How we dress can influence the way that others view us. Whether you’re dressed for a social occasion or not, appearance is often the first thing you notice about a stranger. 

Our style frequently sends a message to others, even when we don’t intend to. Fashion can act as an inaudible, implicit language. With that in mind, it is not surprising that half of Americans said that the most stressful part of dining out was deciding on an outfit. And it’s not just on special occasions — the confusion and stress of knowing which clothes to buy and wear can affect both men and women on a daily basis. 

So, why do so many of us stress about what to wear in casual settings or in workplaces with loose dress codes? There are countless explanations for this fashion phenomenon, from pressures created by unrealistic beauty standards to a fear of social judgment, both of which undoubtedly play a major role.

However, one underdiscussed explanation lies in the decline of style subcultures. 

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, subcultures like grunge, prep, hip-hop and skater defined how many people in their teens and twenties dressed. One’s dress signalled their affiliation with a particular group. So, rather than needing to develop your own style out of thin air, you had a general idea of what to wear based on the group you identified with. 

Putting together a harmonious or appropriate outfit can be daunting for some, but if the individual belongs to a style subculture, they are provided with some implicit fashion guidelines. Without those guardrails, people have to look outside of those groups to have a proper idea of how to dress for the context.

Jonas Jessee, a fourth-year at Berklee College of Music, described how he finds fashion influences beyond just his immediate circle.

“I’m influenced by people that I’m not necessarily friends with, because my friends usually have the same style as me,” Jessee said. “When I first went to school, I was around a lot of people who were dressing in ways I hadn’t seen before, so I was very influenced by that.”

It seems that looking outside your subculture for influence has been a rising trend. In recent years, these subcultures have seen a decline. With the ubiquity of the internet bringing a democratization of fashion, certain articles of clothing that were components of niche subcultures have become more universal. 

In the words of British journalist Yomi Adegoke, “Things that were once deemed alternative are now universal; Dr. Martens, once a staple for punks, goths, hippies and skinheads, are no longer just worn by nonconformists.”

The relative universality of clothing in the modern internet era has carried with it many positive changes, more fluid categories and softer boundaries giving the individual more choices for self-expression. 

Eloise Wescott, a second-year studying political science, often enjoys the process of outfit selection, even with a lot of different possibilities.

“If I have a lot of energy to pick out an outfit, then I’m going through three different options, but it’s not necessarily stressful,” Wescott said. “I find it more fun.” 

For others, however, it also has the potential to create a paradox of choice. One can become overwhelmed by the options at their disposal, leading to an increase in stress and a decrease in satisfaction. 

If fashion acts as a language, subcultures serve as a preset way to engage in small talk. When introducing yourself, there are conversational patterns you learn and customs to understand. If those customs and small talk patterns disappeared, it would be more difficult to know what to say when interacting with new people. Likewise, without established subcultures, it is more difficult to know what to say or how to say it through your stylistic choices. 

This does not mean that the language of fashion no longer exists, just instead is spoken in a different way and through a different medium. Social media is one of the easiest new ways to discover and learn about fashion. While the endless choices and options available can appear overwhelming, they also present opportunities that no other generation has seen.

After all, we are the generation that is offered a little bit of everything all of the time. The structured social languages of decades past may seem appealing. But there is no going back, not in fashion or in any other social or online activity. The best thing to do is to make the most of the limitless possibilities we do have, through our personal style.