The Rise of the Micro Aesthetic
It used to take 10 years for a trend to come and go, now they can come and go in matter of weeks.
The concept of ‘micro aesthetics’ have emerged due to people wanting to portray every little detail about how they’re feeling right now. Whether that’s through their colour schemes, music selection, what drink they’re having, how they’ve styled their space or how they’re spending their Sunday. You get to live in a whole new world for a short period of time.
It’s so fun to engage with micro aesthetics as it allows you to experiment with finding out who you are. By creating pretty images, you’re showing how you’re feeling inside and creating a connection with people who love the same little details. You’ll connect with people who like the same things as you. Whether that be the playlist, coffee shop or just the vibe you’re creating together.
This makes you want to spend a large amount of money on constantly editing yourself. Everything becomes a project. You’re always trying to make your space, clothes, feeds and hobbies perfect. While the images may look nice, you’re losing who you really are.
Your aesthetic isn’t who you are, it’s just how you’re feeling. You may choose to have a soft and aesthetic to help you feel calm. Or you may want to feel confident so you’ll choose something bold and eclectic. If you’re feeling nostalgic, your heart will naturally lead you towards vintage aesthetics.
While genuine people rarely have a brand, it’s absolutely okay to have multiple sides to you. You can love the calmness of mornings and the vibrant nights. You can love the rustic feel of second hand clothes and the sophistication of newest tech. You can love having a nice space to relax but also love going on crazy adventures. There’s no need to follow one theme to be a whole person. In fact, the people who aren’t stuck in one aesthetic tend to be the most interesting.
What Gen Z Actually Want
sometimes people change their aesthetic because they want to connect with a certain area. Every aesthetic will have a group of people who understand exactly what it’s about. Often we like certain aesthetics because we want to feel like we’re in beautiful world.
While this is a good thing to want, make sure you’re connecting with them on a deeper level. While you may have similar interests, building real friendships, trust and understanding takes time.
You can still enjoy exploring Take small steps and you’ll still get a lot of enjoyment from it. Ask yourself why you’re doing it. Are you genuinely loving the aesthetic or are you just scared of missing out? Try not to follow the full shopping list and instead take inspiration from how you’re feeling. Maybe just one thing will do. A candle, playlist or a new layout will give you the feeling you want without buying everything.
Gen Z are exploring in a world that never stops offering new ways to be. Every aesthetic we try is a small experiment in becoming, and there’s nothing shallow about wanting to feel beautiful, calm, bold, or understood.
– Aira 🌿
