Clothing as an Element of Identity and a Trend of Self-completion in Generation Z in Colombia

Abstract

This article presents the synthesis of the research on the clothing practices that are trending in the Z generation or centennials in Colombia, and that communicate with the largest audience represented in likes and downloads and views in the social network TikTok.

The problematic is given by the questions: how are the most relevant trends and identities of young centennials shaped? How are their clothing practices?

This research is qualitative and interpretative, a semiotic perspective was taken to identify tangible or intangible objects that reveal how identities and trends are shaped, as well as their narrative.

In this sense and under the theory of Susan B. Kaiser on identity and the theory of symbolic self-completion of Wicklund and Gollwitzer.

This study analyzed how dressing is an element of self-completion of identity and diffusion of the trend, in this sense, identity is mediated by the interaction that makes an effect that replaces the face-to-face look, so the result or effect of this helps to shape or confirm the aesthetics of identity, reception, revealing the vulnerability, conflict, and influence of this generation of nomadic identity.

1 Communicated Trends and Identity

In a constantly changing landscape towards a more connected world, young people naturally integrate aspects of the human experience into the digital world with an ease unprecedented to other generations, shaping the ways in which social media platforms are used and their limits. Young people from the age of 12 seem to understand the new rules of interaction within social networks such as TikTok or Instagram and condition their social activity within them. As the ‘home turf’ of Generation Z (Maguire 2021; Wallaroo Media 2021) and a key space for collective expression of youth online (Literat and Kligler-Vilenchik 2019), it is a valuable window into attitudes and perceptions of young people, including their expression. Generational identity. TikTok allows us to observe the process of generational self-definition in a social context, bringing out the self-representations shared by and for those who make up this generation (Cheng Stahl, 2022, p. 2).

Among the different expressions of centennials, the phenomenon of fashion trends and the communities associated with them that express through short videos their infatuation with the symbolism associated with elements of clothing seen within fashion trends are of particular interest. This cult of groups expresses the association of dress practices with an identity built from content within TikTok and that distances itself from the mass fashion scene for these young people. All these marginal, alternative, niche aesthetics that do not fit the model bring into play the other element of clothing that dialogues with fashion but is distinguished from it, which is style. (Kovadloff, 2019, p. 12) Thus creating a fascination for acquiring an appearance that ultimately demonstrates a complex and interesting identity for those young people who begin to discover themselves as people and want to positively differentiate themselves from their environment. It should be noted that this is not a recent phenomenon, and that, on previous occasions, adolescents have resorted to digital media to make changes and modifications to their appearance from clothing and makeup, and a clear attitude of preference is maintained towards the feeling of differentiation by originality and simultaneously the affiliation to a social group. The relationship between adolescents and social networks is given thanks to the ease of use that allows the creation of virtual presences not restricted by the obstacles of the physical world, the control of interactions with others, and the few repercussions that may cause shame, rejection, or social alienation. As in fashion blogs, on TikTok you can also share videos and photos of yourself, activities of interest, and your own speeches in a controlled manner and prioritizing the prominence of your body, clothing, space, or message and capitalizing on your own currency from the social network; likes, followers, comments, and views. So even when Chittenden refers to the popular fashion blogs of the early 2010s, the same concepts apply to young TikTok users when he says “fashion blog spaces don’t just give girls a place to showcase their cultural capital. Materialized and objectified, but also provide them with infinite potential for social capital from millions of Internet users” (Chittenden, 2010, p. 511).

According to Guillaume Erner (2009), trends are defined as: “A behavior temporarily adopted by a substantial part of a social group that perceives it as socially appropriate for the time and situation” (Erner, 2009, p.14). Similarly, they have been related to the collective ideas and beliefs of a generation, usually the youth, this phenomenon is known as the “zeitgeist”. This spirit manifests itself in clothing styles that are curated and communicated through social networks which allow the contagion of trends on a global and accelerated scale, but which are appropriated and adapted according to a social and local context with their own unique symbology and meanings.

Regarding how trends are adapted, Erner (2009) proposes two main theoretical perspectives; the first, the individual is manipulated by forces that overtake him and incite him to adhere to certain trends; the second, trends are the consequence of aggregate individual decisions, i.e. the individual acts rationally. In any case, trends seek to satisfy two feelings that seem contradictory; the need for distinction and the desire to belong, as proposed by Bourdieu and discussed by Erner (2009).

