Looking your best to impress is a philosophy that many students live by. When it comes to fashion, social media attracts students’ attention by introducing them to new trends, styles, and tastes.

Many designer labels and stores turn to social media to attract eager consumers. They rely on websites such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Tumblr, to communicate with the public to share their ideas and preview new clothing lines. Most importantly, designers use social media to observe the opinions of the general public on their clothes to gain a better idea of people’s interests.

“[Social media] influences me by improving my taste of clothes and the fashion that’s trending, “senior Susan Do said. “I go on websites and sometimes [they] give me an idea of what to wear (to school) in the morning.”

“There’s a bunch of websites I use to get inspiration, like Instagram and Lookbook, sophomore Xan Chen said.

The styles that students look at on social media sites are often reflective of their own interests.

“[My current favorite looks] are 90’s grunge, punk, and what a teacher likes to call Kurt Cobain,” Chen said.

Social media websites showcase many different looks and therefore allow students to explore and personalize their fashion interests.

“On Instagram, I get to see people I admire and aspire to be like [one day] fashion wise, but it’s restrictive to their style. [While] on Lookbook, the site is designed to help users discover looks from preppy to punk, grunge, to girly, etc. The hottest looks are featured on the front page, and you get to look through and ‘hype’ or ‘fan’ the users & their looks,” Chen said.

Meanwhile, some students such as sophomore Leif Jomuad turn to sites such as Facebook and YouTube for inspiration towards other unique styles. In other words, social media allows Jomaud to explore fashion trends from South Korea which he can use to refine his look. Jomuad especially admires how South Koreans try to mimic American fashions.

“I really like how Koreans dress, not necessary K-pop because they are a bit over the top, but most of them,” Jomuad said. “I love their hairstyles and I try my best to mimic [them], even if I fail at it sometimes. Koreans try to copy our tuxedo, jeans, blonde hair color, but they make [it] seem better and more modernized. This is why I like [their style] a lot. I can stay American (by style) and also have an extra flair to it.”

Social media also helps students decide what to wear to school in the mornings.

“I pick out the night before. But since I have to stick to the school dress code, I usually tone my outfit down,” Chen said.

Chen is able to find new outfit combinations with the help of social media.

“My outfits are usually composed of a shirt, a skirt & some sort of crazy shoes, so I pick out the separates and lay them out to see if they work together or not. From then on, I decide my makeup look for that day,” Chen said.

Social media’s impact on fashion allows people to add individuality to their style. The convenience and ability to attract people with different tastes is what makes it so popular amongst students.

“There’s always new places to seek styles and inspirations for new looks,” Chen said.