TikTok's "Cartoon Character" Trend Might Be The Easiest Way To Keep A Routine

For some people, waking up and creating a fun outfit is the best part of their day. For others, it’s a total time-suck that ruins their morning and puts them behind schedule. If you fall into the latter group, you might appreciate the TikTok-viral concept of dressing like a cartoon character.

When you think about it, cartoon characters wear the same thing every episode. See: SpongeBob and his pants, Daphne Blake and her purple dress, Lois Griffin and her teal button-down, Penny Proud’s pink blazer, Daria Morgendorffer’s green top and boots — you get the point. If you want to save time and keep a routine, you can pull a page from the cartoon handbook and wear the same thing every day too.

On TikTok, @chantayyjayy, aka Chanté Joseph, has adopted the cartoon character trend as a way to streamline her daily routine and free up some mental bandwidth. “Locking in is more than a mindset, it’s a lifestyle choice,” she said in a viral video posted Sept. 17. “I can’t afford to spend 25 minutes figuring out what to wear. I’m just not doing it. I need to reduce the amount of options I have — and I will still look cute every day.”

For the rest of 2024, she said she plans on wearing the same style of t-shirt and pants as a way to streamline her routine, and she isn’t the only TikToker hopping on the trend. Here’s what to know about dressing like a cartoon character, including all the benefits of wearing the same thing daily.

Dressing Like A Cartoon Character

While your go-to ‘fit can certainly be fun and colorful, it’s often easier to go the Kim Possible route and stick with neutrals so that everything in your closet matches. To create her cartoon character look, Joseph went to Uniqlo and bought five short-sleeved cropped t-shirts and three pairs of trousers. The items were all in various shades of gray, black, green, and cream, so it took the guesswork out of getting dressed.

In her comments section, one person said, “I did this when I worked in an office and it was the best thing I ever did. No stress about what to wear!” Another wrote, “My go-to uniform is four rotating [sweaters] and shirts and two pairs of trousers like a little Paddington Bear. Long live the adult uniform!”

The people who like this trend the most tend to be the ones who are booked and busy. Instead of spending hours choosing an outfit, they simply put on their go-to clothes and go.

Creator @madisonwronowski also likes to wear the same thing every day — and she made sure to mention in her TikTok that no one even notices. To spice things up she’ll throw on some accessories, like a gold heart-shaped watch, a necklace, or a cute bag, but her basic cartoon character look always stays the same: jeans, a long-sleeve top, and sneakers.

Creator @naimyab is a fan of having a go-to look, too, especially as a busy mom. “If you have to show up to work looking presentable, form a uniform,” she said. It’s why she created a wardrobe full of the same blouses and pants, and it helps her get to work on time every day.

In her comments section one person said, “This helps reduce tension and fatigue in the morning.” Another wrote, “My CFO does this. She calls it her Garanimals outfits,” while another noted they only wear cardigans and dresses and simply change their shoes depending on the weather. And what could be more cartoon-coded than that?

The Benefits Of Having A Uniform

If you struggle with analysis paralysis or an overwhelming sense of decision fatigue, this trend is for you. Instead of sifting through a hundred different tops, dresses, and skirts in your closet — or trying on 20 different outfit combinations until you break a sweat — you can reach in, grab your uniform, and get out the door in no time flat.

Creating your own go-to look is also beneficial if you’re easily overwhelmed by the thought of shopping or filling a wardrobe. Knowing what your cartoon character looks like makes shopping easier since you’ll only ever need to buy certain items. The next time you hit up a store, simply breeze past the sparkly dresses and floaty tops and go straight to the blazers.

Figuring out your uniform is one of the easiest ways to streamline your day and relieve the mental load of deciding what to wear — and it might even help launch you on the path to greatness. The idea of wearing the same outfit every day is nothing new, after all. Big names like Barack Obama, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and Steve Jobs are all well-known outfit repeaters.

This TikTok trend, now adorably relabeled as cartoon character dressing, is the latest take on creating a uniform for yourself and how it can truly benefit your day.