An individual’s participation in fashion is a personal experience and depends on factors such as purchasing power, culture, and attitude towards change, to name a few. If one looks at some fashion trends adopted by young people and communicated on different popular platforms, one can identify the relationship with popular art, music, and a particular philosophy or thought related to these fields.

In the case of Colombia, platforms such as TikTok have allowed the adoption of varied trends accessed by new social groups with access to information and great interest in the fashion and entertainment industry, trends drip from outside influences and evolve little by little as they are affected by prevailing social trends. As a result of the encounter with foreign influences and the Colombian context, new localized fashion interpretations are created in which Colombian adolescents exhibit these forms of dress according to their resources, visual references, and ideas.

2 Fashion Trend as a Symbolic Self-completion of Identity

In The Social Psychology of Fashion (1997), Susan B. Kaiser presents identity as the organized set of characteristics that an individual perceives as representative or defining of him/herself in a given social situation, this situation being the world of social networks for example. Identities are distinguished into attributed and achieved identities, the former, attributed identities are those that are assigned to individuals, while the latter, achieved identities, are those that the individual creates for him/herself. Within the virtual circuit, attributed identities do not exist, not with the same weight as achieved identities. The latter needs the genuine to exist and be accepted.

On the other hand, the authors Robert A. Wicklund Peter M. Gollwitzer in Symbolic Self-Completion Theory (1981), from a psychological and social perspective, explain human behaviors concerning identities and symbols; thus, an individual with a defined objective will engage in specific behaviors related to the associated desired identity, so that by acting in a certain way he symbolically proves that he/she already has that desired identity. Self-completion symbols are the objects that individuals require to communicate their ideal version of themselves, be they clothing, accessories, make-up, consumption habits, and ways of behaving to name a few.

When one possesses a wide variety of symbols in line with the self-defined goal, the individual will not seek additional ones, on the contrary, if a perceived lack is present, greater efforts will be made to display symbols that restore fulfillment. A person engages in self-symbolization, or the use of symbols to construct and retain a complete self-definition when he or she senses a lack of completion (Wicklund & Gollwitzer, 1982, p. 31 as cited in Kaiser, 1997, p. 176).

Susan B Kaiser argues that some conditions must exist for a subject to symbolically self-complete, she describes the process as follows:

• 1. A person must be committed to a self-defining objective.

• 2. There are symbols available within the person’s culture that pertain to self-definition.

• 3. The person experiences a sense of lack, inadequacy.

• 4. The person has access to at least one route to self-symbolization. (Kaiser, 1997, p. 176).

3 Young Gen Z and Tik Tok, from Global to Local

With the arrival of a new generation, those things that were taken for granted, obvious, and established begin to rewrite, mutate and evolve under new innovative perspectives. In this sense, Centennials or Gen Z (generation Z), as it is called to individuals born between 1997 and 2006, that is, between 12 and 22 years old nowadays (Arango, 2022), are distinguished from previous generations for being 100% digital natives, resulting from a childhood lived during the peak of the technological era. Their relationship with technology is organic and the way they interact is different from previous generations.

Platforms such as TikTok have allowed this generation to reinterpret and create concepts and ideas of their mediated reality, including fashion as an important status symbol and identity. This platform has been very well received in Latin American countries, and in Colombia specifically, there are around two million registered users among children and adolescents according to the country’s Superintendence of Industry and Commerce (2021).

Many of these young people are from different socioeconomic strata, evidencing the democratization and popularity of these applications, some use the platform as a means of nonconformity and expression, and the discourse they handle and their way of communicating responds to a childhood of economic crisis, social movements, climate change, and a hyper-connected world, which have resulted in a generation of young people with greater social, environmental, political and ideological awareness compared to their predecessors.

