The Whimsical Lie: How the Internet is Selling Us ANOTHER Personality

Last year, sardines were everywhere. Sardine bags, sardine dresses, sardine prints, even artsy cans of sardines.

But where are the DEENS now?

See, this summer, we left the deens behind and moved on to whimsy. Everything is whimsical, whimsy, whimsymaxxing: stars, sprinkles, yellow, pink, collage - copy pasta.

And, on the whole, I like a lot of what this trend is trying to encourage: more creativity, more play, more time outside, more hobbies, and more personality and individuality in our homes and wardrobes. I mean check out my summer bingo list if you haven’t.

I think our spaces should say something about us. My own shelves are full of things that took years to collect: a lantern Justin gave me, my grandmother’s clock, my Phantom of the Opera music box, books, gifts things that were built through YEARS of lived experience…. not ordered off an Amazon storefront in an afternoon.

But the internet doesn’t really have time for slow curation. After all, whimsy will be out by spring 2027.

The internet needs an idea to be instantly recognizable, searchable, and easy to recreate. So even something that’s supposed to be rooted in imagination and individuality gets boiled down into the most basic copy-paste version of itself.

Let me know, do you think this is the same creator? Or different creators?

If you said different creators, you’d be correct! But, why do they all look the same? Why is a ‘trend’ rooted in individuality so… uniform?

Aye, there’s the rub. People are reaching for whimsy because they want creativity, play, craftsmanship, and lives that feel more human. But the internet takes that desire and packages it up in a beautiful little bow so it can be sold to you.

That’s what I’m unpacking in my new video, along with one of my hottest takes…. which is can you truly live an analog or whimsical life if you’re performing it online?

Featured Posts:
Here are some relevant posts from the blog this week! goingzerowaste.com

📌 Turn Food Scraps Into Compost
Kind of whimsical to take something most people throw away and turn it into rich soil that helps grow something new.

📌 Rent Your Way Into a Personal Style
Pretty whimsical to play with clothes, try on different versions of yourself, and figure out what you actually love without buying a whole new wardrobe.

📌 Start a Green Team at Work
Kind of whimsical to care enough about something that you gather a few people, start a little movement, and make your workplace better together.

🎥 highlighted video of the week:

Why does every internet trend eventually come with a shopping list? In my latest video, I’m unpacking how whimsy became another digital uniform, and whether we can really call that self-expression.

Whether you support this work by being a paid member, sharing, liking, or simply reading - I am so thankful you’re here. ❤️

Sincerely,
Kathryn
Going Zero Waste