110% agree with your first unpopular opinion! I miss the normality of just walking around a mall, sipping a soda, window shopping, and people watching!
Totally agree with the mall sentiment. I really prefer to touch things and try them on before putting down my money. Plus, often you don't get your shipping costs back if you return, so you paid for nothing. On a similar note, fabric stores are disappearing, which is tragic, because feeling the fabric to see how it drapes and falls or can be manipulated is essential, as well as popping in to pick up a spool of thread or a random zipper. And often you are trying to match something, which is impossible online.
Thankfully malls are coming back because of those of us that are considered Gen Z, even CNBC has a video on it and why its making a comeback in the video
And by the way, if you ever go to Japan, the fabric stores are a must--there are unique fabrics produced only in Japan and you can find absolutely anything, including craft supplies. My favorite fabric store in the town where I used to live has three floors. I feel most American fabric stores are more craft-oriented that anything, which means there isn't quality fabric for actually making clothes.
@@susanma4899any particular shop recommendations for Japan fabric shops? Im going to Japan in a couple of weeks and gonna be travelling for a month 😂 I'm def planning to get some damaged kimonos, haoris and obis for sawing, but a good fabric shop could be a cool venue to visit as well
I semi agree with the mall sentiment but I kinda wish that it could evolve into a sellers market type of thing where there are small businesses mixed with bigger businesses could be like a daily farmers market vibe or like European/ japanese markets vibe. That would be great!
That's such a cute idea! Like just having empty stores that small businesses can rent for a certain amount of time and open up shop for a little while, and it rotates every couple of weeks or months. I wish there was this much variety in a mall 🥲
I know of a mall that is kind of like this. It has a lot of little second hand and consignment shops along with stores like Claire's, Old Navy, etc. Also an arcade and a food court.
There's a series of stores in Canada called Makers, its a single store with a bunch of little stands set up for individuals to sell their creations! Its so fun to walk through and all sales go directly to the maker (they pay a monthly booth fee to have their stand there I believe). Not quite a whole mall but a similar idea. Mall culture is actually still quite alive and well here, at least in BC!
Soooo glad you mentioned the difference between current polyester versus polyester manufactured 10+ years earlier. It’s so important to pay attention to the whole garment instead of just the material.
Older polyester say from the 70's was horrific. Mostly I am taking about the poly they used for pants, dresses, and suits. So uncomfortable to the touch! So yeah, I tend to agree with you. Don't assume older is always better, it real depends on the item, and how the poly is made. Sometimes polyester can feel a lot like silk.
Adding to the clean girl aesthetic and in line with demonizing its “opposite,” i feel like it really was a trend that seemed to be oversaturated by white women. Some of the language of “clean girls” excluded and made “bad” things that are culturally relevant for non-white people. I don’t think this is a unique take and other brown & black women have spoken to it, but as a brown woman, I definitely felt like it wasn’t an aesthetic that included me!
I thought the same thing. I think it is a very racist concept. Something about the word "clean" which of course implies that everyone who doesn't look that way or do those things is dirty? WTF?
I thought I remember hearing people say clean girl was "ripping off" and rebranding things that have been popular in black and latina cultures like slick back hair
Why are we letting social media make EVERYTHING controversial and overheated? Side parts vs. Center parts? WTF. That's like having a fight over short hair vs. long hair or blonde vs. brunette. We wear what suits us, or what suits our hairstyle. Some people even have hair that grows in a way that dictates where they part their hair. I really hate this one.
Honestly! I've had a side part since I was a young teenager. I've just never liked how a middle part looks on me or makes my face look. And maybe it's cause I was a little emo and never grew out of it but idc I just prefer the look on me. My roommate has middle part and it looks nice on her. It just depends and I think things like this being "trends" is a little ridiculous.
Right. I honestly don't get it, but I'm also not easily influenced because once I like something I stick with it forever 😂 I've had my middle part and long hair since I was born and unless I go bald, that's how I'll part (no pun intended lol) 😂
I basically said the same thing about malls to my friend last week. I don’t regularly shop at malls ever, but I’m terrified my children will not enjoy malls within their lifetime the way things are going now.
100%… My 15-year-old little brother is about half my age, and it makes me sad that he doesn’t have a place, like the mall, where he can *independently* hang out with friends in a safe public setting that requires little to no money. His primary way of being with friends outside of school is going bike riding all around town and sometimes stopping at one of their homes for a bit to rest and hang out. But this obviously isn’t doable during periods of freezing cold temperatures, days of inclement weather, and seasons where the sun sets by 5pm. Apart from the mall, there are plenty of other indoor places where I used to hang out with friends at his age, that now either no longer exist anywhere nearby, are no longer “cool” to kids/teens nowadays, or are no longer affordable to pay for more than one to three times per year because the costs associated with them have significantly increased (e.g. bowling alleys, indoor skate parks, roller-arenas, movie theaters, arcades, free or low-cost group events at the library).
My conspiracy theory is that the rise of the romanticization of cigarettes is linked to the resurgence of the “heroin-chic” aesthetic, and thinness being back in fashion. Semaglutides + fillers being dissolved + cigarettes = thinness once again being the most coveted aspect of aesthetics.
Definitely. I also can’t help but think that the big tobacco companies are behind this. There’s been US govt crackdowns on vapes (especially flavored) so of course they’re gonna go HARD on promoting cigarettes or else they’ll lose money :/
Crazy to me tho because full disclosure I have ED, I'm very very thin..... But the one thing I never would touch is cigarettes. I actually like being able to breathe easy and not have bad breath. I don't want lung cancer or emphysema, I knew someone who died from emphysema. I have a friend with Cystic Fibrosis who had it not been for trikafta, would've died waiting for a lung transplant. I am grateful every day, one of my gratitude journalling prompts, is the knowledge I can 'breathe easy'. No amount of thinness or ED is worth losing the ability to breathe without coughing every five seconds. I grew up in 2000s/2010s ProA* and Indie Sleaze scene, and it's still diabolical to me that people think cancer is fashionable.
What does cigarettes have to do with thinness?? Also where is this resurgence in romanticizing cigarettes? If extreme thinness is trending, it is simply because everything that goes with looks comes, and goes out of favor. It's really that simple.
@@dmreddragon6 "what does cigarettes have to do with thinness" Oh boy........ I can definitely tell you weren't raised in the Pro A scene like I was lol Cigarettes are an appetite suppressant. Common knowledge they curb cravings and calm nerves, which is why all the top models were chainsmokers back in the day.
11:32 THANK YOU for talking about the clean beauty and all misinformation that comes with it. As a cosmetics researcher, I find that marketing strategy horrible because it’s just alarmism with things that aren’t harmful- sometimes they are just not for YOU! Unless the brand is extremely uncaring, we will always design products that work and are SAFE for people. This idea of hating “harmful chemicals” while others are praised by being “natural” (and we don’t have an exact definition for that) is just ridiculous. Thank you again for talking about it!!
I just hate glorification of smoking 🙄 My dad was a hardcore smoker, it was disgusting, the smoke would stick to literally every surface in a form of sticky, yellow grime, not to mention the smell of our clothes and hair 🤢
I grew up this way as well. Both of my parents were heavy smokers. I still am getting rid of things in my parent’s house that are yellowed from heavy smoking. Nicotine would run down the walls in the bathroom from humidity and the shower. It ended up killing my Dad at age 54, he had COPD. Horrible way to go…prolonged death that takes years.
Same. It's SO gross to me and it also looks so stupid to me... like when it gets used in photoshoots and stuff I don't get it. It looks dumb. You're sucking on a smokestick
As someone who watched a parent slowly and painfully die..for YEARS from COPD from smoking, cigarettes are just not worth it. Not at all. My parent was 54. They had so much more life to live.
my older sister smokes A LOT but I try to persuade her to quit whenever I have the opportunity... I know I'm being annoying but I just can't help it, it's literally for her own good 🫠
My dad died at 60 of esophagus cancer due to smoking. It was painful and very very hard to deal with and honestly messed me up for the next 10 years. I will not be smoking. Have you all heard about lung cancer amongst non smokers being way more common in recent years?? If you have a persistent cough, get a chest x ray. It’s most common in Asian women, some sort of a gene mutation, please be aware.