TikTok stands out for the high volume of teenagers from different backgrounds, compared to other age groups due to its peculiar mechanics that consists of recording and editing short videos, from a few seconds to ten minutes, and for its highly personalized content, the result of TikTok’s Artificial Intelligence. By the way Gen Z portrays itself on TikTok, it is obvious to acknowledge the role of the platform in this group everyday communicative practices (Cheng Stahl, 2022). As for self-image and identity, it is constantly evolving and under construction, they are highly critical and highly sensitive. Research shows that social media offers youth personal empowerment, increased access and connections, community and identity development, opportunities to organize their social lives, and many opportunities for interaction that can be constrained by physical spaces and adult-mediated spaces (Fu and Cook 2020; Gangneux 2019). While these young people present themselves as genuine people with the aim of sharing fragments of their life with similar people, it can be glimpsed how the identity is changing is affirmed or changes according to the reception or views of the videos.

Obtaining validation in the form of large numbers of likes, shares, and comments is a currency that has little to do with economic gain, especially in a public that is just beginning to think about economic independence, and more with the idea of creating a reality that represents the individual as a personal brand without thinking much about the repercussions that may occur in the real world. A reality manufactured to exist within the network is another of the ways in which identity is reinvented for modern youth, therefore, this group of young people is not afraid to follow trends because it is a way to follow not only a lifestyle but also aspirations, and on the other hand, it allows them to boost themselves in the networks to become very recognized people (Arango, 2022).

About identities and social networks, Kaiser identifies processes regarding the way young people construct and communicate their identities. On the one hand, the process of Self-identification where individuals locate and express their identities, as seen in the action of consuming specific content regarding makeup techniques or a fashion brand, for example. Two exercises arise from Self-identification; Self-disclosure, as a form of Self-identification is presented to others in a public context, such as the conscious decision to dress in different styles to meet with friends or visit family relatives; and Self-reflection, another manifestation of Self-identification occurs in a private context (Kaiser, 1997, pp.186–187), often seen in the clothes one might wear when home alone. The dynamics of TikTok as in other social networks such as Instagram and BeReal, operate under the premise of Self-disclosure where audiovisual media and the interaction of others with the photographs and/or videos of the authors, who are aware that they are being observed, predominate. Even when the content is uploaded on TikTok, it is uploaded with the intention of being seen, and it is there where the dilemma of being seen and acting conscious and unconscious of that fact simultaneously prevails.

Kaiser introduces Carl Rogers’ concept of Self-schema, which is a structured thought process that organizes, modifies, and integrates qualities assigned to oneself that include visual images. Visual images and the concept of aesthetics are a current hobby of Generation Z, accustomed to communicating through figures and symbols, obvious to them, and meaningless to their parents or other viewers.

TikTok aesthetics can be studied, especially when viewed from the perspective of identities created within and for the internet, and which have a root in the real world, although it is independent of its unfolding in the real world. The theory of identity proposed by Stryker (1980) originates in the vision of symbolic interaction that society influences social behavior affecting the individual, which he calls Self. This Self may be the result of social interactions from which the individual begins to define roles and acquire knowledge about them, thus generating a symbolic interaction. In the theory of interactionism, Stryker (1980) proposes that the so-called Self is composed of different elements called role identities, for the different dispositions in which society places the subject. Role identities are part of the cognitive processes, Self-concepts, and referents that the individual attributes to himself, which is seen in the collective interactions in TikTok through comments, followers, and likes. One can identify the many roles one identity can take while scrolling through a teenagers TikTok account, going from friend, to fashion icon, to potential lover, to activist in a matter o seconds.

4 Methodology

The methodology applied for this study is qualitative and interpretative. The axis of this research lies in the visual analysis of different clothing trends of generation Z in Colombia, and what they communicate through the social network TikTok.

To establish the methodological structure, the study on “the aesthetic response” (1998) proposed by the American professor Marilyn De Long, Ph.D. in Dress Studies, who defines the aesthetic response as the resulting experience and corresponding to the implication of the effect of being looked at; thus the style will depend and will be selected from the expressions or preferred looks (p. 339).

To understand this response it is necessary to know about the physical and cultural context of the observer. To analyze and contrast this study of this response, four fundamental stages are carried out: observation, differentiation, interpretation, and evaluation (DeLong, 1998, Chapter 3).

With the aid of the Google Trends tool, data such as volume of content, visualizations, and searches on concepts and recurrent fashion trends in generation Z in Colombia and the world were reviewed and identified.

