The "De-Influencing" Trend Hit Peak Irony This Week

The de-influencing movement started as rebellion. Creators like Alix Earle and Mikayla Nogueira convinced millions to buy expensive beauty products, and a counter-wave emerged. Smaller accounts posted videos titled "Don't Buy This" and "Save Your Money." They warned viewers away from overhyped mascaras, trendy Stanley cups, and $68 Drunk Elephant bronzer drops that work no better than drugstore versions.

That was six months ago. Now CeraVe sponsors de-influencing content. The budget skincare brand pays creators to tell audiences they don't need luxury alternatives. The irony collapsed on itself.

Rising

Indie sleaze nostalgia — Gen Z discovered 2000s party culture through TikTok archaeologists posting Cobra Snake photos and old Cobrasnake.com party pics. They're recreating the aesthetic: messy eyeliner, American Apparel disco pants, flash photography grain. The difference? Original indie sleaze happened in dive bars at 2am. This version happens in Ring Light studios at 6pm for content. Whether it births new music scenes or stays contained to TikTok costume parties matters more than the clothes.

"Loud budgeting" — Comedian Lukas Battle coined the term for openly discussing money constraints instead of making excuses. "I can't afford that" replaces "I'm busy that night." The trend gained traction as inflation pressures continued and younger workers watched their parents' generation pretend wealth they didn't have. Talking about money used to feel embarrassing. Now people flex their savings rates instead of their spending.

Peaking

BookTok romantasy — Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros dominate every airport bookstore display. "Fourth Wing" spent 47 weeks on bestseller lists. Publishers now acquire anything with Fae courts and battle training montages. The question: can the category support fifty imitators, or did readers want these two specific authors? We'll know by summer when the knockoffs arrive.

Fading

Dopamine decor — The maximalist rainbow aesthetic already feels dated. Target clearanced the mushroom lamps and wavy mirrors. Renters who painted accent walls in six colors now face security deposit questions. Trends that require buying lots of stuff die faster than ones that require buying nothing.

Trixie's Take: Any "anti-consumerism" movement that gets brand partnerships died before it started.