Unknown little animal: does Labubu affect people's consciousness
The owner of the Labubu brand, Wang Ning, became one of the richest people in the world. The hype around the actual accessory does not subside: people continue to dump on the well-being of a creative entrepreneur by buying a shoe. And this example is far from the only one when a fashionable item completely changes the market and people's preferences. Izvestia figured out where the desire to be "in the flow" ends and mass consciousness begins, how not to become a victim of fashion, and why, from a psychological point of view, completely ignoring trends is also not a good sign.
How fans influenced fashion
When the desire to be fashionable turns into mass adherence to certain trends, the line of individuality is blurred, says Alexandra Levitina, an international fashion expert and image consultant. And then the very concept of style gets out of a person's control, and his "taste radars" get lost.
— I am very impressed with the approach of the French philosopher Roland Barthes related to semiotics (the science of signs and sign systems). It lies in the fact that clothes exist as a system of signs: we read them as a text that carries certain meanings and messages. There is always a big difference between individual style and collective choice, fashion," says Alexandra Levitina.
According to the fashion expert, the Vogue edition also emphasizes that the fashion of the 20s of the 21st century is not only things, but also a game of symbols. A bag, pendant, or costume jewelry can tell you much more about a person's role than a suit from a luxury brand.
Traditionally, designers were the sources of trends, but today many trends are born on the streets and in social networks. So, according to the expert, it happened with Labubu.
— According to the Business of Fashion fashion portal, Labuboos became popular in China through the fan community, rather than coming off the catwalk. Queues at the Popmart store turned into viral content and set a trend. Vogue Arabia captures how this symbol from popular culture has rapidly penetrated even into the world of luxury accessories, becoming the antithesis of the aesthetics of "quiet luxury," says Levitina.
According to the fashion expert, this proves that an ordinary person can really set the tone if his choice coincides with the "nerve" of the time and turns into a social signal.
— One of the main trends of 2025 is individuality, which focuses on maximum self—expression, often through unique designs and bold, unconventional styles. Labuba is a prime example of this trend. From a stylistic point of view, such a pendant is a sign of belonging to the TikTok generation and the global fashion community, a game of post—irony and a cultural code understandable to "their own", Levitina continues.
The expert emphasizes that from the point of view of the psychology of the Labubu style, it performs the function of a so-called transit object: a small thing that gives emotional support and a sense of belonging to the community.
— In fashion, it works as a safety marker: "I'm not alone, I'm part of the trend, I'll be understood." The pendant also changes the wearer's bodily perception: a strict bag with a cartoon keychain makes the image softer and friendlier, says Alexandra Levitina.
However, now that every second person goes to the Lab, individuality can be argued. But everyone gives themselves the answer to the question of whether it is fashionable or not: what is more important is what kind of story a person tells about himself through an accessory. And in order not to become a "slave to fashion", the image consultant advises to perceive it as a tool for cultivating taste and style, and not as a ready-made solution.
— Let's not forget that fashion is primarily the commercial side of beauty. In any case, it's a matter of choice: to use fashionable things to express yourself or to let them replace your own identity, says Levitina.
Why not Cheburashka
In the modern world, any sale of goods or services is the result of social engineering, says clinical psychologist and sexologist Sergey Volkov. And social engineering is the creation of conditions and an information environment for the purpose of covert management of society.
— The classic scheme, when everyone decided for themselves whether they needed a product or not, has not been working for a long time. The potential of this system was exhausted back in the early noughties. The development of social media has introduced an emotional component into the decision-making process. Now it's not the product that matters, but the narrative (story) that is offered along with it," says Volkov.
From the point of view of a clinical psychologist, Labubu is a story of scandals and opposition to them.
— At the same time, our Cheburashka, if we compare only toys, without emotions flashing around them, is no different from a Lububu. But Cheburashka doesn't have such a powerful information story and such an emotional intensity. And now people choose not only the benefits, but also their attitude to things and their feelings," continues Sergey Volkov.
A clinical psychologist calls emotions and sensations attributes of the real and the living. According to the expert, modern society has similar feelings not only for people, but also for things, putting an equal sign, for example, between an advertising page on the Internet and a friend's page.