Subsequently, an inquiry and compilation of videos in Tik Tok related to the global and local trends mentioned were made, of these, the most popular among young content creators were the concepts of Coquette, Y2K, and Grunge as the most representative ones being trends of interest for this study.

For the analysis of the visual and narrative content of each trend, the method of Roland Barthes (2012) of denotation and connotation conjugated with the concept of symbolic self-completion developed by R. A. Wicklund and P. M. Gollwitzer and deepened in the fashion studies of self-symbolization and identity by Kaiser (1997) was taken into account, for this different symbols and signs that can be tangible or intangible that are associated with these trends as youth identities are taken.

Based on these conceptual and methodological perspectives mentioned above, an analysis matrix was created that includes variables to study the meaning of the three trends in Colombia, identification symbolism and modes of expression: young people, attire, accessories, places, forms of expression, background music are important to understand the discourse that fashion produces.

The videos to be analyzed are compiled and organized in a body of images within the microblogging platform Tumblr.

Image Bank: https://saisaki34.tumblr.com/.

5 Trends Metrics

The results of Google Trends show that Coquette and Grunge have been fashion trends with intermittent interest in the last five years globally, it should be noted that both aesthetics were already present within Tumblr, the social network preferred by teenagers during the mid-2010s; while the Y2K trend is more recent and its takeoff occurred between December 2021 and January 2022 according to Google Trends data, this trend is in full swing worldwide as Coquette. For its part, the Grunge aesthetic has had ups and downs in the last five years, having a resurgence in November 2020.

Instagram’s search engine shows that the hashtag #coquette and its ilk have more than 10,000 posts each. The hashtag #grunge and related hashtags have at least 800,000 posts and reach up to 4.7 million posts, the word Tumblr stands out in one of the hashtags, it is possible to infer that such high numbers because the grunge community is more long-lived and established than the other two trends due to its notoriety on the Tumblr platform and because of the connection it has with various musical styles and bands several decades ago. The hashtags related to the term Y2K range from 50,000 posts to 3.6 million, as it has been highly covered and exploited by the fashion and entertainment industry. It is necessary to clarify that these hashtags represent the worldwide publications on Instagram and that the Y2K at the international level and the Y2K that takes place in Colombia differ in some things from the one that occurs globally.

On TikTok, the hashtag #coquette amasses 4 billion views and hashtags of the same trend go from thousands to millions of views. The same hashtags but now with Spanish words included, such as #estilocoquette gathered 2.2 million views. The hashtag #grunge has 5.6 billion views, and other hashtags referring to makeup, outfits, vlogs, and music exceeds 10 million views each, except for #estilogrunge which has 3.4 million. Lastly, international #y2k hashtags start with 100,000 views and rise to 9 billion. The hashtags #y2kcolombia, #colombiay2k, and #ropay2kcolombia concentrate 1.1 million, 11,700, and 75,600 views respectively. Although a significant percentage of the content collected is from foreign content creators, this does not mean that there are no Colombian content creators, simply the videos with more than thousands of views, likes, and comments are the ones that the algorithm promotes and recommends to users in certain regions. The role of foreign tiktokers is important for this study and the communities within TikTok due to the Trickle-Down phenomenon that occurs in fashion and the communication and adoption of trends in Colombia.

6 Findings

6.1 Colombian Coquette Trend

This trend is made up of a collective of young women and teenagers gathered around their taste for a romantic essence centered on everyday experiences and a hyper-feminine archetype of seemingly positive attitudes. The content of the videos is varied and ranges from clothing and makeup to daily routines and decorating tips.

The coquette identity tells the story of the game between childish innocence and hidden seduction which naively shows the submissive, sexually and romantically inexperienced woman pursued by men, thus deepening the idea of the ultra-romantic woman, the damsel in distress and the femme fatale combine in an amalgam of flirtation, prudence, and domination.

Through pearls, ruffles, lace, hearts, and bows the identity is constructed and self-completes, a sweet image that takes elements from different eras to represent a young woman perfect in her physical appearance. This identity takes colonial references, focusing on specific countries such as France, Spain, England, and Italy during the 20th century, specifically the 1920s, 1930s, 1960s, and 1970s, with allusions to an elevated and sophisticated lifestyle by today’s standards. There is a certain nostalgia for a Catholic and monarchical Europe, then free and dreamy.

