They called me trendy, and they weren’t the first to do so.
They called me trendy and I took offense.
I’ve never been a follower and I’ve never been a sheep, and, to me, the word trendy means just that. I’ve always been ahead of the curve. So far ahead, in fact, that trend-setter never even applied.
As a freshman, in 1989, I found my basic comfort level of style was ripped jeans, a concert t-shirt, flannel overshirt and Chuck Taylor hi-tops. Grunge went mainstream over the next two years and, all of a sudden, everyone is wearing exactly that. Twenty years later, I’m pretty much wearing the same thing (most of the time) except that now it’s embroidered jeans, a camisole, unbuttoned white (or black) button-down shirt and custom Chucks. Same basic style, same basic outfit, still not following the crowd.
But my custom Chucks, my pink/black striped fingerless gloves, my embroidered jeans, my black and white plaid-ish purse, these things cause me to be accused (!) of being trendy.
It’s not always a compliment, either. Sometimes I wonder if it’s ever really a compliment. I’m not a good judge of that, though, since, to me, the word means something negative.
So I looked it up. Just now, actually, because I was curious.
2. following the latest trends or fashions; up-to-date or chic: the trendy young generation.
And there’s absolutely nothing wrong that. The first part is how I hear it, but maybe they mean "up-to-date" or "modern" or "chic", but they never use those words… they only ever say "trendy" with all that word implies.
I believe that I spend less money on clothes than the average American woman. I am certain that I spend less money on both shoes and accessories than the average American woman. Even the "trends" that I buy, I tend toward the more classic pieces, ones that will last through other seasons and styles. It’s not even necessarily when I’m wearing a CURRENT trend that I get called trendy. And I don’t even work at it. I don’t go out looking for ways to put together the latest fashions and styles, I just work with what’s available when I have money to spend on clothes or accessories.
I’m just trying to figure out what it means. To me, it’s such a loaded word that I can’t even hear any potential follow up. "You’re so trendy, Fyre, blah blah qualifying statement." And for the next couple of days, I’ll brood about the word trendy and how I got called it and then I’ll forget about it. For a few months. Until the next time someone calls me trendy };^>