They might be grey, plastic and reportedly very dirty, but airport security trays are in demand. Online, a new trend called the “airport tray aesthetic” sees people carefully curating the contents of a tray, showcasing their shoes, scents, accessories, headphones, hats and reading material against a backdrop of polypropylene – and then photographing it to share with their followers.

Sometimes called “TSA tray aesthetic”, referencing the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA), some of the compositions are understated and minimalist, featuring neatly placed flasks and hair clips. Others are more chaotic.

They have been met with a variety of reactions. Some people seem to read them as a waste of time, others as a means to humblebrag about fancy perfumes and highbrow books. But for others, they are simply an expression of personal style and creativity.

“In my art director era,” Piper Taich captioned one of her videos featuring multiple compositions: one including Adidas trainers, an Olympus camera and tan bag; another with pink mules, a lime green bag and a Canon camera. A professional graphic designer, Taich sees the purpose as “expressing yourself and having fun”. “Part of my job is directing photoshoots, so putting together an eye-catching, cohesive composition like in the trend is something I really enjoy.” For work, she does it with food; for fun, she does it with accessories.

Brands, including those in the sustainable fashion and skincare business, are hopping onboard. The publisher Faber posted half a dozen trays themed around its books on Instagram, while the bag brand August Noa used it to showcase their designs surrounded by Chanel mules, claw clips and sunglasses.

According to J’Nae Phillips, a senior trend analyst, fashion columnist and creator of the Fashion Tingz newsletter, it is “the latest form of digital flexing”. While the cliche on Instagram is photographs of food, this could be read as a 2024 update. “This phenomenon is an evolution of #foodstagram and aesthetically pleasing foodie pics posted online, where curated food displays signalled a certain lifestyle and sense of taste,” said Phillips. “Security tray photos go one step further than this, blending the thrill of travel with conspicuous consumption, allowing people to construct and broadcast their aspirational identities in a way that feels current and fresh.”

It isn’t the first time people on social media have come up with seemingly unlikely backdrops against which to photograph what they are wearing or reading. Plates, shelves and bedside tables have all been visual vessels through which to offer such snapshots. In fact, as part of another current trend, people share pictures of what they are carrying – Prada handbags, flowers and nice bottles of wine – in their bike baskets, often offering some handy marketing for bike-share schemes such as Lime in the process.

Not everyone is onboard with the airport tray aesthetic, however. Long queues are one of several annoying facts of air travel, and much of this content has a few disgruntled comments complaining about the perceived hold-up caused. But content creators have hit back, saying they go to great lengths to avoid inconveniencing others.

The digital creator and secondhand clothes lover Chelsea Henriquez, who goes by the name Chelsea As of Late on TikTok, has a tutorial outlining how she goes through security and then takes the tray to the side to, as she puts it in the video, “set up your little tray to your heart’s desire”. The video Taich shared of how she creates hers at home, with a tray bought on Amazon, has been viewed more than 1.5m times. She even makes herself a fake boarding pass on Photoshop to make the scene feel more real.

Taich understands people’s “initial outrage when they think these photos are being taken in line”. But, she said: “I’m not sure it would even be possible in the speed and chaos of the TSA line, so like me, other creators are mimicking the trend at home, or doing it once exiting the line.” In any case, she said, she immediately recognised the trend as “concept photography”. “Who is flying with just loose jewellery, lipgloss and heels?”

For Henriquez, the backlash speaks volumes. As she wrote in a caption: “Anything social media/creator related is always painted as silly and frivolous by the media, but there are people (myself included) who have been able to make an entire career out of this. This is a whole INDUSTRY now but since it’s mostly women-led it’s often depicted as vapid.”

She had this sage advice to offer: “If you’re mad about people taking a tray from the TSA line, going to a separate section and setting up a cute little aesthetic photo where they are not bothering anybody … then, I dunno, grab a Snickers. You might be hungry.”