Consistent with the submissive vision, the idea of the princess, beautiful, comfortable, and well-dressed, subject to a system that infantilizes her but with enough power to impose herself, although she deliberately does not make use of it, comes into play in the game of references.

The clothing is characterized by light tones, with floral motifs, lace and hair accessories and jewelry, simulating luxury, short skirts, crop top blouses and dresses, tight to the body, jeans or tailored pants, shorts, and long skirts. Accessories range from small handbags, lace or ruffled stockings, bracelets, necklaces, chokers, rings, headbands, and hats. Makeup varies depending on personal tastes, highlighting the preferred features but always highlighting large eyes and a flirtatious and feminine look.

The contradiction between their values is a statement of the current feminine role to which teenage girls aspire to possess at an early age an eroticized and docile image as a positive aspect, far from understanding their alienation and subalternity (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1.

Look Coquette. Note. Collage of screenshots of videos from users @nbva_911 (left), @naotomitombo (center), and @cherrymell666 (right) on TikTok.

The coquette symbols are imported from countries such as France, the United States, and Japan and constitute both the Self-schema and the exercise of self-completion through inspirational images for content creators and content consumers. Tangible symbols are clothing, footwear, accessories, and other objects such as CDs and decorations. Intangible symbols are the ability to comb one’s hair, apply makeup and skincare, take pictures, listen to a particular type of music, interest in certain activities, and the adoption of mannerisms to behave more delicately (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2.

Inspiration Coquette. Note. Collage of screenshots of the video by user @xoxolaunesa on TikTok.

The coquette identity is reinforced through entertainment media, becoming an archetype in its own right. Series like Gossip Girl and Dynasty, and celebrities like Lana Del Rey promote in their content the fantasy of the American dream, which translates into clothing allusive to, again, periods of the history of economic stability and traditional values. Celebrities such as Lily-Rose Depp and Kendall Jenner demonstrate in their public lives the comforts of being born into a high social class with abundant connections to support their professional careers and material and spiritual needs.

The process of self-completion of a potential teenage coquette in TikTok would be described as follows:

A young woman becomes aware of the inequalities experienced by ordinary women within the social, political, economic, and cultural structures in Colombia.

These inequalities conflict with the presence of women in positions of privilege who do not experience being a woman in the same way. To avoid being a victim of the same inequalities, consciously or unconsciously, a young woman turns to symbolic objects that represent a privileged woman and commits to adopting them.

7 Grunge Trend

The grunge identity lies in the modern adaptation of various expressions of the alternative or underground resulting in a mixture of feelings of rebellion, rejection of the popular, and a strong aura of artistic superiority over other popular trends on the Internet. It makes use of the archetype of the misunderstood artist, the big-minded individual in a small town, and also the snob; essentially that teenager or young adult whose personal tastes and ideas do not fit with those normalized in their immediate environment, commonly related to expressions of art and grows to resent their society for lacking the good taste that he or she naturally possesses. Grunge is not a recent identity, it predates even other platforms such as Tumblr and MySpace or Hi5, and its most current version accommodates the more diverse cultural landscape of young Colombians and their experience with music and fashion. Within mainstream Colombian culture, the idea of embracing historically acclaimed niches abroad continues. Rock, metal, punk, grunge, rap, and techno are musical genres popularized abroad, and by the time they arrive in Colombia, they already bring with them a series of clothing practices and behaviors of their own (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3.

Grunge. Note. Collage of screenshots from the videos of users @784e3 (left) @laesposademitsuya (center) and @mariqueadx (right) on TikTok.

Tangible symbols are present in clothing, however intangible symbols such as philosophy and acquired behaviors are unclear due to little or no focus on them in the videos. They differ from punk in that they are not anti-capitalist and their attitudes do not demonstrate concern for the state of society in the way of a pessimistic or nihilistic attitude. Adolescent pessimism is replaced by the exaltation of the “different”.

