Fashion trends are constantly changing. Like the tide of the ocean, they come in as fast as they leave. But surely for as long as fashion has been alive, are we bound to run out of new ideas? How different can you truly make clothing?

Clothing is an important aspect of staying both healthy and alive. It serves not only as protection, but can also be a way that people express themselves. It’s no surprise that clothing, like many things, also suffers from trends and popularity when it comes to certain items. For example, scrunchies first became really popular in the 80s and 90s, but after that, the scrunchie seemed to fade from the face of the Earth, only to miraculously reappear as a popular item again. This isn’t the only clothing item that this has happened with. For example, chokers, turtleneck sweaters, overalls, corduroy skirts, etc. have also regained popularity.

The real question is “Why are these clothing trends coming back?” One of the main reasons why these trends are taking place has to do with social media. Teenagers, being the main target of most trends, are influenced heavily by the media around them.

Many TV shows are based in the 1980s, or have an older time period feel. For example, the hit Netflix series “Stranger Things” is based in the 1980’s. While shows like “Riverdale” and “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” never state when they are based in, but they have an “American Golden Age” feel, while mixed with a more modern timeline. It wouldn’t be a surprise that while watching these shows and relating to the characters, that teens would start to pick up the certain styles of the characters.

Having prior trends coming back into fashion isn’t a terrible thing, though; it has both its ups and downs. A major upside would be the fact that since older, outdated clothing is making its way back and old clothing might be reused. Instead of clothing being discarded because it’s out of fashion, it can be repurposed, which cuts back on the waste of natural materials and the amount of pollution.

This all being said there are also negatives. One company’s wanting to make money off of these trends will constantly produce new clothing items. According to sharecloth.com, this won’t help with the 12.8 million tons of clothing that are sent into landfills annually. The fact is that over 50% of the fast-fashion items being produced will be thrown out in a year.

All in all, it’s not a bad thing that old fashion trends are coming back. In fact, many of the pieces of clothing and accessories are useful. It’s just like a very popular saying: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” This being said… if jorts come back into style something wrong has happened and it’s all over.