I love when you make videos of you just styling the things in your closet for the seasons and such even if there’s no theme. Those are also sustainable videos and help me get inspiration because I love your style! ❤❤
Love your nuanced takes Alexa! And I had to chuckle when you said “I think we ALL overconsume” because you kind of sounded like Victoria Justice “I think we ALL sing” :D
The best part is the part that suits one's face shape. ❤ in my case that would be a sidepart. Same thing goes for jeans cuts etc. Plus fashion should be fun and a form as personal expression whatever form that may take.
I agree with malls and physical stores. I even mentioned that same thing a few days ago to a friend and how brands take advantage of online shopping to sells us bad clothing. And since those items are so cheap, it's not worth it to return them, so they are donated or end up in landfills or if they are returned they create even more CO2 emissions with their transport.
I didnt know deer print was a thing and i kinda like it. I think its quite easy to imtegrate into various styles espicially if youre drawn to softer stuff but i do think deer print clothes could pair well with more fantasyish themes and aesthetics like goblin amd fairy core since they are so asscoiated with the woods.
@Skimmer951 I don't see a lot of it in western fashion; I would definitely try Japanese brands! That's where I see most of it. Brands like Innocent World are known for their deer prints.
I miss the days of hanging out with my friends at the mall. It was a safe place to go on the weekends and see other friends from school and just hang out without necessarily spending a bunch of money. I hope there will be spaces like this in the future where kids (and adults) can go to spend time with other people in person. It doesn’t need to be a mall, but I honestly don’t know where kids are going when they leave the house these days. Do they even still leave the house?? I feel like I read in the news that they don’t 😭
they do leave the house, it's just usually to parties, smoking in some random dude's garage, or finding the like (1) store that won't treat you like criminals right off the bat (and if there is a mall nearbye - it is usually the mall LOL)
One take I’ve seen with gatekeeping is they don’t want the store to blow up, which on one hand I get it, we’ve seen negative impacts of virality hit small businesses and you don’t want your wishlist items to sell out. But on the other hand you’re preventing the small business from getting more customers. But also why gatekeep when google lens exists. In summary I think it’s a thin line but I think people need to chill
I wear 70s inspired glam makeup because it’s something I really enjoy and I’ve been doing it forever. Now with all this „clean girl“ propaganda flooding the media, I feel like young teens aren’t allowed to have fun! I feel like the youth today are scared to experiment with different styles of clothes, when that was the thing I loved the most as a teenager.
So interesting on the mall take! In Australia our shopping centres are still HUGE and sooo crowded. Its very much still a big thing over here and the go to place to hang out, go to restaurants, grocery shopping and clothes shopping.
I have been living in Germany for a couple of years now and I can definitely say that malls are still going strong here. We went to one in Frankfurt and it was so crowded and active. Even the mall closer to where I live, people are always going there. I have access to the military base, and it has a huge BX, which is basically a mall and it is ALWAYS busy. It feels like I’ve gone back in time because teenagers are just hanging around, hanging out with their friends and I’m so happy that they have that space to hang out in.
If you mean the Zeil Galerie, I hate shopping there. I get so overstimulated by the crowds of people, that I have to leave after 40 - 50 mins. I dom´t know how people put up with that and call it fun.
@@JasminLeudesdorff that is fair! Honestly I don’t remember the name. I was using more as an example of the mall not being dead everywhere. But oh yes, that place was super overwhelming and the internet lied about it having a Build-A-Bear. 😂
I absolutely feel you with the first one about malls. Even the crummy clothing wasn't to the full 100% plastic junk that you can wear once and drop for the next plastic sweater. The speed and energy behind the shopping felt different.
100% agree. I still have some old school Zara and Forever21 items and the quality of the stitching and fabric is night and day. not saying it was the best quality - but it was far better than what's currently in stores today.
A side part can be how your hair pattern grows. I wore a middle part in high school but my natural part is on the side, and switching now is actually painful to my scalp. I also have fine hair, its just the way my hair lays best. I even get a headache if I wear a ponytail when my hair is long (currently a bob). Love this vid btw, and love your channel! You have created Saver's fans out of me and my husband!!!❤️. Hugs!
In regards to belts and dresses, if im wearing a dress, 9 times out of 10, its to specifically avoid the feeling of something around my waist. I pick a dress over a skirt or pants to avoid the sensation of having a waistband. If i want a dress that creates a cinched figure, i buy one where the cut of the dress does that itself. Also, as someone in a hot and humid climate almost year round, the looser cut of a dress creates necessary natural ventilation that is removed if you add a belt. Every dress that comes with a belt I've had to cut off the belt loops and pass along the belt to someone i know or to charity shops because i know i wont use it and didnt want it in the first place.
OMG ! The essential oils debacle. I am allergic to most of them and I now have to read every packaging of EVERYTHING ! It's so popular that I almost died at work because of essential oil tea ! I didn't know you could put it in teas. And I'm not the only one to be sensitive to it ! It's forbidden for children, pregnant women and elderly people, so despite being natural it is not always safe !
Semi-Unpopular opinion, Walmart has great clothes. Are they the best quality? No. But you can feel it in your hands, they have super inclusive sizes, and they stepped up their styles. I don’t shop at target but the same thing applies. Micro trends have ruined how people view clothes, if a trend lasts more than 2 months it becomes stale, and all the clothes not bought in stores get thrown out. Or donated clothes go to landfills when we know those styles will come back. I used to buy clothes to look cute but now I’m a bit older and discovered who I was, the clothes don’t fit my lifestyle anymore. They fit my style so I still wear them when I can but I try to give the clothes I never wear to a specific person or save them.
I agree. I have bought a few things at Walmart that were reasonable quality and all cotton. But unfortunately, they were made in China, and I don't like Walmart's corporate policies.
As someone who only wears cotton leggings, I feel like Walmart is the only place I can buy them and avoid athleisure leggings which are the most uncomfortable type of pant ever.
I miss faded glory so much! It's comparable to clothing that's being sold for like $60 today. Haven't shopped their new stuff but og walmart was amazing!
I find it hilarious to hear that side parts are an unpopular choice. When I grew up I was made fun of for having a middle part, and my “friends” at the time forced my to change it to be trendier. It’s so ridiculous when we think about it, it’s just hair !
Love your self reflection on the over-consumption conversation in thrifting. As someone who grew up thrifting because it was the affordable option for my family, I definitely saw being able to overconsume fast fashion as a sign of economic success. Now I'm glad so many people choose to buy second hand.
First opinion is 100% true for me. I often talk myself out of buying something in store but still get the satisfaction of “shopping” without buying. I also force myself to try on items in store and end up putting back a large percentage of what I would’ve bought if I just a saw a photo. Buying on impulse is 100% worse when shopping online, for me personally!
I agree with many of these, but specifically the use of "clean". This creates huge stigma and judgemental attitudes. It's absolutely a tactic to make people feel "dirty" and pressured to buy something they are misled to believe is better for them.
There aren't extra planes flying merchandise/packages. The planes are flying regardless. Trucks and ocean liners taking clothes to landfills, on the other hand, are only carrying those items. The comparison is not even close. Secondhand clothing is the better choice for our environment by infinity. One ton of used and discarded clothing goes to the landfill every five minutes. Please buy everything you can secondhand!
4:27 you are so right about being able to feel clothes before you buy them. Even forever 21 wasn’t that bad back in the early 2000s compared to what’s going on now
on the cigarette part, I am in the process of quitting right now (as im writing this I am at 23 hours!). I didnt start because I saw someone smoking on the internet, but I absolutely hate the people who and post themselves smoking as part of their aesthetic. I am an a*dict, not some cool guy. I find it so weird that people even do that. I know everyone deals with issues differently, but most of the ad*icts I have met are ashamed of their ad*ictions and try to tell anyone who can listen to not smoke (this includes me as well). Smoking has caused me to likely suffer with my breathing for the rest of my life (I have symptoms of COPD) and I am only 19! People who smoke and post it anger me so much. Because while I did not start smoking because of them, I did not feel "bad about continuing smoking" because I saw these beautiful people doing it as well. This comment is very long, which I apologise for, but the message here is do not start smoking (especially if you are prone to ad*ictions), it can quickly start to control your life, your money and health will deteriorate before you and you feel trapped. Smoking sucks, don't do it!!
i 100% agree with your first unpopular opinion.. bc of covid i started shopping online and when i received my stuff i would always be disappointed (and also overbought clothes and ended up selling it real quick on vinted!!) but now that i shop in thrift shops and im going back to stores i always touch fabrics and buy wayyyyyyy less clothes !!
