HotToks: Micro-Trends of 2023, #DatingWrapped, and Our Ubiquitous Anxiety

In the last HotToks of 2023, we report on 2023 -cores and micro-trends, the #DatingWrapped, and why we're all anxious.

2023 in -Cores & Micro-Trends

Fascinated by this Vogue article touching on all of the micro-trends from 2023, I couldn't help but notice almost all of these have been perpetuated by TikTok and social media. Let’s take a look at some of the big-hitters and reminisce. Where were you when these aesthetics came to life? Were you on or off-beat?

• Quiet Luxury inspired by Sofia Richie Grainge’s TikTok wedding debut that spearheaded her into it-girldom and shook the celeb-to-influencer pipeline. It has 615M views on the platform.
• Barbie-Core saw its pink-dream moment around July when the movie premiered around that time. Pink, perfect for summer! The timing was impeccable. Barbie launched more than 100 brand partnerships and birthed the #BarbieShake trend on TikTok.
• A personal favorite, #balletcore was a big one around summer, going into fall. The #Girlhood trend on TikTok, catapulted by the Barbie movie, really created the perfect breeding ground for this trend. According to the Instagram account @databutmakeitfashion, "positive mentions of balletcore have increased 55% this year.”
• Europe-Core came in hot and heavy during the summer, when everyone was romanticizing European vacations (myself included). There’s also a Target edit on this trend.
• And Coastal Cowgirl, a “bohemian approach to westernwear”, an aesthetic that comes together with just a bikini and a cowboy hat. This trend, brought to fame via TikTok, helps us live out our grungy Americana dreams with a modern twist.
  

Personally, I’m super enamored by the impact that TikTok has in terms of inspiring full-on fashion trends, moments, and most importantly, business. It’s extremely telling how important social media really is, to starting conversations and driving awareness.

And some extra little reading: Gen Z has now been officially coined (or like crowned?) the “Dupe” Generation. Look at us go.

Dating Wrapped Makes its Rounds on TikTok

Welcome to one of my favorite corners of TikTok at this time of year, the #DatingWrapped corner. With over 116M views and counting, this trend has become one of my favorite ones to look forward to every year. TikTok’s “Dating Wrapped” is the more funny, younger sister of Spotify Wrapped, which comes out in December of every year.

And the beautiful thing about Dating Wrapped is that it’s completely customizable. This is one of my favorites. I mean, the slide deck design and the data charts? Never a dull moment on this platform. The creativity is chef’s kiss.

Leave it to creators to take this trend and run with it. There are now so many different versions of this trend, here are some just to get your wheels spinning:  “Marriage Wrapped”, “High-School Wrapped”, “Villain Era Wrapped”, “Gym Wrapped”, and even, “Chick-fil-A Wrapped”.

In Case You Didn't Notice, We're All Anxious

Just by merely looking up the hashtag #trauma on TikTok (which has over 27B views), we can see that creators and regular people like you and I have turned to social media as a means of opening up and reaching out to learn more about topics like anxiety and trauma, which would typically otherwise be brushed under the rug. The normalization of our distress has been comforting for many different groups of people.

#Anxiety on TikTok is up to 38B views. But as more “anxiety content” is added everyday to social media, the more we are aware that anxiety and distress among us is rising at a rapid speed.

The format of a “car confessional,” popularized by TikTok, is one of the more popular methods functioning as a means of therapy, where creators are able to have a moment to themselves, speak transparently about what’s going on, and how they really feel about it. For lifestyle influencers, this is one of the ways that creators are able to share more about their lives and let viewers into their world, which may often-times seem distant and far away.

Though it’s a big wake-up call to take more care of ourselves, our minds, and look after our peace, it’s still valuable to know that there is advice, knowledge, experience, and solace, to be gained from finding resources about distress on social media. Sometimes, even a laugh or mere acknowledgement that you’re not going through anything alone, can be more beneficial than you’re conscious of.

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Thanks for reading!

- Viv

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