Why “Cheugy” Is…Well…Cheugy

Graphic by Anika Dua

Patchwork pants. Tennis skirts. Black chokers. What do these all have in common? Oh yeah, they’re sitting in the back of our closets collecting dust.

Let’s face it, we’ve all fallen victim to the five-second fashion trends before. Whatever the to-die-for trend was that week, by the time we begrudgingly hit submit on that Amazon cart it was already out of style. We can already hear this snarky comment falling out of the mouth of some Becky in our Psych class:

You’re wearing a shell necklace with an oversized t-shirt? How cheugy. 

Ew, just writing it puts a sour taste in our mouths. As you’ve all heard by now from one Tik Tok sound or another, “Cheugy'' is a slang word used to describe something that was once trendy, but is now out of style and cliche. Butttt, is it just an adjective used to express an opinion? Or yet another way for industries to perpetuate the toxic cycle of consumerism and the mass murder of individuality? 

That’s right. JERK is officially calling the term “cheugy”... well… cheugy.

Hear us out: Describing a trend as basic or cheugy (*cue gagging*) fuels the harmful idea that certain styles can only be cute for a limited amount of time and once out of style, needs to be thrown out. This contributes to the rise of fast fashion companies as we consume new, cheap clothes every time there’s a new trend in the spotlight. Forget about sustainability, who needs it when we can get 15 new black going out tops from Shein for under $50? 

With the rise of fashion Tik Tokers and Instagram influencers being our guide to everything trendy, if they say blazers are the “it” fall item then prime delivery will have our new jacket here in 48 hours. But if our favorite fashion Tik Toker says something is out-of-style, then we wouldn’t be caught dead in it. I mean look at Emma Chamberlain-- she both birthed and murdered the VSCO girl. 

So, what is the lifespan of a trend these days anyways? According to an article by Rachel Monroe for The Atlantic, “...the fashion calendar for these companies is set up to deliberately make the customer feel off-trend after the first wear.” Basically, if we’re consuming clothes that are only trendy for one wear, why would we invest money in good-quality, ethically made items? 

Spoiler: we don’t. That’s why companies like Zara and Asos are growing at such a disgustingly accelerated rate. 

Consumer culture tells us that we should be changing our style and buying a new wardrobe every other week. As a result, we turn to cheap and fast clothing companies that exploit underpaid labor and pollute the environment. It’s just a big, nasty cycle of toxicity that will lead us to the death of individuality within style. It’s almost like a sickly type of peer pressure, and we haven’t fucked with that since our days on the playground.

Stop worrying about if your clothes are trendy or “cheugy” and focus on cultivating your own individual style. Fashion is a form of self-expression and clothes are meant to be cherished, not cast aside after the first wear. Save that $8 for a much-needed bagel at People’s Place between classes or, even better, a vodka cran at Harry’s later that night. You’re gonna like it more than that zebra-print top anyways, trust us.