How Pinterest Changed Fashion

It is bold to say - but it also true - that women and men conform societal standards. May that be in their relationships, jobs, future plans, or fashion choices. Up until the early 2000s, fashion was dictated by elite shows in New York or L.A. where a few select style gurus would tell the world what was 'hot' and what was 'not'. When something was in style, everyone felt pressure to add it into their wardrobe in some way or another - cue 90s grunge. That was until 2010, when Pinterest was born. Pinterest is a form of social network/bookmarking site where you can collect pins (usually visual) into your own boards. Hence the phrase 'pinning'. With over 10 billion pins across 100 million boards for women's fashion alone, Pinterest unleashed something completely contradictory - an individual personalized sense of style.

I thought whatever I saw in Teen Vogue or Glamour was in-style. There were no other deviations for me - either what was in and what was out. Original and unoriginal. Black and white. Pinterest accidentally created a grey area in fashion. Women and men can now customize different style types on their own fashion board, helping form their own sense of style and encouraging unique and independent clothing against the grain of what was socially normal.

I have also noticed a rise in feminist content on Pinterest about body shaming and different articles and blogs about women's issues. As a rising platform for fashion and merchandise, Pinterest is also becoming a rising platform for feminist thought and the rise of the independant woman, encouraging not only individual style, but also individual thought.