Why fashion debates turned angrier in 2025
TOI GLOBAL DESK | TOI GLOBAL | Dec 30, 2025, 23:42 IST
Culture wars entered style fashion in 2025 and became a major factor in the rise of cultural and political anger. The ads, runway shows, and celebrity campaigns, which were the main topics of the public debates, were amplified by social media and partisan commentary, and this led to the intensification of these debates.
TL;DR
Fashion controversies in 2025 were essentially the manifestation of the cultural rage that was prevalent in society. Social media, politics, and shifting industry norms turned style moments into battlegrounds over values, power, and attention.
Fashion of 2025 encountered a powerful public reaction, which was unusual; in fact, this event changed the entire creative and commercial aspect of the industry and turned it into a culture conflict that happened over and over again. The public's feelings, as well as the political debates, were constantly reflecting the changes in the public's involvement with the realms of art, commerce, and identity through the eye-catching advertising campaigns, runway shows, and celebrity and social media engagement.
The fashion brand's advertisement featuring actress Sydney Sweeney and the play between "great jeans" and "great genes" was at the centre of the discussions. The advertisement faced immediate negative reactions online, with opponents blaming it for the promotion of beauty standards that are only for the few. The controversy escalated when President Donald Trump praised the ad on Truth Social, calling it “the hottest ad out there.” The statement further politicised the campaign, prolonging debate for months as Sweeney addressed the criticism in multiple interviews.
Runway fashion also became a focal point for anger. In March, Dutch designer Duran Lantink unveiled a super-realistic prosthetic breast top at Paris Fashion Week that was worn by a male model. The look attracted severe criticism from conservative commentators that including former Fox News host Megyn Kelly. Kelly, in her podcast, compared the design to moral decay and called the audience to reject what she labelled as depravity. Her remarks circulated widely, amplifying the controversy beyond fashion circles.
According to CNN, even relatively low-stakes fashion moments triggered prolonged online disputes. Paparazzi photos from the set of Ryan Murphy’s upcoming series about Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr. led to days of arguments on TikTok, with users debating the authenticity of costume choices. Kylie Jenner’s appearance in a Miu Miu campaign raised questions about whether the brand had diluted its intellectual reputation, while luxury label The Row faced criticism after influencer Neelam Ahooja publicly announced her break from the brand in a Substack post.
Industry figures also pushed back against the tone of online discourse. During Paris Fashion Week, designer Edward Buchanan posted on Instagram asking commenters to offer informed criticism rather than insults. His plea sparked another debate about who is qualified to critique fashion in an era where social media platforms give equal visibility to experts and casual observers.
Media scholars note that these conflicts align with the rise of “rage bait,” named Oxford University Press’s word of the year. The term is used to describe the provocative content that is made only for the purpose of eliciting anger and getting more people involved. The fashion industry, being the most visual and trend-driven, has been an easy target for such dynamics.
The turning point came when, in late 2022, Balenciaga got into trouble over the nonprofit's actions that led to children being sexualized in the advertising campaigns. The creative director of the brand, Demna, publicly apologised and acknowledged the images to be improper. It was then that the line between politics, morality, and aesthetics kept getting thinner and thinner whenever an artist or a designer came out to face the public.
As social platforms evolve from image sharing to idea-driven discussion, many designers and influencers are moving toward text-based platforms like Substack. The creator Ryan Yip, in his conversation with CNN, indicated that the never-ending controversy is a sign of human boredom and overstimulation, while he was also arguing that nowadays audiences manufacture disputes when the world of fashion fails to captivate them.
Whether discussions would be softer or not was a question for 2026 that still remained unanswered. Yet, it is very clear that the fashion of 2025 was not merely about clothes but about the public culture clash that was already forming.
FAQs
Fashion controversies in 2025 were essentially the manifestation of the cultural rage that was prevalent in society. Social media, politics, and shifting industry norms turned style moments into battlegrounds over values, power, and attention.
Fashion of 2025 encountered a powerful public reaction, which was unusual; in fact, this event changed the entire creative and commercial aspect of the industry and turned it into a culture conflict that happened over and over again. The public's feelings, as well as the political debates, were constantly reflecting the changes in the public's involvement with the realms of art, commerce, and identity through the eye-catching advertising campaigns, runway shows, and celebrity and social media engagement.
The fashion brand's advertisement featuring actress Sydney Sweeney and the play between "great jeans" and "great genes" was at the centre of the discussions. The advertisement faced immediate negative reactions online, with opponents blaming it for the promotion of beauty standards that are only for the few. The controversy escalated when President Donald Trump praised the ad on Truth Social, calling it “the hottest ad out there.” The statement further politicised the campaign, prolonging debate for months as Sweeney addressed the criticism in multiple interviews.
Runway fashion also became a focal point for anger. In March, Dutch designer Duran Lantink unveiled a super-realistic prosthetic breast top at Paris Fashion Week that was worn by a male model. The look attracted severe criticism from conservative commentators that including former Fox News host Megyn Kelly. Kelly, in her podcast, compared the design to moral decay and called the audience to reject what she labelled as depravity. Her remarks circulated widely, amplifying the controversy beyond fashion circles.
According to CNN, even relatively low-stakes fashion moments triggered prolonged online disputes. Paparazzi photos from the set of Ryan Murphy’s upcoming series about Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr. led to days of arguments on TikTok, with users debating the authenticity of costume choices. Kylie Jenner’s appearance in a Miu Miu campaign raised questions about whether the brand had diluted its intellectual reputation, while luxury label The Row faced criticism after influencer Neelam Ahooja publicly announced her break from the brand in a Substack post.
Industry figures also pushed back against the tone of online discourse. During Paris Fashion Week, designer Edward Buchanan posted on Instagram asking commenters to offer informed criticism rather than insults. His plea sparked another debate about who is qualified to critique fashion in an era where social media platforms give equal visibility to experts and casual observers.
Media scholars note that these conflicts align with the rise of “rage bait,” named Oxford University Press’s word of the year. The term is used to describe the provocative content that is made only for the purpose of eliciting anger and getting more people involved. The fashion industry, being the most visual and trend-driven, has been an easy target for such dynamics.
The turning point came when, in late 2022, Balenciaga got into trouble over the nonprofit's actions that led to children being sexualized in the advertising campaigns. The creative director of the brand, Demna, publicly apologised and acknowledged the images to be improper. It was then that the line between politics, morality, and aesthetics kept getting thinner and thinner whenever an artist or a designer came out to face the public.
As social platforms evolve from image sharing to idea-driven discussion, many designers and influencers are moving toward text-based platforms like Substack. The creator Ryan Yip, in his conversation with CNN, indicated that the never-ending controversy is a sign of human boredom and overstimulation, while he was also arguing that nowadays audiences manufacture disputes when the world of fashion fails to captivate them.
Whether discussions would be softer or not was a question for 2026 that still remained unanswered. Yet, it is very clear that the fashion of 2025 was not merely about clothes but about the public culture clash that was already forming.
FAQs
- Why did fashion spark so much anger in 2025?
Social media amplification, political polarisation, and deliberate rage bait content turned fashion moments into cultural flashpoints. - Who were the key figures in these controversies?
Sydney Sweeney, Duran Lantink, Megyn Kelly, Kylie Jenner, and designers like Demna and Edward Buchanan were central to major debates.