Fashion-haul videos gained popularity in the early days of YouTube. Now, the trend is taking off on TikTok, where creators filming themselves trying on dozens of new outfits in quick succession can easily gain millions of views. Videos posted using the haul hashtag, which predominantly contains fashion content, have reached 7 billion views.
But at the same time, the trend is facing backlash from a small but growing chorus of critics, who argue that hauls are promoting excessive spending on fast fashion, much of which can go to waste. Videos under the overconsumption hashtag on TikTok have reached 1.4 million views, and sustainability-focused creators often call out other TikTok users for their wasteful fashion habits.