The clothing stands out for the use of dark colors, especially black and red. Clothes can vary, but there is a repetition of board skirts, sweaters, tight or wide black pants, and shirts with designs and logos. The accessories have more prominence in this trend, being the ones that complete the look and give it the distinctive touch of rebellion. Chains, studs, spikes, and leather stand out, evoking a feeling of danger or threat. The historical references are much clearer in this trend, dating from 1970 to 1990 in the United States with direct relations to youth movements such as Grunge and Punk (Fig. 4).

Fig. 4.

Grunge Accessories. Note. Collage of screenshots of the videos of users @laesposposademitsuya (top left), @juxxnrz (bottom left), and @mariqueadx (center and right) at TikTok.

Punk, Goth, Metal, and Emo cultures are referenced but only visually and from their most recognizable pieces by the general public; abundance of black color, metal elements, wear, aging, and unconventional makeup but these groups are never explicitly mentioned nor their affiliation to them. TikTok grunge users resemble other subcultures but are not part of them.

The grunge identity marks a “them and us” differentiation, in the sense that the videos and what users express through their content draws a dividing line between those who are part of the trend and those who are not. Here the pretentious aura, the feeling of moral superiority in the format of a few seconds, is retaken. The trend takes pleasure in dressing differently, acting differently, and listening to musical genres that are not as popular as reggaeton and pop within the country.

This trend also possesses a Self-schema composed of images that obey Eurocentric standards that exalt whiteness, thinness, androgyny, and a certain level of economic comfort that fits the economic situation in North America during the 1980s and 1990s. As well as an attitude of disinterest towards what is considered normal and local, preferring the more exotic brought from abroad, commonly accompanied by a discourse centered on wishing that Colombia (the country itself) was a power in the artistic industries or that the others (other teenagers who differ from grunge or the population in general) have more refined tastes. These comparisons are repeated with certain consumer products such as television series and movies from the United States, South Korea, and Japan; music, art, and fashion from the aforementioned countries but not only limited to those.

The self-completion process of a potential grunge teenager in TikTok would be described as follows:

A young person is exposed to artistic manifestations (music, animation, movies, art, fashion, etc.) coming from abroad and starts consuming them regularly. He consciously or unconsciously appropriates the discourses within the content he consumes and creates a sense of attachment to the foreign culture. The feeling of attachment leads him to draw comparisons between foreign cultures and his own in which his own culture is disadvantaged by factors such as technological backwardness, lack of opportunities, nepotism, corruption, etc. In order to separate himself from the rest of the population that consumes “bad taste” art and a system that does not support “good taste” art, he resorts to the symbolic objects present in the entertainment content he consumes, which he relates to sophistication and opposition to his cultural and social reality.

7.1 Y2K

The Y2K identity tells a story of social, racial, and even political and economic inequalities overcome through talent. It is essentially a discourse of self-improvement that seeks to justify the gradual disconnection of the most affected individuals from those who were allowed to climb the social pyramid and cheat the system. From rappers to athletes, the archetype of the poor made rich is presented, emphasizing the work and effort that conquer any difficulty, even systematic poverty, and which are then rewarded with luxuries and a legacy that inspires more unfortunate young people. TikTok’s Y2K adopts this discourse almost to the letter, especially in the visual aspect associated with this archetype that exists not only in literature but also in fashion under the name Hypebeast, the guy who stands in long pre-sale lines to get the latest pair of exclusive collaboration sneakers, someone adept at logos and brands, at distinction and luxury, but not the luxury of white elites but the luxury of the street, of his peers, the luxury justified by inequalities and hard work.

Like the urban music and art circuits, the Y2K on the platform is also composed mostly of young men who enjoy the company of their peers, whom they call gangs, and with whom they share tastes such as music, fashion, and sports. The influences of urban culture are strong not only in clothing but also in body language, music selection, and preferred activities. This corresponds to the relationship between the hype beast and the concepts that refer to the past, in fact, the dates to which Y2K refers are very clear, from 1980 to the mid-2000s and the United States as the main reference (Fig. 5).

Fig. 5.

Air Force 1 and Air Jordan used by users. Note. Collage of screenshots from the videos of users @jonathanreaf (top left and right), @pipepgzx (bottom left), and @johanax011 (bottom right) on TikTok.

