By Madison McGill

Published May 3, 2024

​

When anyone goes scouring social media for vintage fashion content, whether that means rock ‘n’ roll inspired looks or 1940s swimsuits, they're bound to find at least one post about how “vintage clothes do not equal vintage ideals.” 

 

It's not a new concept online. The hashtag circulated on multiple forums back in 2022, including Instagram and TikTok, which referenced the misleading praise of the past. 

 

The opinions on many vintage fashion posts yearn for time periods where non-white men had fewer rights, fewer opportunities and dealt with extreme violence in some cases.

 

Vintage influencers and dressers, particularly the ones who are millennials and Generation Z, seem to be tired of it. 

 

 

Vintage dressers outside of these ‘ideals’ 

 

The daughter of Vietnamese immigrants couldn’t take the fast fashion crazes anymore when she discovered that she hated everything in her closet, even though she was a self-labeled “connoisseur.” Now, bell bottoms and Penny Lane coats represent the counterculture movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s that guides her textile identity. 

 

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arielle Truong said that her vintage journey is about much more than the clothes, records or antiques. It’s symbolic. 

 

“In a way, it’s very spiritual because it was all about yearning for something greater,” Truong said. “It was all about freedom, and it was about people trying to be released from a greater establishment. Growing up as someone who is transgender and having that blockage from my parents — it kind of resonated with me spiritually, mentally and emotionally.” 

 

She debunked the idea that all vintage dressers want to live in their chosen time period, which is a common misconception. Truong said that she’s grateful to live in today's day and age because society is more inclusive. 

 

Another vintage dresser who feels this way is Sydney Tripoli, a Cal State Los Angeles photography student who started wearing thrifted 1980s and 1990s clothes for financial reasons during middle school. Now, she loves 1960s and 1970s styles, has more than 300,000 followers on Instagram and 16.5 million likes on TikTok and attends events for “Daisy Jones and the Six” and “Elvis.”

 

She said that her initial reaction to living in any of those decades is a resounding no.  

 

“Being a woman and a bisexual woman, I wouldn’t stand a chance,” Tripoli said. “Obviously it would be awesome to see all of my favorite musicians in their prime, but I don’t think it would be worth that other side of it.” 

 

Combating the stereotypes

 

The “promotion of vintage ideals” talk floated into online content as people began embracing the sustainable fashion movement, which includes: 

• thrift shopping

• vintage flea markets 

• online resellers, such as Depop.

 

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​

 

 

​
 

​
 

​

                                                                                                                          

​

​

                                                                                                                         This trend took off because there are ethical concerns of fast fashion companies                                                                                                                          and a desire to protect the environment, so there’s a disconnect between the

                                                                                                                          stereotypes and reality, especially when it comes to most millennials and

                                                                                                                          Generation Z who participate in the movement. 

​

​

​

                                                                                                                         And some vintage dressers fall in love with the historical change of the time

                                                                                                                         rather than the stereotypes. Tripoli said that she gravitates toward 1960s and

                                                                                                                         1970s fashion because of the women’s movement, self-expression and the

                                                                                                                         miniskirts forever movement, which doesn’t fit the perpetuated narrative. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One person who spoke out about it on her page is Emma Rosa Katharina Sauter, a vintage influencer who started posting during the pandemic. She posted a video responding to claims that women in the 1960s were “classier and more submissive,” echoing a sentiment that’s carrying through the community.

 

Sauter said that once in a while, she deals with insulting messages. She said that she does her best to make it clear that she doesn’t support vintage values on her page or in real life. 

 

“Just because I like to dress vintage, crochet and old music truly doesn’t mean that I live by those standards,” Sauter said.

 

Sauter’s not the only one who receives opinions about her clothes and how she chooses to wear them, either. Even when people update vintage pieces to fit with the current year, it’s met with backlash about repurposing something special.  

 

 

Sauter said people shouldn’t make assumptions based on fashion. 

 

“With people who dress in an older style, even the middle age, no one assumes that they're all for burning witches,” Sauter said. “So I truly think it’s absurd to assume that people who dress in a more modern form of vintage do so. At the end of the day, a dress is just a dress.”

 

Trends influencing online chatter

 

Lyndsey Johnson, an associate professor of Fashion History and Trends at San Diego Mesa College, explained that trends are constantly evolving. That exact principle, along with nostalgia, is what drives vintage style to keep making comebacks. 

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“When fashion designers create new clothes that are influenced by vintage fashion, it can actually enhance the appeal of vintage clothing rather than diminish it,” Johnson wrote in an email. “Incorporating vintage elements into contemporary designs not only pays homage to fashion history but also introduces these styles to new audiences who may not have been previously exposed to them.”

 

Trendy Gen Z upcycled buyers, particularly those focused on vintage pieces and styles, have been accused of “killing vintage fashion” by various publications because they’re buying stock in thrift stores that cannot be easily replenished.  

 

Nonetheless, Truong sees vintage style as an investment rather than a trend, and she will continue to purchase specific pieces that fit her counterculture style. 

 

“I feel like it gives me the opportunity to really express myself and show who I am as a human being every single day,” Truong said. “There’s not a lot of people, at least I think, who really dress in 60s and 70s, so it’s really hard to fit in or find my own niche. But I feel it’s integral in my own sense of confidence.”

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This project was produced by Madison McGill as a published learning experience in JMS 430 Digital Journalism, part of the Journalism and Media Studies Program at San Diego State University.