Swiping up to unlock her phone, freshman Julia Curtis clicks on the Pinterest app, immediately greeted by a wide array of pins that display everything from the latest clothing brands to aesthetically pleasing photos taken from social media. As she scrolls, she finds a photo displaying a fall sweater that she has been meaning to add to her wardrobe. She immediately clicks on the pin and saves it to her fashion board.

According to Curtis, social media plays a significant role in her fashion choices because she relies heavily on Pinterest and Instagram to recreate outfits she likes. 

“I look at Pinterest pins and Instagram posts for inspiration on clothes I already have or plan on getting,” Curtis said. “Sometimes I’ll look on the apps to see how others style clothing items.”

 Senior Bella Ngyuen said she also takes inspiration from several different people on social media platforms like Instagram, Tiktok and Pinterest. 

“I take bits and pieces from a variety of styles to curate my own,” Ngyuen said.

Curtis also said social media allows her to discover new clothing, which in turn helps her explore different fashion trends and styles to expand her creativity.

“By spreading trends more quickly and providing a platform to share ideas, brands, etc., I can buy things that match my style,” Curtis said. “Sometimes if I’m looking to buy new clothes, I’ll look online to see if other people are wearing them or not, which helps me to have an idea of what people are wearing or not.”

While social media can enhance fashion creativity for students, Nguyen said it can also force individuals to follow trends based on popularity rather than their personal style.

“Trends on social media are just what’s popular at the moment,” Ngyuen said. “They can help you find new ways to style yourself, but it can also be the only thing that you would want to wear because it’s popular. Ultimately, it’s the person’s choice how creative they want to be.”

According to senior Shuya Lam, social media allows for her to find new styles online that she would never find otherwise.

“It has all these different niches of styles that you don’t always see when you walk outside,” Lam said. “It helps me figure out what my style will look like for that day, and it’s nice for finding new style tips.”

Lam said that while certain trends may be helpful, they can also restrict creativity. 

“Some trends have very specific statement pieces that don’t go with anything else in anybody’s wardrobe except for maybe one or two outfits, and those are restrictive because they make you buy more clothes than you actually need,” Lam said. “Some are more timeless and have really cool potential and are super versatile.”

Using social media as a tool for her everyday style, senior Alma Samet said she noticed there was a pressure to follow popular trends to seek validation or acceptance from others.

“When people are online and notice what’s trending, they start comparing themselves and their own personal style in order to feel accepted,” Samet said.