The narrative built around historically African-American musical genres focuses on the systematic oppression of ethnic minorities in the United States and the obstacles that must be overcome to achieve a decent quality of life, culminating in the creation of new cultural circuits that generate millions in profits to this day. This aesthetic, unlike the two previous ones, is the one that has the most connection with the context of young people of middle and low socioeconomic levels in Colombia. It communicates the difficulties at the levels of the country’s political structure and the popularization of a fashion culture that in the past was considered poor and in bad taste for the rest of the population. Its impact on society has reshaped public opinion about the existence and importance of culture born within society’s most vulnerable populations.

The symbolic objects of Y2K lie in clothing and are especially important for the relationship between the trend and the individual to have a real impact on how they present themselves and what they think of themselves. It is a trend composed almost entirely of tangible self-completion symbols. Men’s attire consists of skinny or baggy jeans, T-shirts with logos or graphic designs of sports brands or multicolored designs, unicolor hoodies, puffer jackets, sneakers, caps, sunglasses, gloves, scarves, leather or beaded belts, and assorted jewelry. There is a clear preference for U.S. brands, especially those that specialize in sports or outdoor clothing, such as Nike, The North Face, and Bape, however, not the active line products but the cult or premium design products such as the two most used Nike models: Air Force 1 and Air Jordan; best sellers of the brand with their own communities of collectors and fans. Another popular garment within the community is the Bape brand’s zipper hoodie, specifically the one that closes the hood, completely covering the face and showing the brand’s shark design in pink and blue colors. A standout accessory is the rhinestone-covered Texan belt, oversized and styled in a way that makes it stand out, wearing it with the pants down or with the shirt tucked in. At other times it is paired with rhinestone necklaces and/or chains, or sometimes accessories include chains, rings, piercings, and gloves.

American brands are indispensable and the “blin blin” for the young Colombian Y2K, not only represents a certain purchasing power that contrasts with their socioeconomic situation but also evidence of the disruption of the unfair relationship between social strata and the inherent tastes of the individual, a direct rejection of the class habitus of the middle and lower classes in Colombia.

The essence of this style can be described as a luxury of the street, born from musical genres such as rap and hip hop, adapted to reggaeton and trap in the country. These young people mark the difference between Y2K and Cyber Y2K with another style called Drip, demonstrating a clear sense of belonging to the adopted aesthetic and unconsciously the need to follow a series of rules to express Y2K correctly, among them the acquisition of expensive clothes, even if they are imitation products. Their influences drip from the clothing of famous singers, and exponents of the aforementioned musical genres, who in turn pay tribute to their predecessors in the industry, specifically those whose peak of fame was between the late 1990s and mid-2000s.

The videos seen on Tik Tok share certain repeating characteristics. The content revolves around showing the attire or “outfit” as well as the physique (either face or body). Half are shown in an intimate setting, their bedroom or other living spaces, the other half are in public places, shopping malls, and parks. Although most are shown solo (video 4) with the choice of audio and what is shown allows us to see that they are a community outside of TikTok and that they enjoy meeting and spending time with other like-minded young people.

The Y2K identity aims to be an aspirational centennial fantasy, which moves away from the past fantasy of escaping poverty and rejecting it once a higher lifestyle is achieved. None of the users in their videos directly express not wanting to be poor or wanting to be a millionaire, it is more an attitude of comfort in showing themselves to the public and defining their style and way of acting with certain guidelines. This aspirational fantasy celebrates fashion expressions that in the past were castigated by the general public for being a visual representation of poverty in Latin America, while today it is a style celebrated and recreated by fashion brands and upper social classes, and redefines the possibilities of success for young people at the bottom of the social pyramid outside the status quo.

The Self-schema that the young Colombian Y2Ks in TikTok manage bears some resemblance to the situation in Colombia today. Local or regional artists such as Bad Bunny, J Balvin, and Feid, and a smaller presence of foreign acts such as Travis Scott and XXXTentación, all make use of similar aesthetics and allude to a comfortable lifestyle that does not completely forget their roots.

