Fashion, tastes, and lifestyle of the New Generation in the American market 

Has the new generation of American consumers truly developed an obsession with foreign fashion aesthetics? From K-beauty to European minimalism, and even British indie sleaze, Gen Z seems to have embraced an international approach to crafting their own style. The unstoppable rise of social media influence has only strengthened this trend, giving young Americans more immediate access to global products and inspirations from the fashion and beauty worlds.

Aesthetics: Visual and Lifestyle Identities

“Aesthetics” have become a central element in Gen Z's attitude toward fashion and beauty: they are visual and lifestyle identities made up of clothing, makeup, color palettes, music, behaviors, values, and even personality traits that together create a recognizable “vibe”, a precise aesthetic label. It's not just about appearance: the feeling, storytelling, and the world that this image evokes matter.

Microtrend: Short and Ultra-Fast Trends

Alongside aesthetics, another term now embedded in Gen Z's language is “microtrend”. Microtrends are short and ultra-fast trends, spreading through algorithms and creators' videos, often lasting just a few weeks or months. It's common for an aesthetic to turn into a microtrend, entering and exiting the mainstream. In recent years — probably since the pandemic period when global communication and social media exploded — American Gen Z aesthetics have become a real blend of foreign trends and identities.

Lifestyle: Gen Z Thrives in a Landscape Shaped by Digital Living

What connects these phenomena is mainly the way Gen Z uses aesthetics and microtrends to build an identity in a cultural context where traditional American style codes appear fragmented or outdated. Unlike previous generations who grew up with more unified national references — from '90s grunge to preppy, to the 2000s mall culture — Gen Z thrives in a landscape shaped by digital living, accelerated globalization, and the decline of a unique “American look”.

Thus, foreign styles become attractive not only for their novelty but also for the narrative coherence and cultural specificity they offer. Korean skincare routines, the “Mediterranean summer” aesthetic, Douyin makeup, or the Japanese Y2K streetwear tech provide ready-made narratives that Gen Z can adopt, remix, or discard as microtrends flow through their feeds. In this way, global aesthetics become tools to experiment with identities, express belonging, or declare a taste — in a world where trends evolve faster than any national culture can sustain.

The Cultural Weight Beyond the Look

However, this system raises a crucial question: how does American Gen Z perceive the national and cultural identities from which these aesthetics originate? Are they something to “discover”, use, and then discard? While for young Americans, playing with these looks is simple and immediate, the aesthetics themselves reflect creative traditions, stories, and cultural narratives of deep significance for the communities they come from.

As global influences continue to shape American style, understanding the richness behind these borrowed aesthetics becomes essential — not only for more conscious consumption but also to value the cultural contexts that make these trends so fascinating in the first place.