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Cover Yourself with Glitter
Festival season is on its way which brings more music, more outdoors and more shimmer. Festival-inspired looks are leaving their boundaries and becoming a street fashion trend - and so is glitter.
Started as a celebrity's festival style, taken by the bloggers and grown into a business, body glitter is now becoming a mandatory accessory for parties, and even as everyday wear. As sparkles are covering more and more of the body, is it time to call it a piece of clothing - or is glitter just enjoying a temporary fame?
Stores like Missguided, Topshop and River Island have already started promoting body gems and glitter on their mannequins.
The shimmer and body jewellery trend came from the biggest festival in the U.S - Coachella. As the most popular spring party, it marks the beginning of the festival season and serves as a trendsetter both there and in the UK.
In the past few years, glitter has been seen as makeup, rather than an accessory in and of itself. Mixing it with eye shadows or highlighters was just the beginning. As festivals grow in popularity, glitter is growing as well.
In recent years, Glastonbury became the UK’s Coachella. With girls dressing in Indian styled t-shirts and denim shorts, it looks like festival fashion is spreading from one country to another. Sparkly rhinestones and jewellery stickers are not an exception either. More and more girls are trying out various ways to sparkle up their bodies and stand out from the crowd at the summer music party.
"I think glitter is a big part of festival wear as it’s kind of the only place you can really go wild with your image! I tend to wear eye glitter, lip glitter and hair glitter and acrylic glittery nails, it just really puts me in the festival mood and adds to the day, really," said Alana Mustill, 22, a student from Manchester who’s a huge festival fan.
With festivals dictating the fashion trends, it’s no surprise that body glitter has spread into social media and most recently to the party scene. Using glitter for birthdays, hen parties, general occasions and even weddings is a growing trend in the UK.
"I think it's great! It's fun, carefree and from my experience girls always comment on how nice it looks," said Mustill.
Where it all began?
With a big demand comes a big opportunity for a new field in the market. Body glitter for parties and various occasions is one of the most popular and fastest growing businesses on the internet at the moment.
Various new brands are promoting the new glitter and body jewellery trend in various ways. Some sell glitter as a party and special occasion wear, while others suggest wearing it every day. With unique packages and various types of gems, glitter businesses are making their way up.
"As a glitter fanatic I know tonnes of independent glitter stores that are making really good money from selling glitter and each store is very different to the other," said Majestic Glitter blogger India Lee Reed, 25.
Many makeup companies are promoting glitter as their launch product. Mua, NYX and even MAC are sharing Instagram posts that include sparkly lips, glitter eyes and eyelashes. By inspiring people to follow their accounts and share similar pictures in order to win prizes, companies influence girls and boys to try not only to repeat the style that brands suggest but to make it even better. This is how glitter looks are spreading across the online world.
"When looking at the glitter stores, it is obvious that they are all selling glitter but have a completely different take on what glitter is, which I think it is so creative and unique," said Reed.
The style of glitter shops is not the only thing that differentiates them from each other. Prices vary also, from 99p for a single colour on eBay to £29.99 for a full set in an independent glitter store.
Body gems- new business plan?
Wear it all the way!
Recently, body glitter became not only a facial make-up accessory but is spreading to other parts of the body as well. Tutorials on how to wear it and apply it on Youtube reach up to 300k viewers, which is more than some music videos by worldwide artists.
Instagram accounts, blogs and various vlogs are promoting different ways of using glitter on the body. Innovative use of the trend like glitter-covered breasts glitter hairstyles and even bottom body parts covered in gold glitter are promoted by many. "At the moment, the most popular is ‘glitter tits' which I myself tried because it’s fun and daring which reflects my personality," said Irene Dee.
For the very brave, “glitter tits” are just a beginning, with intimate body parts covered in glitter being promoted by some adventurous bloggers.
Vajazzled and proud of it! Body glitter is reaching extreme lengths. Covering pubic areas with colourful shimmer is not only real, it is actually really popular. Some call it the new “tramp stamp” and just another way for girls to lose their dignity. But for some they are just negative comments and they do not affect the trend that is rising without anyone to stop it.
Even though not everyone may see it as an appropriate way of dressing, girls are trying on this new fashion style at home and at parties. Special sets of gems and jewellery are sold in beauty stores and clothing shops all across the UK.
Like every other type of makeup and outfit, glitter can be seen as a way of self-expression.
"I think glitter allows individuals of any age, sex or race to channel their inner creativity and help express it," said Reed.
With the recent popularity of unicorns, rainbows and various magical prints, glitter is adding more magic to the fashion this season. As people look up to celebrities and try to be as them, a big influence for the shimmer comes from them. Little Mix, Zara Larson and many other influential singers and music groups are wearing glitter in their music videos and concerts, which is then followed by their fans.
"Honestly I can go to a party or for a food shop and if I feel like wearing glitter I will," said Reed.
Seen as tacky before, being sparkly and shiny is now the hottest look that girls are aiming for. It is no surprise to see someone with sparkling colourful hair or gold sticker tattoos on their arms. But only time can show whether it will become something that girls will wear with their everyday outfits.
"I will be honest, I don't know if it ever will become an everyday thing but it's definitely heading in that direction," said Reed.
As every new trend, body glitter is not accepted by all. Some see it as a “stupid” fun toy for children, that should not be seen as more important than that.
“Glitter is very tacky and girls wearing it looks like little children that never grew up,” said Paul Markov, 25, a sales assistant at Topshop.
Glitter = Plastic
Not everyone sees glitter as a positive new trend. Glitter can not only be a nice piece of jewellery or body accessory it is dangerous to the environment as well. Organisations like "One Million Women" are saying that glitter is just tiny pieces of plastic that does as much damage as plastic bottles would.
Small pieces like microbeads and microfibers are getting into oceans and poisoning not only the sea life but also the food we eat. Recent studies by the International journal of science announced that oyster's fertility is being damaged, because of all the plastic that gets into the water. According to their research by 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean that actual fish.
Even though the amounts of glitter may not be as massive compared to the numbers of plastic used in other retail spheres it is still spreading dangerous chemical pieces to the environment.
As fashion trends come and go, it can be just a guess just how long the glitter will stay at the top. But as all styles come back after a while, it is for sure that all the sparkles that will be left unused can wait in the back of the closet for another comeback. Now wear it from head to toe, enjoy the fact that no one will think you are absolutely crazy for shining bright like a fairy. Glitter is on the top and with festival just coming up, it will stay for a while.
By Ieva Rakojedaite