This might be very niche, but the smoking and vaping thing isnt just in fashion! It’s filtered down to cosplaying as well. There are a lot of cosplayers who vape in tik toks, claiming it’s for ‘the cool smoke effect’. It’s even worse when they’re cosplaying characters that are minors or are minors themselves. I’ve seen people defend this as ‘it’s accurate to the character’ (for example, marauders cosplays) but even then, I don’t think it’s necessary. Smoking is being glamorized again, and that’s very dangerous…
Alexa, thanks for putting yourself out there! You are a smart, kind, humble, beautiful, fun human. Some people will always find a negative to focus on, so please try not to let them pull you down to their world! You are so right that all things can be said with kindness. And take it from me: SMOKING anything is something everyone will regret at some point!! So glad I quit!! xoxo
Answer to how the change in image for cigarettes happened (or at least my pet theory for it). Vaping got super popular, but since it started getting marketed to kids, vaping is seen as “childish.” But, as you said, people are dependent on nicotine so they shift to cigarettes for a more “adult” or “refined” image. Could also potentially explain the rise in popularity of zyn but who’s to say. This is all coming from a non-smoker though so I might be completely wrong.
And I think because it's extremely discreet. Smokeless tobacco went being for hicks and super messy (chew) to now in tiny lil packets that no one can smell or see. Also fellow non smoker or nicotine user, but Smokeless tobacco was huge in my HS in the 90s and 00s.
It might also have to do with the fact that teens and young adults now don't have the living memory of older relatives, friends' parents, etc, dying from tobacco use. There was a long period of time when smoking was strongly discouraged and it was considered public knowledge that it would kill you---maybe it's a millennial thing? I'm in my late 30s and I remember my teachers made it sound like I would die immediately if I even looked at a cigarette 😅. But I don't think anyone younger had those same kinds of lessons.
I am devastated by the amount of 'I'm not thrifting anymore, it's more sustainable to buy something new' content I have been seeing recently. So glad I found your corner of the Internet.
One thing that comes to mind about trends and malls.. My dad is from California and he moved to Missouri when he was 17 in the 70s. He said when he got there Missouri was legitimately almost 20 years behind in fashion and almost everything else. Which idk I guess its just something to ponder and the fact that the way you can buy anything anywhere anytime definitely has changed everything!! I'm in Arkansas and I'm sure we're not 'up to date' on trends bc truly I do think California or New York leads fashion...so we're probably a few years behind...idk!
I agree with you Alexa. I grew up a teen in the 90’s and lived an hour from a large city with a mall and we went to the city 2-3 times a year for school clothes shopping and summer clothes shopping and Christmas shopping. That’s it. You think way ahead for birthdays and prom etc and you only purchased a handful of items when you went to the city and then you borrowed from others like cousins and friends for varieties or shoes and jewelry etc. but you also took good care of items and back then items were made with better quality.
I had a co worker compliment my Gap vintage sweater from 20+ years ago that I still love and is still in good quality and I still wear.. gap was expensive but good quality
I love how thoughtful you are about everything, and how although you consider all different perspectives you still keep your own opinion. A suggestion for fashion content creators that promotes more sustainability could be to incorporate clothing swaps. Instead of shopping you can feature other content creators (or friends or family really just other people with good style) and exchanging pieces that you no longer wear. I do this with friends where before donating I bring a bag of clothes to my friends house and we look through each others stuff and choose different pieces we want to keep. If sizes don't match it can also apply to accessories or shoes. It can be a series. I have a sister and my friends I do it with usually also has a sister so we do it as a group but it can be one at a time. And if it's only one or two pieces or nothing that ends up getting exchanged, for the sake of the video you can at least style it or style each other. I think it would promote community and sustainability
The ending 😂 Me and a “friend” got into an argument once because I said “I don’t understand how you casually do coke on the weekends but won’t eat gluten” 😂😂
I just want to mention that you’re really good at editing 😊 like the transitions and cuts and stuff seem so natural. Especially with how your vocal inflections seem cohesive even with different clips back to back
I am a shopaholic overconsumer and I know it ... but your videos have helped me look for second hand clothes instead and stop buying things clothes that I don't need and just try to shop my closet instead
I absolutely love your videos Alexa! I have been watching weekly for over a year now. Thank you for the consistent incredible, thoughtful content :) I appreciate you and the sunshine you are for me in my Canadian winter!
Wait 😮 I’ve never heard of deer print until now but I’m like obsessed 🤯 if I found the right piece in the thrift store with it I think I totally would buy it! I think I look best in low contrast items and muted colors, so I personally would never wear leopard or cheetah print. Even cow print which I think looks so cute would need to be not black and white for me to wear. But deer print is so cute and soft looking 😍
I have a double crown (which means I have 2 spirals on my head where hair grows from) it is quite literally IMPOSSIBLE for me to have a middle part, especially with my hair down. In general, I'm sick of fashion "opinions" like this. Whatever hair routine/makeup style/clothing material you choose to present yourself with is curated for YOU. I don't really care what others think of my fashion choices, but I love hearing other people's thoughts. Love ur vids Alexa 💕
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I cut out a part in the video where I mentioned how I have a cowlick on the back of my head vs the front so I can part my hair wherever but it’s different for everyone!
Yesss for the belt, especially wedding dresses. The SYTTD show ruins almost every dress by adding the most random belts every episode. Let the dress shine 😭
I have been wanting fawn print or faux fur fawn for about 3 years now and it just DIDNT EXIST. Well, I was watching Juno Burch’s video of drag con the other day, there was a Queen wearing lots of fawn faux fur and I am now convinced it’s coming. I am so excited. It’s a print that is just adorable and really hasn’t been explored.
It's so funny, I was hardcore middle part person while side part was in and then started wearing side part as soon as middle part became in. And my hairstylist was right, I do look better with side part, bless that woman and her patience she has been telling me that for YEARS 😂
I had the opinion about deer print! I’ve personally never been attracted to leopard print for the very reason you stated: its a little too harsh for me. Deer print IS soft. Its whimsy and it comes in different colors and patterns but they all revolve around it being very easy on the eyes. There was a designer faux deer fur jacket (i think its japanese or Korean) that came out around 2009 I think and that has been one of my DREAM coats. You CAN find some secondhand vintage ones, but they get snatched up so fast its crazy lol deer print is way more in demand than I thought!
1. I wish mall were good again. We have a few smaller malls in town, but they aren't pleasant anymore. Music blasting, either whiter and more sterile stores than the hospital or they try to stand out by being a physical acid trip. Changing rooms still being badly light and discord mirrors. With that said, yes to being able to touch and try on
I watched a good video by Coco Chinelo recently about fashion gatekeeping. Her mindset towards it is that if you hold enough positive value towards why you alone like the item (i.e., memories, interests etc.), then you shouldn’t feel too negative when someone else wants to buy that same piece. Like buying something because it complements your identity/personality rather than buying something that ‘no one else has’. I really like this mindset but I also feel like I would be pretty bummed if someone copied my exact outfit head-to-toe lol… but then again - fashion is very cyclical and a lot of ‘new’, unique combos are updated from earlier styles. Ahh, everything is a grey area!!
If you consider that a lot of internet traffic is bots it would.make sense that those comments about wanting to know where something is from is actually manufactures looking for the source of a design they want to copy. It may be automatic.
Yeah I'm not gonna stop using the cheaper shampoo and conditioner like suave and stuff bc of "bad chemicals" I'm not bald yet and my hair gets a lot of compliments 🤣🤣 people got crazy with the clean girl aesthetic or whatever people are pushing online
I love your unpopular opinion!! Malls are fun and a great way to spend time with friends and also to try things before you buy like you said. High quality should always be prioritized like it used to be.
