The Airport Tray Aesthetic: Reflections on Gen Z’s Visual Storytelling

In an era where personal branding reigns supreme, the “airport tray aesthetic” has emerged as a new trend among Gen Z creators. Travel to exotic and cosmopolitan destinations will always be in vogue—but capturing the dull in-between moments gives viewers an even more intimate peek into the experience of getting there. In this Pinterest aesthetic, TSA bins are pictured filled with neatly arranged personal items, from luxury handbags to tech gadgets. But here’s the thing: many of these images are likely not even taken in airports. Instead, they’re staged at home or in a studio, designed to evoke the sense of being on a journey without the chaos of real-time travel. The other day I noticed the gray plastic bin I use for hand washing delicates was the right shape and color for a recreation, no metal detector required.

This trend speaks to the rise of a new cultural mindset, where individuals see themselves as the editor-in-chief of their own lives. In this way, I’m reminded of the quote by Elsie de Wolfe— “I am going to make everything around me beautiful, that will be my life.” Publications are no longer the sole arbiters of lifestyle, with people today curating their own visual identity, and in so, inspiring their followers to find beauty all around them. Gen Z has taken this idea to new heights, blurring the lines between lived experiences and manufactured moments.

Curated security bin photos are less about the reality of travel and more about what travel represents: freedom, luxury, and the art of the journey itself. It’s a form of self-expression where the mundane is elevated, turning everyday moments into symbols of a larger, carefully constructed story. It shows how deeply embedded visual storytelling is in today’s culture—each photo crafted to explore the concept of personal style.

In a way, this reflects the broader cultural shift toward manufacturing experiences rather than just documenting them. Gen Z doesn’t simply record life as it happens; they actively create the moments they want others to see. Life has become a series of curated spreads, with each person both the subject and the artist, controlling how they are perceived, right down to the most banal moments of travel. This trend highlights both the creativity and the performative nature of self-representation in today’s social media-driven world.

Ultimately, the “airport tray aesthetic” isn’t just a quirky viral trend—it’s a window into how this generation sees themselves. Gen Z uses social media as an artistic medium—editing their lives as though it were a living, breathing editorial spread. Modernized manifest destiny philosophy is about carving out a territory of your own within the limitless digital landscape. The expansion of personal branding is tied to the practice of presenting your life in varying degrees for public consumption. The act of turning ordinary experience into visual expression, symbolizes a larger desire to conquer digital spaces by making them personal, even in traditionally unremarkable contexts.