We are changing the way society views thrifting. Graphic by Lily Upadhyay.

AVA ROEMER | OPINION COLUMNIST | aaroemer@butler.edu

Growing up, the word “thrifting” always had a negative connotation in my mind. I thought it just meant old and used, therefore undesirable. However, recently, society has taken a bold stand with thrift fashion. For a lot of us, clothing that is old and used is precisely what we’re interested in shopping for these days. 

It surprises me when my mom points out a piece of clothing or an accessory I wear and says, “Hey, that looks just like what I wore when I was your age.” If we are in 2026, how come we are wearing what our parents wore in the ‘90s? 

The whole point of trends is that they’re consistently changing over time. According to Cambridge University, the word “trend” is actually defined as a change in the way people think about a specific thing. In the context of fashion trends, society has continued to develop new ideas, thoughts and opinions on how we dress. 

A more specific definition Cambridge University provides is, “a new development in clothing, makeup, etc.” This definition implies that a trend is always a positive occurrence, which I agree with. 

Even though fashion trends are basically defined as changing in an upward direction, today we are seeing it go backward. Thrifting has turned into a hobby for us to relax with, or a social event to partake in with our friends. What was once something we did for necessity, we now do just for fun.  

Lately I’ve been curious as to why young adults are choosing to dress second-hand, thrifted and used fashion, as opposed to just buying it new. 

I understand that many of us do not have the means to shop for fashion that is brand new. Goodwill, The Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity Restore are popular non-profit companies that are accessible resources to shop for lower-priced fashion.

The reality is that modern fashion is becoming irrelevant because we are choosing to thrift instead of indulging in fast-fashion or retail shopping. For Gen Z specifically, thrifting is a way to save money, regain a sense of nostalgia from younger years and create community.

Sophomore psychology major Rachel Joyce explained how thrift shopping creates a sense of self-brand that is harder to depict with retail clothing. 

“I like building my own label,” Joyce said. “Instead of following a major brand, or where the money is, or where the beauty standards are, having the freedom to build your own label, especially through clothing that has already been loved and lived in, is perfect.” 

It is a lot easier to build your own unique style when looking in a store where literally everything is one-of-a-kind. At places like Goodwill, you rarely find two of the same pieces at the same store location, which makes it special and more personal to your own style. 

Mariah Rivera, a first-year sociology and criminology combined major, expressed how thrifting has become an outlet for her to express her truest self. 

“When I got to high school, it was sort of a way to express myself, because I went to a really big high school with 2,000 plus people,” Rivera said. “It was a rebellion to my community because it’s more conservative. It was also a way to express myself in ways that I couldn’t do in other places.”

I had never thought of thrifting being an outlet for this idea of rebellion until after my conversation with Rivera. There was no doubt that it helps people save money, provided community and promoted sustainability. Because it makes a way to personalize your style to your own specific preferences, it also gives you that sense of self representation and expression. In some cases, that might look like something your community does not agree with.

This idea of fast fashion has especially sparked since social media has become so prevalent to our society. With apps like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, we are seeing new trends before the previous ones have even reached the entire web. With this being the cast, it is difficult to financially and socially keep up with the fashion trends at hand, hence fast-fashion.  

Sophomore accounting major Alvin Weng explained how social media has really impacted fashion trends and how that looks different to past decades. 

“With social media, trends come and go much quicker than they did,” Weng said. “They’re called the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, because it was that decade where there was a specific style to it. Now we have these micro trends where something’s popular for three months and then it just pivots to something else, completely different.” 

The idea of our generation’s modern fashion, while exciting and new, is just not a realistic lifestyle. Especially for college students, keeping up with the latest trends is not ideal because they change within a month.

Thrifting is a great resource for broke college students who need new clothes to express the new people we are becoming. It is affordable, practical and just a fun environment to be in. With modern fashion becoming more and more irrelevant, we are seeing more opportunities to recreate nostalgia, express our own brand and create a community that is accessible to everyone.