She told her tailor, “I want to break the internet!” I am seeing a lot of young Nigerian girls and women going to desperate lengths to get likes for their wedding dress, clothes to be worn on their birthday and the usual slay queen stuff. It is common for slay queens to spend N1, 000,000 on their wedding dress and another N250k on Aso-oke.
Well, social media is changing the global fashion scene. These days, it is all about likes and going viral. On Instagram, it is all about “Attention Deficit Fashion” and the drive for insta-fame. Frequently on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, people do not want to be seen wearing a piece of clothing twice. The culture of I don’t want to wear this, because I have been pictured in it on Facebook or I have posted it on Instagram before has gained a lot of ground. It is the latest affliction of the social media age that can render you poor. It is tagophobia; the fear of being tagged in the same outfit at different locations. It is primarily a gender sensitive affliction. It affects mostly women.
Young women are suffering from overexposure in the age of selfie. In America, it is having a profound effect on the fashion industry by driving the sales of skirts, blouses, shoes and accessories. I know it is the age we live in, where people, are constantly dressing up not just to look good, but to impress. We are all particular about the image we share online but a lot of our young people are taking it too far. Spending a fortune for views. Most often now, those who want to take the perfect picture for their Instagram followers, have social media in mind when shopping for a new dress.
It is a global phenomenon but it will bite Nigerians harder. The youth demographic in the West have the jobs to back up the irresponsible consumerism and throwaway culture. You don’t. The girl you follow, who is showing off the new MiuMiu bag has tons of cash to fall back on and houses to sell when in trouble. When last did you see the children of those who earned their wealth show off? The celebrities you see and follow, can afford those things and many things are given to them for free, so they can advertise it to you.
I admit, I am a sartorial conservative. I inhabit the world of classic fashion and pastels. The endless drive to wear and buy brand new things does not sit right with me. Last Sunday at a wedding, I wore the Iro and Buba I wore on my birthday two years ago, with different accessories. I have Hayes and Jubilee Gèlè I wore for my engagement in 1992 in my wardrobe. I buy expensive stuff but I let them lie on my wishlist until it is on sale. If I can find my size, fine, if I can’t, fair enough! I don’t get fussed up with cool or edgy stuff. It does not square with my economy. I am as excited by the oldest pieces in my wardrobe as the newest. In this update is a skirt I bought from Talbots in 2009, that still gets pulled out on occasion. I’ve got a shoe made by Timothy Hitsman in 1998 long before he died. For me, the old and the new have their uses. I don’t have the urge to buy and buy. Many of these old pieces, make up my inherent style and are precious beyond compare. This constant pressure for head to toe newness, that social media showcases so well is very alienating to me.
In a world of spiraling indebtedness, I am always extremely cautious about spending huge amounts on designer stuff. I prefer to play the waiting game because seeing what I bought for full price on sale, chafes me. I don’t derive any joy from bragging that I bought so, so and so for $2,000. There is nothing more satisfying than unearthing a find, two seasons later for a fraction of the price. I don’t give a rat ass if I am not the first person to be wearing something. I love being the last person to be wearing it ten years later. I bought this priceless Cole Haan bag for 50% off. I waited a whole year obsessing over it, waiting for it to go on sale. It is a classic which will never date and I know I will be wearing it forever. I have many things like these, obtained on a huge bargain and it made a lot more sense. They were not new in social media sense but they are new to me and just as special.
The now, now; shaprapra urge is lamentable. Do not indulge in the modern banality of wear it once culture of binning clothes after wearing it once, so you are not pictured in the same outfit twice on social media. Great style is great style, beautiful pieces are beautiful pieces. We are taking the aspirational thing too far. The need for continuous spending and consumption is a dangerous mentality to have and promote. It is crass and wasteful. You can get insta-indebt.