Deconstructing the Clean Girl Aesthetic
Aesthetic is a word that every Gen Z has sort of adopted into internet lingo. It’s traditionally used to describe a set of notions that are considered beautiful. However, in the age of the internet, it is distilled to describe how you want to dress and look like to the overall lifestyle you want to emulate, from your online presence to your everyday routine.
You can practically see and hear the word aesthetic getting thrown around everywhere. There are so many to choose from just from initial searching online. You got the old money aesthetic, the light academia aesthetic, the cottagecore aesthetic, the VSCO aesthetic, and the list goes on and on. TikTok’s current fave right now is the Clean Girl Aesthetic.
How to achieve the Clean Girl Aesthetic
To achieve the clean girl look, think minimal. Sleek model hair, glossy lips, and dewy skin – these are the basics of this aesthetic. There are dedicated makeup tutorials under the hashtag clean girl aesthetic on TikTok. It includes details like what kind of products to use and what their hair routine would look like. There’s even a specific scent a clean girl aesthetic constitutes to finish the look.
Beyond the outward appearance, there are endless TikTok videos about what a clean girl’s morning and evening routines would look like. What she wears for the day, and what her breakfast looks like. What she eats in a day, the kind of movies and books she would read.
To sum up, the clean girl aesthetic is looking beautiful without trying. The epitome of this trend is the sentence, “I woke up looking like this, and you can too.”
Harmful trend or harmless fun?
When I first heard the Clean Girl aesthetic, the first thought that came to mind was: what? When I searched online about what exactly did it mean, the results included looking like a glazed doughnut, which is concerning because I wouldn’t want to compare a human person to literal food. However, after a few minutes of falling deeper into the TikTok pit, I get the appeal. Who doesn’t want to look put together and effortlessly chic?
While there’s an overwhelming amount of TikToks made by white, skinny, and well-off girls under this hashtag, there have been forms of pushback on this trend. Many pointed out that this trend was not something new because the sleek, tied hair paired with gold earrings look was popularized by Black and Latinx women. Various hashtags such as #CleanMakeupForBlackGirls and #LatinaGirlAesthetic not only showcases how these communities rock with these gorgeous looks but reveals that you don’t need to be white to get the “clean girl” look.
At the end of the day, I think if you want to try it, try it. If it makes you happy and makes you feel beautiful, then this makeup trend did its job. After all, trends come and go, and sooner or later, the “clean girl” aesthetic will just be another one that bites the dust when newer trends take the center spotlight.
