The world didn\u2019t suddenly turn beige. We painted over everything that once had a soul.<\/p>\n
Have you ever walked into a building, home or public space that felt empty? There\u2019s plenty of furniture and even some decor, but for some reason, you\u2019re feeling as if you\u2019re in a hospital room. These sterile-feeling spaces can be attributed to the modern, minimalist style recently adopted by trending culture.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The term \u201csad millennial beige<\/a>\u201d perfectly encapsulates this switch to bare, uniform expression. With muted tones of grays, browns and tans, it became trendy to tone down the joy and original features of your home. The idea stems from straying from overconsumption while portraying a clean, neat lifestyle to the public. Television shows that remodel houses<\/a> often remove stained glass, painted walls and every last piece of character that differentiates one home from the next.\u00a0<\/p>\n What seems outdated and old for some creates life and charm for others. The standardized white walls and cabinets, tan empty furniture and minimalist, yet perfectly selected, art have removed the characteristics that make each home special. My favorite example of historic detail is Victorian-era dust corners<\/a>, usually installed on stairs in order to keep the dust from accumulating in deep crevices and making it easier to sweep up. It\u2019s little aspects like these that are not only useful but give original beauty to homes.\u00a0<\/p>\n The death of detail has run rampant, even reaching its claws to Pitt\u2019s campus. Hillman Library<\/a> used to have wooden walls, desks and chairs. With green furniture, plants and picture frames strung about, the look gave the space a colorful and vibrant feel. Now<\/a>, Hillman follows a similar color palette to sad millennial beige, with white being overbearingly bright wherever you look. The chairs and tables are black, and the building has accents of grey, but even if you\u2019re able to find color, the fluorescent lighting surely overpowers any individual expression.<\/p>\n This lack of originality has also made its rounds beyond architecture and home decor. The arts and media have slimmed down our perception of originality. Artistic care and attention to detail have been wiped through the use of generative AI. While there are still many people who do not support artificial intelligence, others use it to generate creative works, such as essays, thus eliminating the potential for an artistic, authentic piece of art. Films have also lost detail in the high-quantity<\/a>, low-quality aspects of constant remakes for a quick buck. Fashion has lost individuality in the constant trending items, reshaped every few months into a new fad.\u00a0<\/p>\n