Transition from brown green to beige tones
In the realm of social media and fashion, influential figures like Nara Smith and Hannah Neeleman are championing conservative trends, reaching millions of followers. This shift away from the exuberant, rebellious spirit of Brat Summer, towards more classic and refined looks, is a reflection of changing emotional and social priorities.
Brat Summer, popularized by figures like Charli XCX, embodied a youth-centric, digital-native culture that reveled in bold self-expression and fun summer vibes. However, as the cultural mood evolves, many people are gravitating towards more relaxed, minimal, and sophisticated aesthetics. This shift is partly due to a desire to escape the hyper-digital, over-stimulated styles and seek simplicity and calm in personal style.
The Trad Wife (modern interpretation of the traditional wife) and Old Money aesthetics champion classic, conservative, and timeless fashion cues. These styles symbolize stability, heritage, and understated wealth, contrasting with the "loud" trends of the past few years. Influencer Nara Smith is attributed to the trend of the Tradwife, while Hannah Neeleman, with her eight children and conservative content on her "Ballerina Farm" in Utah, also plays a significant role.
This trend shift mirrors broader social and cultural dynamics, including a yearning for stability and tradition amid fast-paced digital culture. It suggests a cyclical nature of fashion, where after phases of extreme creativity and youthfulness, there is a return to heritage, quality, and enduring style principles.
On social media, this transition signals a move in content and identity curation — from bold individualism toward curated, aspirational lifestyles often associated with elegance and old-fashioned sophistication. It also reflects consumer attitudes: preferences for durability and meaningful consumption rather than ephemeral trends, which aligns with growing concerns about sustainability and conscious fashion choices.
Brands like Marc Jacobs and H&M are serving up conservative collections in black, white, beige, and muted colors. However, this shift is not without controversy. The well-dressed mainstream is as white and slim as it hasn't been in a long time, as seen in American Eagle's campaign featuring the white, normatively beautiful actress, Sydney Sweeney. This has sparked controversy and eugenic undertones.
Resistance against decades-long emancipatory struggles for queer visibility and intersectional feminism has grown. The "Protect the dolls" slogan has become a solidarity cry for the rights of trans people in the current political climate. Meanwhile, under the hashtag #SkinnyTok, the body image of the 90s, pathologically thin, is making a comeback, despite being banned by TikTok under EU pressure.
Right-wing movements have created over 90 fashion brands in Germany, mimicking the aesthetics of big brands but with subtle to overt right-wing messages. Artists like Ikkimel, pushing boundaries in the music industry, represent a shift in confidence and representation, rapping about sexual themes and performing in skimpy leopard print thongs, reminding us that fashion continues to serve as a form of protest.
In summary, the movement from Brat Summer to Trad Wife and Old Money styles represents a cultural and aesthetic pivot from bright, youthful excess to refined minimalism and timelessness, highlighting changing emotional and social priorities in fashion and digital identity construction. This shift is influenced by factors such as a desire for simplicity, a yearning for stability, and a cyclical nature of fashion, among others.
- Nara Smith and Hannah Neeleman, champions of conservative trends in the fashion-and-beauty realm, are followed by millions on social media, reflecting a shift away from the bold and rebellious Brat Summer lifestyle.
- The Trad Wife and Old Money aesthetics, characterized by classic, conservative, and timeless fashion cues, represent a return to heritage, quality, and enduring style principles, contrasting with the "loud" trends of the past few years.
- The shift towards curated, aspirational lifestyles on social media is mirrored in consumer attitudes, with a preference for durability, meaningful consumption, and sustainable fashion choices.
- Despite the move towards refined minimalism and timelessness, resistance against queer visibility and intersectional feminism has grown, with controversies arising over the representation and body image in fashion and media.
