spark #4: bipolar positive
A note on fashion chaos, identity shapeshifting, and why “being yourself” is as lame as it sounds.
I just spent a few weeks back in the U.S., and one of the most refreshing things about returning to Shanghai is the anything-goes approach to fashion.
Yes, there are must-have trends (though honestly, it’s more about bag charms than clothes — hello, Lalabubu!).
But there is experimentation: grungy, sweet, exaggerated, bedazzled, inexplicable. You see all of this regularly strolling the streets of Shanghai. The bigger pattern is play. Self-expression here is not about honing a consistent identity; it’s about exploring the range.
And that freedom goes well beyond fashion.
A couple years ago, I was working with a young team on a product innovation sprint. When mapping consumer-led inspiration territories, one concept they were especially excited to share was bipolar positive.
……go on?
As an American woman raised during the “don’t-be-crazy” era of female socialization (another topic in itself 🙄), hearing bipolar used as a compliment felt like a record scratch. But here, it was something else entirely.
This was followed by a deep dive into their secret lives. The multiple personas they toggle between online, the distinct friend groups linked to each. Not everyone needs to know everything, they said. Mystery is part of the appeal. They were experimenting with, discovering and constructing a multi-faceted identity. The team didn’t coin bipolar positive, the term was already circulating, a descriptor not of someone unstable, but of someone interesting. To be your consistent self (or work self as it is referred to) is boring as hell.
They then went out to share how surprised they were that I use my actual name for WeChat purposes. Crigne. How unimaginative. Why would I just be myself? (To be fair, this was not on my radar at the time. But here I am two years later, still using boring ol’ Kate for all chitty chatty like the boring old lady I am.)
Now imagine this playing out in a corporate setting where WeChat is the de facto comms tool for work as well as life. I’ve heard a few multinational companies asking junior employees to please just use their actual names for simplicity’s sake. One self, clearly labeled, please.
Now, let’s circle this back to fashion and the current conversation around our algorithmic stranglehold. Everyone is up in arms about feed fatigue and the tyranny of trend cycles. But the algorithm is merely fuel on the fire of a pre-existing need to aesthetically conform. I noticed this difference 12 years ago when I first moved to Asia.
In the U.S., nailing your personal style is a lifelong pursuit. To know yourself, to nail your aesthetic in a way that is simultaneously stable yet always on trend, is a show of confidence and swagger. That conviction is celebrated. Think Jacky O, the Sex in the City characters, all French women, even the extremes like Steve Jobs. We’re forever locked in a cycle of self-definition: finding a lane that feels like ME (but aspirational me, not sweatpants-on-a-Tuesday me), and sticking to it. But in truth, that me often collapses into an us, as we all chase the same sense of cool. The result is a seasonal uniform, a reality now on steroid shots thanks to TikTok.
In China, not so much. Shanghai feels messier in the best way. I love the visual chaos of this city and its free-for-all fashion choices. It’s refreshing. There are trends, sure, and the FOMO is very real, but that’s more for must-snap selfies than style. So once you exit your digital feed and look at the world around you, it’s less felt.
That’s because the culture around self-expression allows for more fluidity and less judgment. You don’t have to commit to a look or a lane. Just log in as someone new. For brands, the lesson is this: Don’t assume your audience wants to be understood. They might prefer to be unreadable. They’re not searching for their true self — they’re building many.
And that’s not being confused. That’s being interesting.
So, embrace the play. Be a tool for expansion & experimentation. Experiment yourselves! No better market to do so.
other (fashion!) sparks:
Interesting tidbits from real life and online that keep my wheels turning. Hope it does the same for you.
