Changes

 I think a lot of people (including me) are afraid of changes in their lives. Whether it's moving cities, jobs, or even partners, the new and unexplored can seem so daunting. Over the years we have seen some notable changes within the U.S, the differences in political parties, the economy, and even the social lives of people have taken a major downturn. We are told to embrace change and the unknown but what happens when we don't? What happens when we refuse the changes and want to stick to familiarity and comfort? This may be seen as stubborn or unrelenting but I think it is a very valid concern, lots of things are changing in this world and there is a level of uneasiness that comes along with it.

One of the major things I have seen changing is obviously the fashion industry. For the longest time, I have always connected the fashion industry to how the economy is doing. When the economy was somewhat alright, there was a large emergence of expression and creativity. People were happy spending money on expensive pieces, paying more for bursts of color, and expressing themselves in ways that we have not been able to match. A lot of fashion businesses (both big and small) were booming and people were just happier in a sense. This is definitely not happening right now. Now we are seeing the rise of the 'clean girl aesthetic', people enjoying lots of neutral colors and minimal designs. We are seeing major publications using AI models and a large decrease in creativity all around. Honestly, what is going on at this point? 

Now some may find this completely unrelated to the economy but I see it as a very sad downturn as we head into a very dark direction in the world. People are becoming incredibly muted in the things they like and the things they wear, and for now there is absolutely nothing we can do. A lot of businesses are closing, a lot of stylists, creative directors, writers, and even interns are losing their jobs. How exactly are we supposed to embrace this? This goes back to my original question, what happens if we don't embrace these types of changes?