— Two realities are organized: the one in which we live, and the one in which we believe, being in the web of our fantasy. And through marketing tools, a business sells real goods for real money to people who are in unrealistic fantasies, having previously created these fantasies. In advertising, this is called a "brand," summarizes the clinical psychologist.
A brilliant idea doesn't mean anything these days unless it's turned into a trend, the expert emphasizes. Labubu, in his opinion, is no different from hundreds of other toys, but the "unknown animal" in any case had a powerful lobbying campaign and the strongest media support on the Internet.
Managing the human psyche
A person who blindly follows fashion loses control of his life because he begins to depend on other people's opinions and ideas, replaces reality with someone else's attitudes, warns Volkov.
The expert reminds those who keep up with trends that modern scammers use the same elements of marketing, persuasion and pressure as ordinary sellers and consultants. To protect yourself from clever tricks, you need to develop critical thinking, aggression (in the good sense of the word) and self-confidence. "They are controlled only by those who allow themselves to be controlled," the clinical psychologist summarizes.
"People have always depended on trends, and this is common to everyone without exception, except for people with mental disabilities," comments Volkov. — It's just that someone understands this and is happy about the new, someone is fighting and sees the conspiracy of the shadow government in everything, and someone doesn't bother.
According to the clinical psychologist, the former like to follow trends.: This attracts attention to them, gives them a sense of novelty and leadership, and enhances their status and self-esteem. The latter, as the opposition, refute the importance of "unnecessary" and useless trends, keep business and fashion within a certain framework of morality and cultural norms, honor and preserve traditions, protecting and developing the basic foundations of society. The third group is not interested in fashion at all, but buys what they find on the shelves, so they consume new trends anyway.
The clinical psychologist emphasizes that trends are important not only for people, but also for the market. They promote the turnover of goods and technologies, market expansion and innovation development.
— Companies that produce vital medicines often make their main revenue from soaps, sunscreens, or expensive, trendy medicines for the sake of economic viability. This is a dual situation: on the one hand, people are secretly forced to make purchases, loans and a certain lifestyle, on the other, most of the social guarantees have become possible thanks to this strategy," the clinical psychologist continues.
If a person does not put a Lab coat on a bag, does not wear a Korean hairstyle or boots with massive soles, he may be considered a retrograde.
But a clinical psychologist does not see anything wrong with rigid thinking (inability to adapt to new things, change the system of views). These people preserve traditions and create an alternative opinion, which usually degenerates into a new mainstream.
— Bags, toys and hairstyles are changed every 5-10 years or even more often. Fashion is needed not once, but all the time. It follows politics or social changes, and these phenomena, in turn, are updated along with scientific discoveries and social demands. And so on in a circle," comments Sergey Volkov.
However, a complete confrontation between the fashionable and the relevant can also be called a bad bell.
— This is not just an unfashionable person, but a hermit who has fallen out of the world. The price of such apostasy is a complete social failure and lack of prospects in life. The truth, as always, is somewhere in the middle," the expert warns.
A fashionable choice
Alexandra Levitina is sure that blindly following fashion has nothing to do with style and the ability to dress beautifully and appropriately.
— If a fashionable jacket with shoulders does not go, you should not buy it just because it is relevant. It is in the balance that the boundary between taste and fashionable commerce lies. Clothes should work for the personality. The person himself is important with his psychotype, appearance and social role, the context of the situation should also be taken into account, the appropriate style and dress code, if any, suggests the fashion expert.
Levitina advises not to forget that the wardrobe is formed entirely, that is, by images, which greatly simplifies shopping. It is necessary to imagine in advance what it will be possible to wear a specific thing with, and not take "just a jacket" or "this dress".
— There is no so—called basic wardrobe for everyone: everyone has their own, and it is extremely important not to forget this, - the stylist emphasizes.
According to Levitina, style is not formed from a set of super trendy things.
— Surely everyone has met a person who is fully dressed in brands, trends and fashionable things, but looks tasteless. Style is primarily an understanding of aesthetic direction, accents in an image, accessories, and proper proportions. This creates relevance, not just a feeling of supermodernity," comments Alexandra Levitina.
To preserve your personality, the fashion expert advises you to find points of difference: an unexpected accessory, a vintage detail, or a personal color accent.
"The touch through which a person can interpret and leave himself free to experiment is the ability to preserve individuality without losing relevance," concludes the fashion expert.
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