By Devin Miles...

As I’ve grown up and gained the agency to follow my dreams, I often reflect on how they’ve been shaped by the grand ideas about adulthood that were presented to me in my youth. The culture, fashion influences, and big-city lifestyle constantly fed to me through television and the internet made me incredibly ambitious to experience it all for myself.

But I’m not sure the world I’m living in has the potential to live up to what I once dreamt of. With the rise of the internet, the 2000s introduced us to a new concept: influencers. These were celebrities who maintained their status and grew their careers simply by being popular trendsetters.

On top of that, we had countless shows centered around big-city life and its glamour—the fun parties and events, the tight-knit group of friends to attend them with, and the dream jobs that never seemed to take time away from either. It was easy to believe that everything I ever wanted was within reach, but I could have never prepared myself for a world so vastly different from those expectations.

The early 2000s were, in my eyes, a fashion renaissance. Like many young girls, one of my biggest aspirations was to be a fashion designer. I’d spend hours sketching outfits in my journal, influenced by celebrities I saw on TV—Destiny’s Child, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Christina Milian, Christina Aguilera—the list goes on. They were all considerably older than me with mature styles fitting for their age.

Since I was too young to dress like them, I always told myself that as soon as I could, I would. In the meantime, I used their influence to create my own designs, holding onto the dream of one day bringing them to life. These celebrities had extremely daring styles for the time—women have always been scrutinized no matter what they wear, and back then, there were even fewer protections from the press. Everyone remembers how horribly paparazzi treated Britney Spears at the height of her fame. Yet these icons continuously pushed the boundaries of fashion, and I truly admired them. I couldn’t wait for the day I could express myself as freely as they did.

I had the privilege of growing up when MTV still played music videos day and night, and when the women around me were obsessed with popular TV shows like Girlfriends, Sex and the City, and Gossip Girl. Movies like 13 Going on 30 and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen were household favorites.

I had no shortage of style influences, but more importantly, my ambition was molded by the women I watched on TV, constantly chasing and achieving their dreams. Living in New York or L.A., working full-time in respected fields, navigating complex relationships and a social life—all while looking effortlessly stylish.

The older I got, the more I could see myself in their shoes, both literally and figuratively. I dreamed of it every day—the friends, the career, the fashion. I thought it was only a matter of time until I was old enough to make that dream my reality. But I could have never imagined the amount of work it would take to make it happen.

From a young age, many of us shared the desire to live somewhere like Los Angeles or New York City, largely because of the dream we were sold through 2000s media. But the truth is, what we were looking for out there may not exist anymore—if it ever really did.

Things are different now. The way we communicate and the things we prioritize in adulthood have evolved. It would be naive to ignore how economic changes have made our dreams harder to achieve. The cost of living in America makes it virtually impossible to consider moving to these cities, and for some, even traveling for vacation is out of reach. Beyond financial barriers, the culture itself has shifted. People don’t party or socialize like they used to. While exclusivity has always existed, social media has now made popularity quantifiable. Being cool isn’t enough—you need the numbers to prove it. Follower counts and engagement dictate one’s ability to thrive in major social scenes, even though many of the people we see online aren’t the real-life socialites they appear to be.

The glitz and glamour of it all sometimes feel like they’re slipping away. As someone fixated on early 2000s fashion and culture, watching these drastic shifts over time has been a little disheartening.

But I refuse to settle. Communities like Holy Thrift keep the culture alive by bringing true creatives and style icons together from around the world, proving that the Y2K dream—of living in a big city, making a living doing what you love, and surrounding yourself with people who inspire you—is still possible.

It may take more time, effort, and support these days, but it’s not out of reach. Though the journey and destination might look different than expected, everything in life is what you choose to make of it. Holy Thrift is a reminder that your dreams can still work for you—as long as you’re willing to work for them.