With the side part thing I think it’s kind of silly because it really matters what your hair growth pattern is and the unique swirl of your hair. I forced my hair into a middle part for over a year and it still prefers to fall about an inch in the left.
@@allyduhrey Some of my favorite tops are vintage forever21 and I feel like in 20 years the clothes that's made today just isn't going to hold up like that 😭
i was just talking to my boyfriend the other day about wishing malls were still a thing!! i miss walking around and actually being able to SHOP. my local mall is mainly just a food court, with a few stores still open here and there. it's depressing :'(
I totally agree with you. I wish we had more in person shopping. When it was in person I feel like the average person would go shopping every now and then instead of constantly adding things to online carts that we either never buy but yearn for or buy and do afterpay. But for another reason lately I’ve been really frustrated with things I’ve gotten online because they either don’t fit, don’t come with all the parts (a lamp I bought) or aren’t what they looked like in the picture. When we shop in person we try on the shoes and we can hold the blanket in our hands feel the material and we can ask the store clerk (does this lamp have all the assembly pieces)…. There is way less that can go wrong. I have sent back 5/7 things I bought online in the last two months….. p.s the only reason I’ve been shopping online is because I had gift cards from Christmas.
As a former smoker who has quit and gone back multiple times, cigarettes are not cute. Not fashionable. Not chic. Like no. I’ve STRUGGLED to break the addiction for years and honestly the idea that they could be fashionable again is so sad. But just as an aside, have sympathy for smokers. It’s literally designed to be addictive and it’s so hard to stop. So many people who smoke feel shame about it. The struggle is real. But feel free to shame and blame anyone actively promoting it as a sexy cool thing. That’s pretty gross
the use of the descriptor "clean" automatically suggests that other things are dirty. It's classist. A close cousin is "Fresh". As apposed to what? Spoiled, rotten, stale? Advertisers are no longer selling by saying how good their products are, now they want you to think other products are bad, or disgusting.
Cigarettes as accessories? Is that seriously a thing? Lol wow.. I’m a 90s kid so smoking as an alternative kid was considered cool so that’s how I started becoming a smoker. But I also have an addictive personality so that turned into a filthy habit. So interesting how it’s come full circle. I’m also wanting to know.. how are these people affording the habit in 2025? Smoking has gotten as expensive as doing the harder stuff… just don’t start smoking. It’s not worth it
100% agree with the belt, I love my sack dresses. Also, I am all for people wearing their hair however they want, but at 33 I’m still traumatized from my gigantic scene kid fringe so wearing one now makes me feel old
"Loved this video! 👀✨ Your take on unpopular fashion opinions is so refreshing and fun to watch. 🖤🎤 It's great to see someone unapologetically share their thoughts-fashion needs more of this energy! 🌟👏"
I’m from Australia and the mall (we call them Shopping Centres) is still really popular here. We have a really big shopping centre-culture, so much so that one of our largest centres (Chadstone in Melbourne) is open until midnight leading up to Christmas, and most people go there to just hang out.
Where i live in the south, people still go to the mall a lot! There are several stores in our mall that are really good! I still love going in store and looking for stuff and trying it on!
There are so many alternatives to holding a cigarette in your hand (lollypops, flowers, a pen/pencil/paintbrush). If you are a smoker please don't post pictures with cigarettes. We all know that smoking is bad for you and we all know that quitting is difficult. So please help prevent people starting with it, and post your pictures with something else in your hand.
I really nerd out about buying trends of the public, malls vs online shopping ect . So what I have heard is that right now we are in the age of strip malls. That’s where everyone is. I think there is potential to swing back from there to regular malls again but maybe with a twist in the future, like a strip mall / indoor mall hybrid possibly. We do need third spaces so it would make sense if it happens. That being said, the mall closest to me, it’s like Black Friday 1999 there all the time. You will be lucky to get in the parking lot on a weekend. It’s a total anomaly ( west towne mall in Knoxville Tn.)
I feel like the other kind of space could be an activity space, like an escape room, or indoor play space for kids and families, or a paintball game space, something to do rather than buy. Movies could also be combined with performance space. Also, I’ve been looking at the closed-down leader spaces (Sears, etc), and wishing I could turn them into a giant furniture thrift store.
Yeesss so agree with the mall. It would also help with the excess returns. Think about how much affects all those returns have. When people buy online and they get multiple sizes and colors because you have to try it on and then send the rest back. And supposedly some of those returns just get trashed??
As a Canadian, I find the mall conversation to be super interesting and definitely a very regional thing. Where I live, our malls for the most part are still quite popular and busy. I was just out on Sunday and our mall was PACKED. Shipping things here is extremely expensive/not always an option so I do think that plays a factor for sure.
I miss mall shopping where you see and feel the item read labels for quality fabrics and dressing rooms were a plus. Always went home with items you love and wear more. I hate polyester doesn't breath and like wearing a sauna suit. Not in my closet.
I think it's interesting that you prefer a center part with your fine hair, because I have fine hair and really prefer a slight side part because it's the only way to get any volume. Maybe because you have more texture? My hair is completely straight, so it also just doesn't cooperate with anything
Regarding the mall opinion, also most companies don't even bother to take online returns back to the store so they end up in landfills right away, perfectly fine unused clothes. So this online shopping era also is terrible for the environment
YES - this exactly! I idea of people buying things in multiple sizes to try on and send back or buying 20 things, but intending to keep only a few absolutely makes me sick.
You're equating malls with in-person shopping, but malls are much more than that! There used to be restaurants, game centers, book stores, food shops, pet stores. When I was a kid our mall even had a fabric store. But my fave store was called "World Bazaar" and had stuff from around the world--kinda cheesy, but as a kid I loved it--beaded curtains, brass bells, peacock chairs, tiny glass bottles, Chinese fans, and so on. And I guess you're too young to remember "Spencer's"--it was for teens and we younger kids had to be brave to set foot in there (esp since our parents didn't want us going in)--there were jokey toys and books that risque, flocked posters, band posters and tees and stickers...and my memory is that the whole store was lit by black light. Truly malls have gotten more boring over time!
I was the one who made the unpopular opinion you spoke on about social medias influence on fast fashion and I 100% agree with you. Love hearing what you had to say!!
110% agree with your first unpopular opinion! I miss the normality of just walking around a mall, sipping a soda, window shopping, and people watching!
Yes! It was able to be more about the experience in that way rather than the experience being purely buying things like it is now.
Totally agree with the mall sentiment. I really prefer to touch things and try them on before putting down my money. Plus, often you don't get your shipping costs back if you return, so you paid for nothing. On a similar note, fabric stores are disappearing, which is tragic, because feeling the fabric to see how it drapes and falls or can be manipulated is essential, as well as popping in to pick up a spool of thread or a random zipper. And often you are trying to match something, which is impossible online.
Thankfully malls are coming back because of those of us that are considered Gen Z, even CNBC has a video on it and why its making a comeback in the video
I remember when I visited NYC, I was so excited to go to Mood--but it was closed that day :(
And by the way, if you ever go to Japan, the fabric stores are a must--there are unique fabrics produced only in Japan and you can find absolutely anything, including craft supplies. My favorite fabric store in the town where I used to live has three floors.
I feel most American fabric stores are more craft-oriented that anything, which means there isn't quality fabric for actually making clothes.
@@susanma4899any particular shop recommendations for Japan fabric shops? Im going to Japan in a couple of weeks and gonna be travelling for a month 😂 I'm def planning to get some damaged kimonos, haoris and obis for sawing, but a good fabric shop could be a cool venue to visit as well
I semi agree with the mall sentiment but I kinda wish that it could evolve into a sellers market type of thing where there are small businesses mixed with bigger businesses could be like a daily farmers market vibe or like European/ japanese markets vibe. That would be great!
That's such a cute idea! Like just having empty stores that small businesses can rent for a certain amount of time and open up shop for a little while, and it rotates every couple of weeks or months. I wish there was this much variety in a mall 🥲
I know of a mall that is kind of like this. It has a lot of little second hand and consignment shops along with stores like Claire's, Old Navy, etc. Also an arcade and a food court.
There's a series of stores in Canada called Makers, its a single store with a bunch of little stands set up for individuals to sell their creations! Its so fun to walk through and all sales go directly to the maker (they pay a monthly booth fee to have their stand there I believe). Not quite a whole mall but a similar idea. Mall culture is actually still quite alive and well here, at least in BC!
