The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 was a significant time in our history that changed the way we do a lot of things. How we clean, eat and even shop were some of the things revolutionized during this time. During this period of anti-socialization, people took to social media as a place of comfort in a terrifying unknown. This changed a lot of what was seen on social media and the way we saw people express themselves.
In the years preceding the pandemic, many would argue that it wasn’t common to see people dressed outside of societal norms, especially teenagers. The teen years are a time when most want nothing more then to fit in. However, 2020 began to change many younger people’s views on fashion standards.
As the guidelines for the pandemic began to ramp up and everyone was barred from going outside, the only thing left to do was get on social media, or more specifically, TikTok.
According to Statista, “In the first quarter of 2020, TikTok downloads peaked at over 313.5 million worldwide, up by 62.3 percent compared to the first quarter of 2019.” Not only did TikTok see a change in numbers, but people also saw a shift in who was showing up on “for you” pages.
People who used TikTok during the quarantine may remember the “alt” TikTok versus “straight” TikTok battle that seemed to be ongoing throughout the entirety of the year. This feud contributed to the popularity of dressing alternatively to the norm, changing people’s perspective on alternative fashion.
Since TikTok was seemingly split in half, most people ended up seeing content from one side or the other, subsequently choosing one side of the battle. The alt side was considered the cooler side of TikTok by many users. Diggit Magazine even described it as “the funny side of TikTok.”
With alt TikTok being seen as the better side of TikTok, social media users needed a way to fit in with the people they saw on their “For You” pages. This is part of why we saw so many people in 2020 trying to change fashion norms and bring alternative fashion into mainstream media.
An example of a style popularized by the “alt” TikTok revolution of 2020 was the “e-girl.” An “e-girl”, or “e-kid,” is characterized by “dark, layered clothes, chains, and brightly dyed hair,” according to an article on Tremg. This was one of the biggest TikTok fashion statements of the year and another reason modern alternative fashion reached the public eye.
Not only was e-girl fashion popular during this period, but other styles were being brought to light as well. Many fashion subcultures that diverged from the norm were becoming more frequent to see on social media, as well as in person. It became more widely accepted to step out of the house in something such as full traditional goth attire after the resurgence of these trends.
Being in high school myself during the pandemic, it was a time when you really started to see fashion change. Of course, a majority of people still followed the trends of the time, but it was common to see more people starting to dress in accordance with the alternative fashion revolution seen on TikTok.
While different styles and subcultures have been around for many years, the pandemic was a time that helped push these fashions into the mainstream. This is the reason why alternative fashion is much more common today, and the reason a lot of people feel more comfortable expressing themselves through what they wear.
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Hi! I’m Kayla Friedman, A Magazine’s editor-in-chief. My staff and I are committed to bringing you the most important and entertaining news from the realms of fashion, beauty and culture. We are full-time students and hard-working journalists. While we get support from the student media fee and earned revenue such as advertising, both of those continue to decline. Your generous gift of any amount will help enhance our student experience as we grow into working professionals. Please go here to donate to A Magazine.
