The Viral ‘Airport Tray Aesthetic’ Trend: Gen Z Turns TSA Bins Into Fashion Statements (It’s Driving Travelers Crazy)
Hello World
The airport security checkpoint is now the stage for a viral social media trend: the “airport tray aesthetic.” Passengers curate and photograph the contents of their TSA bins.
Gen Z passengers arrange designer bags, perfumes, gadgets, and books to create color-coordinated, visually pleasing compositions. They’re turning a mundane part of travel into creative expression. It gives them control over something where control has been taken from them – you’re going through a government checkpoint, walking through naked imagine, and having your water bottle confiscated. The checkpoint has more germs than the monkey in Outbreak.
@chelseaasoflate @chelseamaninang ♬ original sound – speedz!
But they’re also slowing down the line. Long security lines and passengers stressing over making their flights lose patience over influencers stopping to set up their trays and snap photos. TSA avoids against the slowdown, but is largely powerless to stop it (there are limits to the limits they can place on photographing at checkpoints).
@_shoppursue kicking off girls trip with some controlled chaos ✨✈️ #airporttray #airportaesthetic #whatsinmybag #packing #pinterestaesthetic #airportstyle #phototutorial #airportdiaries #airportfashion #airportoutfit #ootd ♬ Very Demure Jools House of Evo Remix – CasaDi
So what do more mindful (‘very demure, very mindful’?) influencers do?
- Set up their bins away from the checkpoint
- Buy trays online, mock up fake boarding passes, because who needs authenticity in social media?
The airport tray aesthetic is about capturing the travel experience in a stylized way. Photos in exotic destinations are tired. Photos of the travel process itself are wired. Photos of what you’re forced to go through by the state as part of that process are, it seems, inspired.