Soooo glad you mentioned the difference between current polyester versus polyester manufactured 10+ years earlier. It’s so important to pay attention to the whole garment instead of just the material.
Older polyester say from the 70's was horrific. Mostly I am taking about the poly they used for pants, dresses, and suits. So uncomfortable to the touch! So yeah, I tend to agree with you. Don't assume older is always better, it real depends on the item, and how the poly is made. Sometimes polyester can feel a lot like silk.
Adding to the clean girl aesthetic and in line with demonizing its “opposite,” i feel like it really was a trend that seemed to be oversaturated by white women. Some of the language of “clean girls” excluded and made “bad” things that are culturally relevant for non-white people. I don’t think this is a unique take and other brown & black women have spoken to it, but as a brown woman, I definitely felt like it wasn’t an aesthetic that included me!
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Agree! As a Latina woman, it felt very exclusive, and the vibe didn't welcome us.
@@TheCiamarieLatinas unite! ❤
I thought the same thing. I think it is a very racist concept. Something about the word "clean" which of course implies that everyone who doesn't look that way or do those things is dirty? WTF?
I thought I remember hearing people say clean girl was "ripping off" and rebranding things that have been popular in black and latina cultures like slick back hair
Why are we letting social media make EVERYTHING controversial and overheated? Side parts vs. Center parts? WTF. That's like having a fight over short hair vs. long hair or blonde vs. brunette. We wear what suits us, or what suits our hairstyle. Some people even have hair that grows in a way that dictates where they part their hair. I really hate this one.
Honestly! I've had a side part since I was a young teenager. I've just never liked how a middle part looks on me or makes my face look. And maybe it's cause I was a little emo and never grew out of it but idc I just prefer the look on me. My roommate has middle part and it looks nice on her. It just depends and I think things like this being "trends" is a little ridiculous.
Right. I honestly don't get it, but I'm also not easily influenced because once I like something I stick with it forever 😂 I've had my middle part and long hair since I was born and unless I go bald, that's how I'll part (no pun intended lol) 😂
I basically said the same thing about malls to my friend last week. I don’t regularly shop at malls ever, but I’m terrified my children will not enjoy malls within their lifetime the way things are going now.
I think they will cycle back in popularity like everything else does!
We don’t actually have any malls left where I live and the closest one in Milwaukee is actually not safe anymore in general.
@ Same here in Detroit suburbs, but I still feel they'll have a resurgence in a few years.........
100%… My 15-year-old little brother is about half my age, and it makes me sad that he doesn’t have a place, like the mall, where he can *independently* hang out with friends in a safe public setting that requires little to no money.
His primary way of being with friends outside of school is going bike riding all around town and sometimes stopping at one of their homes for a bit to rest and hang out. But this obviously isn’t doable during periods of freezing cold temperatures, days of inclement weather, and seasons where the sun sets by 5pm.
Apart from the mall, there are plenty of other indoor places where I used to hang out with friends at his age, that now either no longer exist anywhere nearby, are no longer “cool” to kids/teens nowadays, or are no longer affordable to pay for more than one to three times per year because the costs associated with them have significantly increased (e.g. bowling alleys, indoor skate parks, roller-arenas, movie theaters, arcades, free or low-cost group events at the library).
My conspiracy theory is that the rise of the romanticization of cigarettes is linked to the resurgence of the “heroin-chic” aesthetic, and thinness being back in fashion. Semaglutides + fillers being dissolved + cigarettes = thinness once again being the most coveted aspect of aesthetics.
I would throw in vaping. The flavors and the no nicotine amd the new tech of it all.
Definitely. I also can’t help but think that the big tobacco companies are behind this. There’s been US govt crackdowns on vapes (especially flavored) so of course they’re gonna go HARD on promoting cigarettes or else they’ll lose money :/
Crazy to me tho because full disclosure I have ED, I'm very very thin..... But the one thing I never would touch is cigarettes. I actually like being able to breathe easy and not have bad breath. I don't want lung cancer or emphysema, I knew someone who died from emphysema. I have a friend with Cystic Fibrosis who had it not been for trikafta, would've died waiting for a lung transplant. I am grateful every day, one of my gratitude journalling prompts, is the knowledge I can 'breathe easy'. No amount of thinness or ED is worth losing the ability to breathe without coughing every five seconds. I grew up in 2000s/2010s ProA* and Indie Sleaze scene, and it's still diabolical to me that people think cancer is fashionable.
What does cigarettes have to do with thinness?? Also where is this resurgence in romanticizing cigarettes? If extreme thinness is trending, it is simply because everything that goes with looks comes, and goes out of favor. It's really that simple.
@@dmreddragon6 "what does cigarettes have to do with thinness"
Oh boy........ I can definitely tell you weren't raised in the Pro A scene like I was lol
Cigarettes are an appetite suppressant. Common knowledge they curb cravings and calm nerves, which is why all the top models were chainsmokers back in the day.
11:32 THANK YOU for talking about the clean beauty and all misinformation that comes with it. As a cosmetics researcher, I find that marketing strategy horrible because it’s just alarmism with things that aren’t harmful- sometimes they are just not for YOU! Unless the brand is extremely uncaring, we will always design products that work and are SAFE for people. This idea of hating “harmful chemicals” while others are praised by being “natural” (and we don’t have an exact definition for that) is just ridiculous. Thank you again for talking about it!!
Jen Luv has a GREAT video about the myth of clean beauty. I'm sure it won't be new info, but maybe cathartic!!
I just hate glorification of smoking 🙄 My dad was a hardcore smoker, it was disgusting, the smoke would stick to literally every surface in a form of sticky, yellow grime, not to mention the smell of our clothes and hair 🤢
I grew up this way as well. Both of my parents were heavy smokers. I still am getting rid of things in my parent’s house that are yellowed from heavy smoking. Nicotine would run down the walls in the bathroom from humidity and the shower. It ended up killing my Dad at age 54, he had COPD. Horrible way to go…prolonged death that takes years.
Same. It's SO gross to me and it also looks so stupid to me... like when it gets used in photoshoots and stuff I don't get it. It looks dumb. You're sucking on a smokestick
As someone who watched a parent slowly and painfully die..for YEARS from COPD from smoking, cigarettes are just not worth it. Not at all. My parent was 54. They had so much more life to live.
My grandmother passed away from COPD and emphysema... I'm so sorry you and your parents went through that. It is a ROUGH way to go.
My mom died of lung cancer,smoking is stupid af.
my older sister smokes A LOT but I try to persuade her to quit whenever I have the opportunity... I know I'm being annoying but I just can't help it, it's literally for her own good 🫠
My dad died at 60 of esophagus cancer due to smoking. It was painful and very very hard to deal with and honestly messed me up for the next 10 years. I will not be smoking.
Have you all heard about lung cancer amongst non smokers being way more common in recent years?? If you have a persistent cough, get a chest x ray. It’s most common in Asian women, some sort of a gene mutation, please be aware.
I love when you make videos of you just styling the things in your closet for the seasons and such even if there’s no theme. Those are also sustainable videos and help me get inspiration because I love your style! ❤❤
me too!
Love your nuanced takes Alexa! And I had to chuckle when you said “I think we ALL overconsume” because you kind of sounded like Victoria Justice “I think we ALL sing” :D
The best part is the part that suits one's face shape. ❤ in my case that would be a sidepart.
Same thing goes for jeans cuts etc. Plus fashion should be fun and a form as personal expression whatever form that may take.
I have a side part, too -- but not extreme. Whatever works for you is best.
I was going to bring that up too. I totally agree with your comment.
@@karengrohs4942 Defenitely😂 I sometimes try a middle part just to check only to find it still looks bad on me.....I do however love a zig zag part.
I’ve had a side part since I was a toddler (I have pictures). Now my hair naturally falls into a side part.
I agree with malls and physical stores. I even mentioned that same thing a few days ago to a friend and how brands take advantage of online shopping to sells us bad clothing. And since those items are so cheap, it's not worth it to return them, so they are donated or end up in landfills or if they are returned they create even more CO2 emissions with their transport.
