Here Is Photographic Proof That the Internet Has Killed Individual Style

The photographers say it's because of the Internet that everyone now dresses the same.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Most people like to think that their sense of style is unique and original, but an ongoing photo series by Dutch photographer Ari Versluis and Ellie Uyttenbroek shows just how similar outfits are for people who fit into certain subcultures. The project is called "Exactitudes," and so far it includes 154 different portraits series of men and women, from skaters and Gabbers, to hipsters in Amsterdam rocking the "farmcore" look and baristas in Milan. Each series shows how the category defines what the individuals wear, and the similarities are pretty incredible.

We've seen a similar candid street photography project by another Dutch photographer named Hans Eijkelboom that showed how everyone in the 21st century dresses the same, but having the subjects pose in the same way for these photos really heightens the effect.​

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"A shocking conclusion for us after 20 years of taking pictures is that the world is rapidly becoming the same," Versluis​ told The Cut. "In Europe, you can go to Copenhagen or Rome or Berlin or Madrid, and young people all look the same nowadays. There’s hardly any real subculture. Everything is driven by the Internet." We've seen how an awesome platform like Tumblr can kill personal style, but it's interesting to see just how homogeneous things are in other parts of the world.

"Most people assume that their style is more outspoken — they think that they’re individual," he added. Versluis also said that he thinks that most people don't fit into groups like the ones in the "Exactitudes" project "because a lot of people are not that clear in their choices about what they’re wearing. Most people just go to a shop and they buy a coat because it’s cold. If you want to be a hipster in Brooklyn, you are very aware of what you are doing, and very aware of the signals you are giving to others. But a lot of people are not aware of the signals."

Check out more of the project on the Exactitudes website and see if you fall into any of the defined categories.

[via The Cut]

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