Addison Rae is someone you either love or love to hate (unless you are living under a rock). You either know for her Hype House era, dancing the renegade to her heart’s content, or for her music career, from the early ‘Obsessed’ to her new album ‘Addison’. 

But have you thought about how seamlessly she did it - how she moved from being an “awkward” Tiktok dancer to being "style-savvy"? Well, I have. And it’s not a coincidence. It has to do with a really strong PR team, and of course, a sprinkle of determination. But that’s not the main reason. It’s either that she is really good at picking apart cultural change, or cultural change is picking apart at her. Which one is it? Let’s find out by looking at the common denominator - Addison Rae’s fashion choices. 

2020 was a time. COVID-19, of course. But with that came people who didn't know what to do with their lives. So, they invaded some random Singaporean app and made it their own.

Tiktok! Oh, where would I be without doomscrolling on there for hours?

TikTok in 2019-2020 was somewhat of a monolith compared to the extremely diverse sides it offers now, often divided into alternative-coded content - driven by aesthetic literacy and cultural references, and mainstream-coded content that the alternative kids find lacklustre (or basically the equivalent of unseasoned chicken).

Addison Rae was the epitome of “Straight” TikTok, grouped in with the other TikTok dancers such as Charli D’Amelio. With her oversized sweatshirts, athleisure sets, scrunchies, and glossy hair, she reflected the VSCO era. You know the Hydroflasks, seashells, beachy vibes. It made her approachable, digestible, and, importantly, relatable.

And that was the key to her success.

In the early days of the pandemic, we weren’t looking for untouchable celebrities. We were looking for friends. Addison’s fashion mirrored that - it was aspirational in a way that felt achievable with a quick trip to the mall. A perfect example of this connection between Addison and her fans in both relatability and stardom is this video link.

Anyways, her outfits weren’t really trying to make a statement yet. They were trying to blend in with the algorithm.

And blend in she did.

This is where things get weird. For some reason, every famous Tiktok dancer decided to get into music. It started with diss tracks, like Larray’s ‘First Place’ and Bryce Hall’s ‘Still Softish’. But I think they started to think: oh if these are getting popular, then maybe we can actually try singing. This started with Dixie D’Amelio’s ‘Be Happy’ which eventually manifested into the release of Addison’s first single in 2021, ‘Obsessed’.

Her fashion also took a turn around. The athleisure disappeared. The silhouettes are sleeker. The references are more intentional.

It seemed that she attempted her first rebrand into a chic, glam pop persona. Think skin-tight dresses, glossy latex, faux fur. But people who weren’t tweens were not buying it. According to Her Campus, some of the comments received included:

“Addison Rae new song be hitting different on mute.”

“I’d rather listen to Ed Sheeran than Addison Rae’s new song and I hate Ed Sheeran.”

“if u like addison rae’s song i hate u.”

But people were underestimating the effect her fashion and rebrand would have. Little did they know that even though 2021 was about being indie and preppy, Addison was two steps ahead. 

This is the pivot that truly changed the public perception of Addison Rae. Cue Charli XCX. In 2024, the Brat album was released. With this album became a rise in the messy, party girl aesthetic which fit right in with the 2000s vibe of Kesha, Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears. And who had been starting to create a Y2K vibe? That’s right, it’s Addison.

Lucky for her, she was featured on Charli XCX’s ‘Von Dutch’, which caused Addison to become more sensational. People started connecting dots and seeing her vision (finally). So much so that people started listening to her EP ‘AR’ in cult fashion, especially considering it also features Charli XCX (my neck to die for, my legs to die for ok I’ll stop now). 

To fit in with what people started seeing Addison as - an extension of Charli XCX’s messy aesthetic but in a more colourful, wacky fashion - she began to experiment with editorial, high fashion. Her stylist, Dara Allen, known for edgy, Y2K-inspired and archival looks, helped push her style from chic to rebellious. As a result, her outfits have become weirder and weirder, in a good way. In a way where you don’t anticipate what’s coming. Think prints, feathers, sequins. 

It seems that currently, Addison is continuing on this bandwagon of ‘pop diva’ and I can’t help but wonder - are we going to get tired of the 2000s revival? And if we do, will Addison be the one to step up and change? Will she start a new cultural moment through a new rebrand? Or will she try and blend in to the trend like she did at the start of her career? Only time will tell. 

Until then let’s just say hi drated

Anagha Abhi (full: Anagha Abhilash Kumar) is a Bachelor of Arts student, majoring in Creative writing and minoring in Art History and Theory and Fashion and Textiles. When she is not writing for Blitz, she is an editor at UNSWeetened and also probably drenched in pink.