I didnt know deer print was a thing and i kinda like it. I think its quite easy to imtegrate into various styles espicially if youre drawn to softer stuff but i do think deer print clothes could pair well with more fantasyish themes and aesthetics like goblin amd fairy core since they are so asscoiated with the woods.
I've been wearing lolita fashion for the past 10 or so years, and deer print has been suuuuper popular in that scene for awhile now!
@@ktnobles90 faschinating! Would you say its fairly acessible to find or limited to a few shops. Im a bit stumped where to look.
@Skimmer951 I don't see a lot of it in western fashion; I would definitely try Japanese brands! That's where I see most of it. Brands like Innocent World are known for their deer prints.
I miss the days of hanging out with my friends at the mall. It was a safe place to go on the weekends and see other friends from school and just hang out without necessarily spending a bunch of money.
I hope there will be spaces like this in the future where kids (and adults) can go to spend time with other people in person. It doesn’t need to be a mall, but I honestly don’t know where kids are going when they leave the house these days. Do they even still leave the house?? I feel like I read in the news that they don’t 😭
they do leave the house, it's just usually to parties, smoking in some random dude's garage, or finding the like (1) store that won't treat you like criminals right off the bat
(and if there is a mall nearbye - it is usually the mall LOL)
It's no wonder that loneliness is an epidemic. There are no places for kids to go & gather & be social. No place to be aside from school and home.
One take I’ve seen with gatekeeping is they don’t want the store to blow up, which on one hand I get it, we’ve seen negative impacts of virality hit small businesses and you don’t want your wishlist items to sell out. But on the other hand you’re preventing the small business from getting more customers. But also why gatekeep when google lens exists. In summary I think it’s a thin line but I think people need to chill
I wear 70s inspired glam makeup because it’s something I really enjoy and I’ve been doing it forever. Now with all this „clean girl“ propaganda flooding the media, I feel like young teens aren’t allowed to have fun! I feel like the youth today are scared to experiment with different styles of clothes, when that was the thing I loved the most as a teenager.
So interesting on the mall take! In Australia our shopping centres are still HUGE and sooo crowded. Its very much still a big thing over here and the go to place to hang out, go to restaurants, grocery shopping and clothes shopping.
I have been living in Germany for a couple of years now and I can definitely say that malls are still going strong here. We went to one in Frankfurt and it was so crowded and active. Even the mall closer to where I live, people are always going there. I have access to the military base, and it has a huge BX, which is basically a mall and it is ALWAYS busy. It feels like I’ve gone back in time because teenagers are just hanging around, hanging out with their friends and I’m so happy that they have that space to hang out in.
Mall culture is huge here in Colombia 🇨🇴 too. We love our malls.
If you mean the Zeil Galerie, I hate shopping there. I get so overstimulated by the crowds of people, that I have to leave after 40 - 50 mins. I dom´t know how people put up with that and call it fun.
same thing here in poland!
@@JasminLeudesdorff that is fair! Honestly I don’t remember the name. I was using more as an example of the mall not being dead everywhere. But oh yes, that place was super overwhelming and the internet lied about it having a Build-A-Bear. 😂
Malls are still very popular in Romania as well 🎉
I absolutely feel you with the first one about malls. Even the crummy clothing wasn't to the full 100% plastic junk that you can wear once and drop for the next plastic sweater. The speed and energy behind the shopping felt different.
100% agree. I still have some old school Zara and Forever21 items and the quality of the stitching and fabric is night and day. not saying it was the best quality - but it was far better than what's currently in stores today.
A side part can be how your hair pattern grows. I wore a middle part in high school but my natural part is on the side, and switching now is actually painful to my scalp. I also have fine hair, its just the way my hair lays best. I even get a headache if I wear a ponytail when my hair is long (currently a bob). Love this vid btw, and love your channel! You have created Saver's fans out of me and my husband!!!❤️. Hugs!
In regards to belts and dresses, if im wearing a dress, 9 times out of 10, its to specifically avoid the feeling of something around my waist. I pick a dress over a skirt or pants to avoid the sensation of having a waistband. If i want a dress that creates a cinched figure, i buy one where the cut of the dress does that itself. Also, as someone in a hot and humid climate almost year round, the looser cut of a dress creates necessary natural ventilation that is removed if you add a belt. Every dress that comes with a belt I've had to cut off the belt loops and pass along the belt to someone i know or to charity shops because i know i wont use it and didnt want it in the first place.
OMG ! The essential oils debacle. I am allergic to most of them and I now have to read every packaging of EVERYTHING ! It's so popular that I almost died at work because of essential oil tea ! I didn't know you could put it in teas. And I'm not the only one to be sensitive to it ! It's forbidden for children, pregnant women and elderly people, so despite being natural it is not always safe !
It's dangerous for cats, too.
Semi-Unpopular opinion, Walmart has great clothes. Are they the best quality? No. But you can feel it in your hands, they have super inclusive sizes, and they stepped up their styles. I don’t shop at target but the same thing applies.
Micro trends have ruined how people view clothes, if a trend lasts more than 2 months it becomes stale, and all the clothes not bought in stores get thrown out. Or donated clothes go to landfills when we know those styles will come back. I used to buy clothes to look cute but now I’m a bit older and discovered who I was, the clothes don’t fit my lifestyle anymore. They fit my style so I still wear them when I can but I try to give the clothes I never wear to a specific person or save them.
I agree. I have bought a few things at Walmart that were reasonable quality and all cotton. But unfortunately, they were made in China, and I don't like Walmart's corporate policies.
As someone who only wears cotton leggings, I feel like Walmart is the only place I can buy them and avoid athleisure leggings which are the most uncomfortable type of pant ever.
I miss faded glory so much! It's comparable to clothing that's being sold for like $60 today. Haven't shopped their new stuff but og walmart was amazing!
I find it hilarious to hear that side parts are an unpopular choice. When I grew up I was made fun of for having a middle part, and my “friends” at the time forced my to change it to be trendier. It’s so ridiculous when we think about it, it’s just hair !
Love your self reflection on the over-consumption conversation in thrifting. As someone who grew up thrifting because it was the affordable option for my family, I definitely saw being able to overconsume fast fashion as a sign of economic success. Now I'm glad so many people choose to buy second hand.
First opinion is 100% true for me. I often talk myself out of buying something in store but still get the satisfaction of “shopping” without buying. I also force myself to try on items in store and end up putting back a large percentage of what I would’ve bought if I just a saw a photo. Buying on impulse is 100% worse when shopping online, for me personally!
I agree with many of these, but specifically the use of "clean". This creates huge stigma and judgemental attitudes. It's absolutely a tactic to make people feel "dirty" and pressured to buy something they are misled to believe is better for them.
There aren't extra planes flying merchandise/packages. The planes are flying regardless. Trucks and ocean liners taking clothes to landfills, on the other hand, are only carrying those items. The comparison is not even close. Secondhand clothing is the better choice for our environment by infinity. One ton of used and discarded clothing goes to the landfill every five minutes. Please buy everything you can secondhand!
4:27 you are so right about being able to feel clothes before you buy them. Even forever 21 wasn’t that bad back in the early 2000s compared to what’s going on now
on the cigarette part, I am in the process of quitting right now (as im writing this I am at 23 hours!). I didnt start because I saw someone smoking on the internet, but I absolutely hate the people who and post themselves smoking as part of their aesthetic. I am an a*dict, not some cool guy. I find it so weird that people even do that. I know everyone deals with issues differently, but most of the ad*icts I have met are ashamed of their ad*ictions and try to tell anyone who can listen to not smoke (this includes me as well).
Smoking has caused me to likely suffer with my breathing for the rest of my life (I have symptoms of COPD) and I am only 19!
People who smoke and post it anger me so much. Because while I did not start smoking because of them, I did not feel "bad about continuing smoking" because I saw these beautiful people doing it as well.
This comment is very long, which I apologise for, but the message here is do not start smoking (especially if you are prone to ad*ictions), it can quickly start to control your life, your money and health will deteriorate before you and you feel trapped. Smoking sucks, don't do it!!
i 100% agree with your first unpopular opinion.. bc of covid i started shopping online and when i received my stuff i would always be disappointed (and also overbought clothes and ended up selling it real quick on vinted!!) but now that i shop in thrift shops and im going back to stores i always touch fabrics and buy wayyyyyyy less clothes !!
