The clean girl aesthetic is a trend that’s been floating around social media for a while now. You’ve most likely seen some sort of “becoming *that girl*” post on your home feed at some point, whether you clicked it or not. So, let’s talk about it. Is this aesthetic all it’s cracked up to be? Or is it truly a flawed trend that provides an unhealthy perspective of productivity? Keep reading for more.
Let’s break down the name first. Hypothetically, the clean girl/that girl aesthetic is all you want. She’s productive, works out 5 times a week, wakes up early, dresses in neutral, minimal clothing, has a gorgeous, minimal apartment and wears little makeup. That’s who you want to be, right? At least, that’s what your TikTok feed is telling you. However, this isn’t an accurate or healthy portrayal of productivity. Those girls wearing “no makeup” are actually wearing a full face, and on top of that, I can guarantee you that they’re edited and airbrushed, over and over again. And why would you want to spend your whole life doing skincare and working out? Isn’t there so much more to life than that? Well, if you want to follow this trend, there’s only so much you can do for it.
Now, let’s talk about the portrayal in media. If you look up “clean girl aesthetic” on Pinterest, the vast majority of the people you’ll see will be thin, young, white, blonde females. And…not much else. How is this aesthetic leaving any room for diversity and inclusion? People of ANY shape and color and size are allowed to “participate” in this aesthetic. You’ll find very little portrayal of people who look like people with this aesthetic. All you’ll see are people with “perfect” skin, “perfect” abs, a “perfect” wardrobe, a “perfect” skincare routine and a “perfect” life. As you can see, this is exhausting.
It’s a completely unrealistic aesthetic. No one’s hair looks perfect all the time. No one’s clothing is perfect 24/7. What if you don’t want to drink green juice for breakfast every morning? You need to be able to meet all of these standards and then act as if it wasn’t a struggle to get there. You have to have a perfect life like it’s no big deal. Where’s the time for work or raising kids? How does anybody find the time in their day to look so unattainably perfect? Exactly. It’s impossible.
This aesthetic is also problematic, because it revolves a lot around aspects that were popularized by Black and Latinx cultures. While many people wear slicked back buns and gold hoop earrings nowadays…don’t you think it’s problematic to make an aesthetic that leaves absolutely no room for diversity that simultaneously revolves around cultural aspects like this?
Additionally, the name “clean girl” is implying that anyone who ISN’T a quote – unquote “clean girl” is considered “dirty.” Now think about how this ties into the other racist aspects of this trend. If you aren’t a young, wealthy, white, skinny woman – suddenly you’re considered “dirty”? This is the 21st century. We need to get over ourselves.
What’s more – this shows no room for people to be human – and not only with appearance. This aesthetic portrays wealthy, privileged women with no room for mental health, budgeting or anything less than the most privileged of privileged. Because – surprise! Mental illness exists, struggles exist and burnout exists. If you struggle with autism or depression, are you suddenly not able to follow this aesthetic? Not everyone can afford to go to Starbucks twice a day or do Pilates every day. Not everyone is going to have the same “clean girl” beauty products, because not everyone can afford it. Diet too – you can’t live off of fruit and vegetables. No one goes to the grocery store and exits with a basket full of leafy greens. It’s unrealistic.
In conclusion, this aesthetic looks ideal from the outside, but it’s actually quite harmful and unrealistic. Just remember that your social media’s portrayal of productivity isn’t productivity. Remember that it’s okay to let yourself have days where you sit around and get absolutely nothing done. Express yourself the way you want to, not the way that some Internet trend does. And most of all, give yourself time to be you.