If you’ve been online in the past few weeks — and your algorithm is anything like mine — you’ve probably seen the great Birkin debate.

It all started, as these things often do, with a TikTok. A woman expressed her disapproval of people carrying Birkins to formal events, dinners, and weddings. What seemed like an offhand opinion quickly became a global argument — and since the internet never misses a chance to have an opinion, I thought I’d share mine too.

MY THOUGHTS ON THE VIDEO

When I first saw the video, I quite liked it. Just as I am sure is the case with many of you guys, the video came up on my feed because my algorithm is heavily weighted to fashion content. I can remember watching this video for the first time, even clicking onto her profile and watching some other videos, before leaving and continuing my doom scrolling. At that time, I thought nothing more of it. I moved on to other things and it wasn’t until I saw some of the reactions that I revisited it and began to dissect it a little more.

MY TAKE ON THE BACKLASH

My main reason for wanting to write this post is because of the vast amount of backlash which has been posted online ever since the initial video was posted. One thing that I noted was just how much people have to scream about their own opinion, and that is the key word here – opinion. This has all stemmed from an opinion, something which we are all entitled to have, no matter how much they differ. People should be able to see a differing opinion without feeling the need to pounce on the defensive when that individual has a right to think their own opinion.

Secondly, the thing that needs to be mentioned is the thought of rage baiting. Some creators purposely post something which may be controversial to help their algorithm, and they are playing people like puppets. I’m not saying that definitely happened in this instance, but it would fit with what has happened. As more people are beginning to develop online lives and careers, I think that people need to take a clear look at intention before jumping into the conversation.

MY OWN OPINION

If I really had to give my opinion in terms of a fashion stance, I personally wouldn’t wear any of my Birkins, even the 25 size, to formal occasions. That means black tie events or weddings. For me, even the smaller size of these handbags is designed to hold quite a lot of ‘stuff’, and I don’t want that to be my vibe at a more formal occasion.

There are so many great handbags on the market that can be worn to these kinds of events – high-end and high street. I think that it ultimately comes down to two things. The first is that people want to get the most out of their costly investment, which I cannot knock them for. The second is people wanting to flaunt brand and status, which I do hope people move away from soon. A person, their style and their fashion should never be correlated to the brands that they own.

Do I think that a Birkin should be worn to dinner? Absolutely. I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t go to fancy places all that often in my everyday life. If I am carrying my Birkin, I would absolutely wear it to dinner and I wouldn’t think twice about it.

WHY NONE OF THIS MATTERS

The truth is, this topic doesn’t matter all that much. No matter what side of the argument you fall on, you need to put things into perspective and realise that this topic is so unimportant in the grand scheme of the world. Fashion is incredibly important to me, but I don’t let the strong opinion of others dictate fashion to me, nor do I let their voices ruin my day. The world is a huge cluster fuck of issues at the moment and we need to remember that trivial things like this are so vastly unimportant.

Wear your Birkins, don’t wear your Birkins. Do not let the opinions of others dictate to you how you want to dress and what you want to wear. Fashion has always been about pushing boundaries. At the end of the day, wear what makes you feel like yourself. Whether that’s a Birkin 35 at a black-tie wedding or a high-street clutch, confidence will always be the most stylish accessory in the room.