This might be very niche, but the smoking and vaping thing isnt just in fashion! It’s filtered down to cosplaying as well. There are a lot of cosplayers who vape in tik toks, claiming it’s for ‘the cool smoke effect’. It’s even worse when they’re cosplaying characters that are minors or are minors themselves. I’ve seen people defend this as ‘it’s accurate to the character’ (for example, marauders cosplays) but even then, I don’t think it’s necessary. Smoking is being glamorized again, and that’s very dangerous…
Alexa, thanks for putting yourself out there! You are a smart, kind, humble, beautiful, fun human. Some people will always find a negative to focus on, so please try not to let them pull you down to their world! You are so right that all things can be said with kindness. And take it from me: SMOKING anything is something everyone will regret at some point!! So glad I quit!! xoxo
While I can appreciate the utility of aesthetics, not everything needs to be aesthetic-ized
Answer to how the change in image for cigarettes happened (or at least my pet theory for it). Vaping got super popular, but since it started getting marketed to kids, vaping is seen as “childish.” But, as you said, people are dependent on nicotine so they shift to cigarettes for a more “adult” or “refined” image. Could also potentially explain the rise in popularity of zyn but who’s to say. This is all coming from a non-smoker though so I might be completely wrong.
And I think because it's extremely discreet. Smokeless tobacco went being for hicks and super messy (chew) to now in tiny lil packets that no one can smell or see.
Also fellow non smoker or nicotine user, but Smokeless tobacco was huge in my HS in the 90s and 00s.
It might also have to do with the fact that teens and young adults now don't have the living memory of older relatives, friends' parents, etc, dying from tobacco use. There was a long period of time when smoking was strongly discouraged and it was considered public knowledge that it would kill you---maybe it's a millennial thing? I'm in my late 30s and I remember my teachers made it sound like I would die immediately if I even looked at a cigarette 😅. But I don't think anyone younger had those same kinds of lessons.
I am devastated by the amount of 'I'm not thrifting anymore, it's more sustainable to buy something new' content I have been seeing recently.
So glad I found your corner of the Internet.
One thing that comes to mind about trends and malls.. My dad is from California and he moved to Missouri when he was 17 in the 70s. He said when he got there Missouri was legitimately almost 20 years behind in fashion and almost everything else. Which idk I guess its just something to ponder and the fact that the way you can buy anything anywhere anytime definitely has changed everything!! I'm in Arkansas and I'm sure we're not 'up to date' on trends bc truly I do think California or New York leads fashion...so we're probably a few years behind...idk!
I agree with you Alexa. I grew up a teen in the 90’s and lived an hour from a large city with a mall and we went to the city 2-3 times a year for school clothes shopping and summer clothes shopping and Christmas shopping. That’s it. You think way ahead for birthdays and prom etc and you only purchased a handful of items when you went to the city and then you borrowed from others like cousins and friends for varieties or shoes and jewelry etc. but you also took good care of items and back then items were made with better quality.
I had a co worker compliment my Gap vintage sweater from 20+ years ago that I still love and is still in good quality and I still wear.. gap was expensive but good quality
I love how thoughtful you are about everything, and how although you consider all different perspectives you still keep your own opinion. A suggestion for fashion content creators that promotes more sustainability could be to incorporate clothing swaps. Instead of shopping you can feature other content creators (or friends or family really just other people with good style) and exchanging pieces that you no longer wear. I do this with friends where before donating I bring a bag of clothes to my friends house and we look through each others stuff and choose different pieces we want to keep. If sizes don't match it can also apply to accessories or shoes. It can be a series. I have a sister and my friends I do it with usually also has a sister so we do it as a group but it can be one at a time. And if it's only one or two pieces or nothing that ends up getting exchanged, for the sake of the video you can at least style it or style each other. I think it would promote community and sustainability
I remember a few videos like that she did in 2020. It was a video idea while stores were closed, but could easily be returned to.
Okay love this video and how you incorporate your audience. Thanks for making me laugh!!
Side part works amazingly with bangs cause the bang takes away the weird volume thingie.
Maybe that's why it works for me. I have bangs.
The ending 😂
Me and a “friend” got into an argument once because I said “I don’t understand how you casually do coke on the weekends but won’t eat gluten” 😂😂
I just want to mention that you’re really good at editing 😊 like the transitions and cuts and stuff seem so natural. Especially with how your vocal inflections seem cohesive even with different clips back to back
This top is simply ethereal on you!! ✨🧚🏻💖
💛💛💛💛💛💛💛
I am a shopaholic overconsumer and I know it ... but your videos have helped me look for second hand clothes instead and stop buying things clothes that I don't need and just try to shop my closet instead
You buy less in store. Totally agree.
I absolutely love your videos Alexa! I have been watching weekly for over a year now. Thank you for the consistent incredible, thoughtful content :) I appreciate you and the sunshine you are for me in my Canadian winter!
The irony of getting a Shein ad during this video! 😂
I loved this video and loved hearing your opinions. I appreciate how much time you took to thoroughly explain your points ❤
I was in my mom’s hometown for the holidays and there was a secondhand/charity shop at the mall! It was so cool to see
Value Village opened up a ‘boutique’ location in the downtown of my city, next door to the Winners 😃
Wait 😮 I’ve never heard of deer print until now but I’m like obsessed 🤯 if I found the right piece in the thrift store with it I think I totally would buy it! I think I look best in low contrast items and muted colors, so I personally would never wear leopard or cheetah print. Even cow print which I think looks so cute would need to be not black and white for me to wear. But deer print is so cute and soft looking 😍
I have a double crown (which means I have 2 spirals on my head where hair grows from) it is quite literally IMPOSSIBLE for me to have a middle part, especially with my hair down. In general, I'm sick of fashion "opinions" like this. Whatever hair routine/makeup style/clothing material you choose to present yourself with is curated for YOU. I don't really care what others think of my fashion choices, but I love hearing other people's thoughts.
Love ur vids Alexa 💕
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I cut out a part in the video where I mentioned how I have a cowlick on the back of my head vs the front so I can part my hair wherever but it’s different for everyone!
Yesss for the belt, especially wedding dresses. The SYTTD show ruins almost every dress by adding the most random belts every episode. Let the dress shine 😭
Thank you for being so refreshingly honest. I agree with your take on the mall!!
I have been wanting fawn print or faux fur fawn for about 3 years now and it just DIDNT EXIST. Well, I was watching Juno Burch’s video of drag con the other day, there was a Queen wearing lots of fawn faux fur and I am now convinced it’s coming. I am so excited. It’s a print that is just adorable and really hasn’t been explored.
Overconsumption is most likely in everyone unless you're a minimalist. Thanks for the content Alexa ❤ Happy Sunday all
It's so funny, I was hardcore middle part person while side part was in and then started wearing side part as soon as middle part became in. And my hairstylist was right, I do look better with side part, bless that woman and her patience she has been telling me that for YEARS 😂
I absolutely agree that not all dress need a belt... but also i'm short and kinda wide and i really don't wanna look like a little cube 😭
39 minutes?? brb grabbing a cup of tea and a snack 😍
I had the opinion about deer print! I’ve personally never been attracted to leopard print for the very reason you stated: its a little too harsh for me. Deer print IS soft. Its whimsy and it comes in different colors and patterns but they all revolve around it being very easy on the eyes. There was a designer faux deer fur jacket (i think its japanese or Korean) that came out around 2009 I think and that has been one of my DREAM coats. You CAN find some secondhand vintage ones, but they get snatched up so fast its crazy lol deer print is way more in demand than I thought!
1. I wish mall were good again. We have a few smaller malls in town, but they aren't pleasant anymore. Music blasting, either whiter and more sterile stores than the hospital or they try to stand out by being a physical acid trip.
Changing rooms still being badly light and discord mirrors.
With that said, yes to being able to touch and try on
I watched a good video by Coco Chinelo recently about fashion gatekeeping. Her mindset towards it is that if you hold enough positive value towards why you alone like the item (i.e., memories, interests etc.), then you shouldn’t feel too negative when someone else wants to buy that same piece. Like buying something because it complements your identity/personality rather than buying something that ‘no one else has’.
