This past Wednesday, August 31st, marked the silver anniversary of gracious Lady Diana Spencer’s passing. The mournful date, reminded admirers around the world of the legacy and profound imprint she left behind and how after 25 years, she still somehow influences modern society.
The Princess of Wales, who died at age 36, is dominating the news thanks to a cycle of buzzing portrayals on social platforms. From Kristen Steward’s first Oscar nomination for Spencer, to a viral image of Elizabeth Debicki’s recreation of the iconic ‘Revenge Dress’ for The Crown or the famous Biker Shorts trend as seen on mega influencer, Hailey Bieber. We’re taking the opportunity to commemorate the date of her death as a chance to look back on how her actions, style, and persona continue to inspire trends in celebrity pop culture and modern society worldwide.
The topic of her passing remains a sensitive discussion as many have different opinions, theories, and feelings towards the untimely incident. Many hold resentment towards the media, as paparazzi chased her, whereas the royal family blames BBC for the role its 1995 interview played in her death.
Besides the fact that the date of her death has become a worldly celebration of remembrance, most celebrity influencers and activists use their platforms to remind us of her impeccable impact.
How Lady Diana influences pop-culture posthumously
The so-called ‘people’s princess’ has been finding herself a cult following fanbase on social media: something that didn’t exist during her lifetime but somehow continues to grow amongst younger generations and social applications. But what is it that younger generations seem to be drawn to?
We can’t deny that she showed the world how to use celebrity for good as she made headlines multiple times for her unconventional manners of activism and humanitarian philanthropies. Like shaking the hand of a patient diagnosed with Aids, which at the time was a virus believed to even be transmitted by touch. Her willingness to treat others with respect and dignity showed true character and values, yet one aspect most talked about on the internet today was how her way of dressing sent out ‘silent messages’ that influencers and users around the world utilize in the form of “cryptic captions”.
Kaden Luna, a 20-year-old TikTok creator from Texas, has become an internet sensation by celebrating Diana’s fashion through creative content. @simplesmurf having achieved 6.6 million likes for posts wearing Diana-Esque sweaters, his account continues to draw attention as he dedicates it to 80s pop-culture aesthetics, continually referencing the trendsetter herself.
Move over to Instagram and you’ll find LA-based writer Eloise Moran has found comfort in Diana’s revenge wardrobe as she dedicates @ladydirevengelooks to post-breakup fashion and revenge looks. Eloise broke up with her ex and found herself sending semi-directed messages through her images. As a way of therapy, the creator helped not only herself but quickly realized her treasure trove of 90s archive Diana images were helping others too. Now having more than 199K followers, she is channeling her gift for deciphering the princess’ style into an upcoming manual book for others to read.
Diana has influenced society in more ways than possible to mention; from style to activism and even television, she even climbed into the hearts of Middle Eastern influencers. Nadine Njeim says she channeled the princess to play her role in Khamsa W Nos as well as to activism and mental health influencer H.E Basma al Said of Oman commemorating the passing of the inspirational princess on her social media account.
Yearly we use the date as an opportunity to reflect on the millions of lives in which the gracious Lady Di still influences us. From her charisma for television, style as revenge, and actions as messages of freedom and equality, the Princess will forever be an ongoing inspiration for generations to follow.
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