Robot Fodder Vol 19
Personal branding in 2025: self-expression or just another trend?
Personal branding has reached a new level of… personal.
It's no longer enough to simply enjoy something. Now, you're not just into running — you’re in your "marathon era." Planning a wedding? Congrats, you’ve entered your "bridal era."
But why this need to constantly reinvent ourselves – especially women? Maybe it’s because, in a world where the digital spotlight moves faster than ever, staying still is the new invisible. So, we transform, redefine, and rebrand ourselves to make sure we look like we’re living our best era ever — even if we’re just trying to get through the week.
What's going on?
Reinvention VS regression
Don’t get us wrong, we love a good trend. But as the 00s trend gains momentum, we have to wonder: is it propelling us forward or just dragging us back in low-rise jeans? From the return of the ‘heroin chic’ aesthetic to the revival of the ‘sex sells’ adage (see Jeremy Allen White’s Calvin ad), it’s hard to tell if we’re evolving or just hitting rewind with better filters. Personal brands today are built on recycled trends, which begs the question: is originality officially dead? Probably. But our need to feel like we own something? That’s alive and kicking. The irony is, people change because brands tell them to — but brands change because people already have. It’s the trend cycle’s favorite party trick: a self-fulfilling prophecy dressed up as reinvention.
Dividing communities
As the hype around microtrends and TikTok ‘cores’ starts to fizzle out, a more authentic version of personal branding is emerging. Personal brand has always been a double-edged sword — it unites communities just as easily as it divides them. Think of it as a digital mating call, broadcasting who we are (or at least who we want to be) to our peers. And even when we’re not trying to give ourselves away, we do. Case in point: the infamous ‘millennial pause’ that instantly outs people as being over the age of 25, compared to the ‘Gen Z shake’ that screams “I’m young and spontaneous”. And it’s not just about how we move; it’s about how we talk. Our dialect is a dead giveaway for the tribe we belong to. Mastering the slang of your target audience is like discovering the cheat code to genuine connection. But this isn’t about tossing around trendy phrases. It’s about actually getting the culture and mindset behind them.
Justifying bad choices
In summer 2024, Charli XCX branded herself ‘brat,’ bringing the club rat aesthetic to the stage, along with a glamorised view of drugs and alcohol — because nothing says iconic like turning bad choices into enviable lifestyles. It’s a masterclass in using personal brand as a hall pass for questionable behavior. Meanwhile, WGSN recently declared ‘therapeutic laziness’ a top trend for 2025. Building on the ‘anti-wellness’ movement, this trend elevates ‘bed rotting’ — aka spending excessive time in bed doing absolutely nothing — into a self-care ritual dripping with tactile hedonism. More proof that the labels we slap on our lifestyles aren’t about authenticity. They’re about rebranding our bad habits into aspirational choices.
The proof
Big group chat energy
Diem is a new social search engine, inspired by how women have shared information for centuries. Think of it as a mashup of the 'cosy web’s’ personal touch and the practicality of a search engine.
Hoo done it?
Duolingo just proved the best way to reinvent yourself is to kill off your brand mascot. Is it a marketing gimmick, a rebrand or just an elaborate game of peekaboo? Only time will tell if Duo's planning a comeback... or just ghosting us all.
Going down a storm?
Stormzy X McDonalds recent collab demonstrates that who you hang out with should be a true refection of yourself. The campaign builds on the universal truth that everyone has their go-to McDonald's order but could this unlikely collab be harming Stormzy’s rep?
“The way we speak is influenced by the culture around us. From the music we hear, to the internet trends we can’t help but follow, our subconscious cherrypicks words and phrases we relate to and adds them to our personal vocab. A strong brand voice should do this, but it’s all about balance. Try too hard to fit in and you’ll lose yourself along the way.”
Lizzie de Jong
Senior Copywriter