I really like this mindset but I also feel like I would be pretty bummed if someone copied my exact outfit head-to-toe lol… but then again - fashion is very cyclical and a lot of ‘new’, unique combos are updated from earlier styles. Ahh, everything is a grey area!!
If you consider that a lot of internet traffic is bots it would.make sense that those comments about wanting to know where something is from is actually manufactures looking for the source of a design they want to copy. It may be automatic.
Yeah I'm not gonna stop using the cheaper shampoo and conditioner like suave and stuff bc of "bad chemicals" I'm not bald yet and my hair gets a lot of compliments 🤣🤣 people got crazy with the clean girl aesthetic or whatever people are pushing online
I love your unpopular opinion!! Malls are fun and a great way to spend time with friends and also to try things before you buy like you said. High quality should always be prioritized like it used to be.
With the side part thing I think it’s kind of silly because it really matters what your hair growth pattern is and the unique swirl of your hair. I forced my hair into a middle part for over a year and it still prefers to fall about an inch in the left.
The scene kid hair throw back sent me💀i love it so much. I was doing the same thing girl, why did we think that looked good😂
I like your point of malls helping to decrease online fast fashion!!!
Good point too about how mall clothes used to be better quality! Thats why vintage mall brand clothing is so nice at the thrift!!
@@allyduhrey Some of my favorite tops are vintage forever21 and I feel like in 20 years the clothes that's made today just isn't going to hold up like that 😭
i was just talking to my boyfriend the other day about wishing malls were still a thing!! i miss walking around and actually being able to SHOP. my local mall is mainly just a food court, with a few stores still open here and there. it's depressing :'(
Thanks!
I totally agree with you. I wish we had more in person shopping. When it was in person I feel like the average person would go shopping every now and then instead of constantly adding things to online carts that we either never buy but yearn for or buy and do afterpay. But for another reason lately I’ve been really frustrated with things I’ve gotten online because they either don’t fit, don’t come with all the parts (a lamp I bought) or aren’t what they looked like in the picture. When we shop in person we try on the shoes and we can hold the blanket in our hands feel the material and we can ask the store clerk (does this lamp have all the assembly pieces)…. There is way less that can go wrong. I have sent back 5/7 things I bought online in the last two months….. p.s the only reason I’ve been shopping online is because I had gift cards from Christmas.
As a former smoker who has quit and gone back multiple times, cigarettes are not cute. Not fashionable. Not chic. Like no. I’ve STRUGGLED to break the addiction for years and honestly the idea that they could be fashionable again is so sad. But just as an aside, have sympathy for smokers. It’s literally designed to be addictive and it’s so hard to stop. So many people who smoke feel shame about it. The struggle is real. But feel free to shame and blame anyone actively promoting it as a sexy cool thing. That’s pretty gross
the use of the descriptor "clean" automatically suggests that other things are dirty. It's classist. A close cousin is "Fresh". As apposed to what? Spoiled, rotten, stale? Advertisers are no longer selling by saying how good their products are, now they want you to think other products are bad, or disgusting.
Not related to the video but your hair looks stunning!!! :D
Thank you for the clean beauty discussion! ABSOLUTELY AGREE!
My Forever 21 clothes from 15-20 years ago have actually held up so well.
Smaller malls are definitely dying in New Zealand but the big malls like Westfield are still thriving
Same in CO. I live on the western side of the state in a small city and our mall is dying but the big nice mall in Denver are good
There's still a really popular mall up northwest of Denver. In Boulder county!
Cigarettes as accessories? Is that seriously a thing? Lol wow.. I’m a 90s kid so smoking as an alternative kid was considered cool so that’s how I started becoming a smoker. But I also have an addictive personality so that turned into a filthy habit. So interesting how it’s come full circle. I’m also wanting to know.. how are these people affording the habit in 2025? Smoking has gotten as expensive as doing the harder stuff… just don’t start smoking. It’s not worth it
I totally identify with everything you said.
100% agree with the belt, I love my sack dresses. Also, I am all for people wearing their hair however they want, but at 33 I’m still traumatized from my gigantic scene kid fringe so wearing one now makes me feel old
"Loved this video! 👀✨ Your take on unpopular fashion opinions is so refreshing and fun to watch. 🖤🎤 It's great to see someone unapologetically share their thoughts-fashion needs more of this energy! 🌟👏"
I’m from Australia and the mall (we call them Shopping Centres) is still really popular here. We have a really big shopping centre-culture, so much so that one of our largest centres (Chadstone in Melbourne) is open until midnight leading up to Christmas, and most people go there to just hang out.
Where i live in the south, people still go to the mall a lot! There are several stores in our mall that are really good! I still love going in store and looking for stuff and trying it on!
There are so many alternatives to holding a cigarette in your hand (lollypops, flowers, a pen/pencil/paintbrush). If you are a smoker please don't post pictures with cigarettes.
We all know that smoking is bad for you and we all know that quitting is difficult.
So please help prevent people starting with it, and post your pictures with something else in your hand.
I really nerd out about buying trends of the public, malls vs online shopping ect . So what I have heard is that right now we are in the age of strip malls. That’s where everyone is. I think there is potential to swing back from there to regular malls again but maybe with a twist in the future, like a strip mall / indoor mall hybrid possibly. We do need third spaces so it would make sense if it happens.
That being said, the mall closest to me, it’s like Black Friday 1999 there all the time. You will be lucky to get in the parking lot on a weekend. It’s a total anomaly ( west towne mall in Knoxville Tn.)
I feel like the other kind of space could be an activity space, like an escape room, or indoor play space for kids and families, or a paintball game space, something to do rather than buy. Movies could also be combined with performance space.
Also, I’ve been looking at the closed-down leader spaces (Sears, etc), and wishing I could turn them into a giant furniture thrift store.
Yeesss so agree with the mall. It would also help with the excess returns. Think about how much affects all those returns have. When people buy online and they get multiple sizes and colors because you have to try it on and then send the rest back. And supposedly some of those returns just get trashed??
As a Canadian, I find the mall conversation to be super interesting and definitely a very regional thing. Where I live, our malls for the most part are still quite popular and busy. I was just out on Sunday and our mall was PACKED. Shipping things here is extremely expensive/not always an option so I do think that plays a factor for sure.
Love when you wear that top so cute with your hairstyle too!
To your point, I STILL have a vintage Forever 21 Poly/wool coat that I bought in 1999 and it is still good!!
I have never seen deer print before …I am now obsessed with deer print.
I miss mall shopping where you see and feel the item read labels for quality fabrics and dressing rooms were a plus. Always went home with items you love and wear more.
I hate polyester doesn't breath and like wearing a sauna suit. Not in my closet.
Never heard of deer print but I’m in 👀 faux of course
I think it's interesting that you prefer a center part with your fine hair, because I have fine hair and really prefer a slight side part because it's the only way to get any volume. Maybe because you have more texture? My hair is completely straight, so it also just doesn't cooperate with anything
Regarding the mall opinion, also most companies don't even bother to take online returns back to the store so they end up in landfills right away, perfectly fine unused clothes. So this online shopping era also is terrible for the environment
YES - this exactly! I idea of people buying things in multiple sizes to try on and send back or buying 20 things, but intending to keep only a few absolutely makes me sick.
You're equating malls with in-person shopping, but malls are much more than that! There used to be restaurants, game centers, book stores, food shops, pet stores. When I was a kid our mall even had a fabric store. But my fave store was called "World Bazaar" and had stuff from around the world--kinda cheesy, but as a kid I loved it--beaded curtains, brass bells, peacock chairs, tiny glass bottles, Chinese fans, and so on. And I guess you're too young to remember "Spencer's"--it was for teens and we younger kids had to be brave to set foot in there (esp since our parents didn't want us going in)--there were jokey toys and books that risque, flocked posters, band posters and tees and stickers...and my memory is that the whole store was lit by black light. Truly malls have gotten more boring over time!
I was the one who made the unpopular opinion you spoke on about social medias influence on fast fashion and I 100% agree with you. Love hearing what you had to say!!
thank you so much for your submission!! 🫶