circus people, and skaters. I didn't realize this was unusual until I moved to Denver, Colorado and observed what other cities in the U.S. were actually like. To be honest, being around mainstream U.S. culture gave me anxiety.

The early 2000s in Venice were fully of individuality. People felt comfortable expressing themselves, whether for better or for worse. It was weird, but it was fun and it felt open and friendly. It was weird experiencing "normal" for the first time. It felt rigid and stifling. I've always been drawn to, and fit in better with, creative people, but in Denver, I felt an even stronger pull to be around creative people because the lack of individuality in many places felt soul sucking. Most of the people I did resonate with ended up leaving the city. So I left too.

In the era of TikTok aesthetics, the term aesthetic has replaced the word subculture. There seems to be this illusion with some people that just because two people dress in similar aesthetics, they'll automatically get along, which isn't true at all. Just because two people have somewhat similar fashion choices doesn't always mean their personalities are compatible. It's important to remember that people are individuals. Not just "a group." As individuals, we belong to multiple groups. Multiple families. Multiple friend groups. Especially in a day and age where we can join multiple online groups around the world.

Goths, Punks, Hippies, etc. originally were centered around either music, a shared interest, or political aspirations. But the lines have always been blurred and many individuals within subcultures belong to multiple groups/ multiple subcultures. The only reason we have these terms is to give the thing a name and have a term we can use to talk about the thing. But again, the lines are blurred. The thing is not absolute, especially when it comes to talking about humans. Punks can be "conservative" or "liberal." Even hippies can be "conservative" or "liberal." It's a sliding scale because most people are in the middle. Most people are conservative about some things while simultaeously being liberal about other things. Some may assume that all hippies and all punks are liberal, but this isn't true. There are hippies that are only performative hippies because they like the freedom the hippie lifestyle promises, but they may be conservative in their finances and some can be stingy or even selfish instead of generous. There are punks who believe in the anger and energy of the music, but they're angry for different reasons. Nazi punks vs Black punks for example.

Here's the thing; Back in the day, people were exposed to fewer styles because they didn't have the internet. The internet only became popular in the mainstream early 2000s. I remember the first time I heard about YouTube in elementary school and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. But in those early days, nobody was doing style videos on YouTube unless they actually worked in fashion. We weren't exposed to the thousands of different aesthetics we now have through Pinterest, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. You either bought your clothes at the mall or at the thrift store. (Or you DIYd if you're an OG.) We didn't clothing shop online growing up. That didn't exist yet. So if you saw someone with a really cool quirky style, they were usually well traveled or well read or both. You could tell by their style that they read books and met people from different cultures. They wore their experiences in their style. Or they got their style inspiration through musicians and artists they admired and added their own personal flair.

Some of that still holds true today; we still copy what we are exposed to and what we admire, but we are exposed to so much more now with the internet. We are exposed to so much and often we don't know why we are attracted to these styles or the ideas or associations people place on these styles. We just know they resonate with us. I don't think it makes certain styles less meaningful. If you're a jack ass, you're a jack ass. Either you get along with another individual or you don't. That hasn't changed. If you like elephant pants, you likely are looking for a more comfortable, stress free lifestyle, but that doesn't mean you're automatically all love and light. If you like to wear black leather and spikes, that doesn't automatically make you a badass. But these styles are a type of wish fulfillment. They say more about who you want to be than who you actually are.

This has always been true, even before the internet. The fashion you surround yourself with tells the world not only who you are, but also who you want to be and what you want out of life. The many aesthetics joining the mainstream definitely says something about hyper consumerism and fast fashion, but it also says that we want something different. Something outside the mainstream. (Again, most of the people I've met who try to conform to mainstream culture seem to have severe anxiety.)

Most subcultures boil down to the same thing in the end; dissatisfaction with American culture and a need to express individuality while also being accepted for that individuality. The term "subculture" just means anything outside the norm of mainstream culture. However, with the rise of interest in subcultures around the world, it raises the question of what even is mainstream. Because EVERYONE is dissatisfied with the current system. And that dissatisfaction seems to have become mainstream.