The Internet has given birth to many dangerous and/or foolish trends—few can forget when “planking” became popular, and war cries such as “Do it for the Vine!” still happen right before a bold stunt that will either kill someone or make the person internet famous.
The “Selfie Olympics” from earlier in this year actually resulted in the death of several people. At the heart of every social media stunt, however, lie seeds of creativity and originality–since nobody wants to see the same post twice.
This creativity is not always dark; sometimes, such as in the case of Disneybounding, all people want to do is shed a little magic.
Disneybounding is taking elements from Disney productions (shows, films, amusement parks, etc.) and incorporating them into an outfit.
While the term is sometimes used in reference to a different inspiration—for example, an outfit based on a non-Disney musical or a book—most Disneybound outfits are somehow tied into the Disney company.
It began with blogger Leslie Kay’s tumblr blog of the same name, as a way to channel her glee over an upcoming trip to Disney—she was bound for Disney, or “Disneybound.”
There, she would post outfits inspired by the various aspects of Disney. The idea exploded almost overnight—not only did her blog gain a huge audience, but communities formed around the trend and the practice became officially recognized by Disney.
Images of Disneybounders pour in on worldwide social media websites daily— some of which are from Bob Jones High School.
Senior Kaylie Miller started Disneybounding in the spring of 2013 when she overheard two classmates discussing dressing up for a theatre competition.
“It sounded like a marriage between two things I think are awesome, Disney and fashion,” Miller said. “So I checked out the website and fell in love.”
Since then, Miller has established a twist on the “Fancy Friday” concept, instead of wearing especially nice clothing, wear a Disneybound outfit. While initially she was the sole participant in this creative exercise, word slowly spread and she now has a group of friends that regularly join in.
“One of the best parts of Disneybounding personally has been starting out alone, and slowing gathering a group of people that dress up with me,” Miller said. “My groupmates help each other out, and having everyone there to work through your outfit is really convenient and cool. Even if it does mean I have to wake up early to make a red bow every once in a while.”
Fellow group mate Madelyn Wong agreed. “[The best part of Disneybounding is] coming together with friends to do something simple but fun,” said Wong.
In addition, Disneybounding is inexpensive and lenient—nobody’s looking for an exact character replica.
“At first I thought that I couldn’t Disneybound because I didn’t have the right clothing, but then I realized that it was less about the actual clothing and more about the three-color palette of the character,” Miller said. “The second thing that really inspired me was the use of details/accessories to really personalize the character. As an avid crafter, I took this as a creative challenge.”
This is only one group of Disneybounders—there are more creative spirits assembling Disney-inspired outfits and posting them to social media websites throughout the school.
If a Disney fan wants to join in now, it’s never too late to start; just pick a character, pick an outfit, and snap a pic. Do it for the Disneybound!
