In the realm of pop culture,  trends are defined as an ever-changing societal interest likely to fall out of relevancy in a short amount of time. Despite the fleeting nature of most fads, some trends seem to live on forever in the hearts of those who identify with them. Whether it be a type of odd clothing like jorts or a social media phenomenon like the rise in family bloggers, trends are everywhere and unavoidable. Due to the vast amount of differences between trends, unique opinions are bound to arise on which trends are worth the popularity and which are not. The following is an account from West High School seniors on which trends deserve to be immortalized and others that should not. 

   Joelle Lewis (12): In Lewis’ opinion, one trend that should live on is the “Double Life” trend. Popular on the mobile social media app TikTok, this trend spawns from the song of the same name in Despicable Me 4. Participants of this trend show off unique qualities that make up their identity, flashing through short snapshots of their extracurricular activities or frequently worn outfits to present their creative side to viewers. “As someone who does a lot of extracurriculars, I want to get pictures just so I can do the ‘Double Life’ trend,” Lewis remarked. Conversely, Lewis expressed her distaste for the similar “Paging Doctor Beat” TikTok trend— based on the remixed song “Doctor Beat” by Miami Sound Machine, content creators use this trend to flash panels of different outfits as the chorus of the song repeats. Lewis cited the frequent cyberbullying surrounding this trend as a turn-off for her taste: “When some people want to express their creativity, they do trends like that. But instead of embracing creativity, others will make fun of them for it.” The resulting internet toxicity of the trend left a sour taste in her mouth– as such, Lewis decried the trend as not worth keeping around. 

   Luke Aragon (12): While fashion is infamous for its capricious and ever-developing nature, Aragon is determined that one trend should achieve longevity– the use of jorts was a trend that he steadfastly defended. Controversial for their appearance, jorts are jean shorts that have gone in and out of fashion multiple times throughout the years. Aragon enjoyed how jorts allowed for a flexible change of style: “I like the baggy style that a lot of people wear with jorts . . . you can combo them with many variations of styles.” In contrast to his love for jorts, Aragon feels a strong sense of disgust towards skinny jeans. The exact opposite of jorts, these pants are a tight yet long version of jeans that are popular in 2010s aesthetics that many teenagers find appealing. However, Aragon dismissed this trend as lacking in both comfort and style: “They’re uncomfortable when you wear them and not visually appealing. In my opinion, the baggy style just looks better and can go with a lot more outfits.”

   Valerie Perea (12): As the summer season came to a close, Perea expressed her appreciation of the “Brat Summer” trend spawning off of Charli XCX’s newest album “Brat”, the trend incentivized people to embrace a Y2K aesthetic and a party-friendly attitude. “It’s nice to have a carefree summer— in society nowadays, I feel like we care so much about what other people have to say. It’s nice to be that girl that says ‘I’m me unapologetically’” Though Perea may have found the “Brat” trend agreeable, she did not enjoy the “Give me my money trend.” Videos following this trend show a group of people speaking or singing the line “Give Me My Money” and clapping for each other, leaving out one person and then laughing. “A lot of people do it to their parents and it just makes me feel bad . . . I would feel sad for the parents because they just looked disappointed and hurt,” Perea lamented.

   Greta Wolf (12): Wolf supports the recent surge of the “Demure” trend, which comes in the form of people making parodies of a popular social media audio in which words like “cutesy”, “mindful”, and “demure” are frequently used. Wolf liked this audio because she believed “it’s really cute, really funny, and I like how creative people get with it . . . it makes me want to keep scrolling.” On the other hand, one trend that would make Wolf stop scrolling is the new wave of family bloggers that seem to be making a comeback on the internet. These accounts can be found on almost every form of social media, focusing heavily on parents talking about and showing how they raise their kids. It was a practice that Wolf disagreed with: “I don’t think it’s good to have your children on the internet because you don’t know what people are doing with the videos that you’re putting on the internet . . . I feel like [these accounts] are taking advantage of your children and making money off your children. I don’t like it.”

   Antonio Olivares (12): Olivares finds that his favorite trends are the “Happy Couple” videos on the web. This trend can be found all across the internet, in clips of couples building gingerbread houses together or surprising each other with gifts that they think the other would like. Olivares liked these videos because he believed that “they promote happy and healthy couples.” Even so, Olivares takes issue with the spike of young influencers on social media pages– for example, the notorious accounts of ten-year-old girls blogging about Sephora. “They promote unhealthy lifestyles for kids that age. It’s just not what they should be focusing on at that age,” he remarked.

   Jeremy Born (12): One trend that Born expressed his love for is the “coquette” fashion trend, which incorporated pink bows, dainty dresses, and other cute accessories into wardrobes and home decor in hopes of promoting a more “cutesy” lifestyle. ”The Pinterest boards, the rooms, the bows— it’s all just so adorable. I wish I was more coquette,” he expressed. However, Born does not enjoy the “Senior Goodbye” social media posting trend. These posts usually involve a senior talking to an underclassman and the underclassman expressing a desire to stay with the senior even though graduation is coming. Born stated that this is a trend “that I don’t enjoy because it makes me sad. I have a love-hate relationship with these trends . . . I love them but I hate them because they’re devastating.” It’s Born’s remembrance of seniors he has seen graduate that forces him to both detest and appreciate the emotions shown in these videos, proving that true friends don’t let graduation or distance define them.

   Societal interests are ever-developing, but so is the human mind. Our experiences have a profound effect on our taste— as such, liking or disliking a trend based on mainstream popularity isn’t a relevant standard for judgment.  What matters is that you find ways to express yourself in ways that make you happy, remaining cautious of other ways of expression that won’t. It is these decisions that seem trivial at first that make us what we are fully formed and individual human beings.