Lily Huynh/ The Cougar
From people calling jeans, a crewneck and sunglasses “plain clothes,” to others on TikTok wondering whether Carolyn Bessette Kennedy would have been a Pilates girl, the obsession is strong but not exaggerated enough to read as full-on satire.
On TikTok, there has been discourse about Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr.’s love story following the release of American Love Story on Hulu, sparking conversation about their relationship and lifestyle. For many viewers and social media users, the couple represents a romanticized version of 1990s elegance and celebrity culture.
But the fascination goes beyond their relationship. Her clean silhouettes and neutral color palette choices have captivated many, so much so that they have been trying to find ways to emulate her style.
Her wardrobe, once simply a way she chose to dress, has been reframed online as a carefully curated aesthetic. Whether it’s buying some of her clothing staples or copying some of her exact outfits, this obsession is concerning.
Turning a person into an aesthetic
All over the internet, there are articles such as “How to Dress Like Carolyn Bessette” or “CBK Style Guide,” which essentially fuel the obsession with her style. In countless videos and posts, people attempt to decode the formula behind the look, reducing it to a list of essentials.
But this attempt to decode her style says more about internet culture than it does about Bessette herself.
This kind of obsession reveals something significant about the way internet culture interacts with fashion. Rather than appreciating style as something individual and evolving, online spaces often reduce it to trends that can be packaged, labeled and replicated. In this type of environment, a person’s identity can easily become an aesthetic category.
The internet moves on
These trends rarely last long. In a few months, a new craze will take over the internet and a new style will become people’s next hyperfixation. The same people chasing the “CBK look” will eventually move on to the latest trend.
The cycle is familiar: an aesthetic rises quickly, dominates online conversations and then fades just as fast. What remains is the realization that the qualities people were trying to imitate were never fully replicable in the first place.
Another reason why these aesthetics fade so quickly is that they are often built on surface-level interpretations. When a style becomes a trend online, it is simplified into a few recognizable elements such as specific clothing pieces, colors or silhouettes.
What gets lost in that process is the context that originally made the style meaningful. The result is a version that looks similar on the outside but lacks the individuality that gave it impact in the first place.
Style is Personal
The truth is, you can’t copy a person’s aura. Personal style works because it’s personal, shaped by someone’s life, confidence and individuality. Clothes can be imitated, but the presence behind them cannot.
Style icons often inspire people, but inspiration and imitation are not the same. Inspiration is not inherently a bad thing. Throughout fashion history, individuals have looked at public figures, designers and cultural icons for ideas on how to dress.
The problem arises when inspiration turns into imitation so literal that individuality disappears. When style becomes a checklist of items to buy, it loses the individuality that made it compelling in the first place.
Kennedy’s style continues to resonate with people because it appeared effortless and authentic. Ironically, the internet’s attempt to recreate that exact quality often produces the opposite effect. Effortless style cannot be manufactured through a guide or shopping list.
In the end, the reason Bessette’s style remains memorable is not because of the specific clothes she wore, but because of the way she wore them, all carried with confidence, simplicity and a sense of self that cannot be duplicated.
opinion@thedailycougar.com
