“Kinda Chic To…”: The Feel-Good Caption Trend That Turned Everyday Life Into Luxury
Drew Barrymore, Reese Witherspoon and Ashley Graham all joined in — and by September, brands and everyday creators were declaring all sorts of ordinary things “kinda chic”.
Two little words took over Instagram and TikTok captions this season: “kinda chic.”
How the format works
It is beautifully simple. Creators post a photo carousel or video and write a list of captions beginning “kinda chic to…” — followed by a habit, a trait or even a supposed flaw. Kinda chic to be in your 50s. Kinda chic to call your mom. Kinda chic to go to bed at 9pm.
As Know Your Meme describes it, the trend flips the usual meaning of “chic” — normally tied to money and high fashion — and applies it to things that are personal, unglamorous or just real.
The celebrity moment
Early viral versions came from influencer MariaBegins, who used the phrase in posts about body positivity. The trend exploded in August when Drew Barrymore posted a carousel captioned “Kinda chic to be in your 50s,” which earned more than 170,000 likes in four days.
Two days later, Reese Witherspoon shared her own list — including “kinda chic to cheer on other women,” “kinda chic to call your mom” and, in a nod to her famous book club, “kinda chic to start a book club.” Ashley Graham joined too, and by September brands were using the format in their marketing.
Why it works
The trend is a small rebellion against perfectly curated feeds. Instead of showing off what you own, it celebrates who you are — which is exactly why it kept spreading well into September.
This story was written by the Celestia Times newsroom based on the reporting linked above. Details in developing stories can change; see our corrections policy to report an error. Illustration is original artwork, not a photograph of the events described.