The self-completion process of a potential Y2K teenager in TikTok would be described as follows:

A young man grows up exposed to the constant rejection and prejudice that his society shows towards the artistic manifestations of the lower social classes in Colombia and conversely, the rejection of the artistic manifestations of the higher classes in Colombia. He internalizes that being poor as well as being rich is frowned upon in the country. He is present and old enough to participate in the wave of reggaeton, trap, and other urban genres, gaining strength worldwide and being accepted as a desired lifestyle. This young man aspires to the acceptance and exaltation of this new identity and adopts the behaviors and practices of artists and celebrities that symbolize success and social equality.

8 Conclusions

The study confirmed that fashion and clothing practices are both symbols and signs as a means of communication in the case of many young centennials in Colombia. In this sense, clothing is presented as a tool for self-completion of identity, which is achieved through the use of signs that can be tangible, evidenced in their communications, clothing accessories, decorative elements of interior spaces, and makeup, but also intangible, such as dances, postures, body expressions, which together are curated by these young people in private and public spaces, finally obtaining a route of self-completion and symbolic differentiation. This idea is supported as Thornton argues that it is ‘impossible to understand the distinction of youth subcultures without some systematic investigation of their media consumption’ (p. 203) (Thornton, 1997, as quoted in Chittenden, 2010, p. 510).

The trends, on the other hand, allowed these people to easily identify those popular routes with their symbolic elements and appropriate them from a position of security based on the observation of general acceptance and characteristics of communities with similar appropriation processes, being able to recognize Through the volume of likes, visualizations, comments and followers of users, and likewise, recognition, the foregoing affirms how the social relationship is replaced by interaction, and that this is a first indicator of a successful symbolization exercise. Therefore, a desirable and/or celebrated identity.

Although these trends are not born within Colombia, it was identified that many of the signs used by these people are imported from European and North American countries, but interestingly, when adopting them in the country, Self-schemas are generated as a result of the experiences of each young person, lifestyles and cultural context, combined with the ideals, archetypes and aesthetics that drip from the prevailing trends, generating a very particular identities of the young Colombian centennial that oscillate between the total assimilation of external imaginaries and the adaptation of these from a local perspective. For example, the Coquette is usually an eroticized young woman who breaks the traditional stereotypes of some regions of Colombia, but who seeks to build a romantic identity that is self-symbolized from signs brought mainly from Europe and ancient references, usually communicating in private spaces. Or intimate through acts of suggestion and mysticism. In the case of the Grunge trend, young people use mainly tangible signs brought from musical references belonging to the same musical genre, which leads to narratives that are rooted in “the different”, communicating disagreements with local politics, the lack of development in the country, and discontent with their cultural and social reality through non-tangible signs and in mainly public spaces. In the case of the Y2K identity, the young Colombian centennial uses tangible signs such as garments characteristic of urban tribes such as rappers and reguetoneros, and non-tangible signs such as body expressions, emulating the maximum representatives of these musical genres, but in their process of self-symbolization and Self-schema, they manage to communicate a lifestyle of success and social equity in private and public spaces.

Finally, it is evident that this centennial generation is vulnerable to the contents and trends that are highly disseminated in TikTok platforms, and which, in many cases, are appropriated and adopted in a symbolic way, which makes these young people decide to play with routes of self-completion resulting in the creation of nomadic and changing identities, this can be explain when Chittenden (2010) proposes that “the opportunity to try out different looks, and to ‘fail’ with minimal consequence, provides teens with opportunities to play with the impression they make and learn to use resources creatively” (p. 512). Therefore, two critical points can be identified, the first, the generation of an internal conflict by wanting to define oneself quickly and frequently without considering the possible repercussions of adopting short-lived trends subject to the fast-fashion consumption model in the textile industry and endow them with a hyper-specific personality, and the second, the generation of this content without a clear distinction of the original target audience that pushes the youngster to the limit, which can experience feelings of frustration and depression when finding himself unable to emulate different actions associated with the trend such as the consumption of certain objects and the performance of leisure activities, since they do not have enough capital and/or their environment presents sociocultural and economic barriers that prevent it; In some cases, it reaches a state of sexualization of itself or normalization of behaviors that disparage the image as a result of consuming content that favors the physical appearance of users and a set of particular features that are not always revealed as part of surgical procedures or simple makeup techniques, and in others to the adoption of rebellious attitudes that can lead to acts of violence, which is why an opportunity for future interdisciplinary research is presented.