Why The Clean Girl Beauty Trend Still Comes at The Price of Acceptance
Were you just as baffled as I was trying to figure out what ‘clean girl beauty’ meant? It was in fact as someone who is a lovely of all things makeup and skincare, i found it quite frustrating there was no clear indication, like, help a millennial out.
And at the same time, I couldn’t scroll anywhere without seeing it.
I had to dig deeper and find out what was really going on…
“Oh, Clean Girl Beauty,” I said out loud, finally solving the ongoing mystery.
I was underwhelmed.
Dewy skin, slicked-back buns, brushed-up brows, and minimalist everything is the aesthetic which has been dominating TikTok and Pinterest feeds for the past few years and marketed as effortless, timeless, “natural.”
What Is the Clean Girl Aesthetic, Really?
It’s pretty much all of the above but let’s be honest, if thats all there was to it, this blog would be incredibly boring. So, let’s unpick and unpack this beauty bag, scrunchies and all.
Ultimately, the Clean Girl look is less about being clean and more about being visibly minimal in a way that aligns with Eurocentric ideals of refinement and femininity.
She’s not “doing too much.” She doesn’t wear heavy makeup. She wears gold hoops, neutral tones, and a low-effort bun (sounds like a regular off-duty uniform for many black girls).
Her lifestyle (or the one she’s selling) whispers luxury, including matcha mornings, Pilates, £70 skincare, “I just woke up like this” selfies with ‘glazed skin’, a term coined by Hailey Bieber, which I’m certain is inspired by the K-beauty glass skin.
But the deeper you look, the more obvious it becomes: this is a curated aesthetic, not an organic movement. And what’s curated can be sold.
Clean Girl Isn’t New — It’s Just Been Rebranded
Like most trends, its cute, but nothing new. Many of us grew up around versions of this beauty standard. Think about it:
Slick buns were something we did with a big tub of Jam or Eco-styler gel while using a toothbrush to perfect our baby hairs.
Minimal makeup wasn’t a choice, because the makeup industry took a decade to cater to our skin tone, meaning most of us were only wearing a sweep of mascara.
No-makeup makeup wasn’t always celebrated on brown or Black skin — we were told to look “more polished,” “less bold,” “not so intense.”
South Asian girls with oil-slicked-back buns were mocked in classrooms for “greasy hair.”
But now that same style is “model off-duty,” because a nepo influencer wears it with a Miu Miu set and a sweep of Rhode lip gloss.
Give it a rest.
Let’s not pretend the rules haven’t changed. The rules always change, depending on who’s playing.
Beauty, But Make It Palatable
It's no accident that the aesthetic leans into whiteness, thinness, and wealth.
These are the same pillars that have always been quietly upheld as the standard of beauty, only now they’re hiding behind jade rollers (again originating from the Far East) and Refy blush.
And here's the problem, when beauty is repackaged in this way, it can invalidate or erase the original cultures and communities that inspired it in the first place.
That’s the part they don’t tell you: the clean girl aesthetic is only considered chic when there’s status, control, or an element of wealth behind it.
So What’s the Move?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to cancel the Clean Girl Beauty trend. I love a slicked-back ponytail and a glossy lip as much as the next person, especially out at 8 am, getting my 10,000 steps in (I’ll take a frothy oat latte over a matcha, though).
What I don’t love is blind sheep mentality.
And I guess I wanted to use this blog as a reminder that every trend deserves questioning, especially the ones that claim to be neutral, natural, or effortless.
Here’s what I remind myself (and you as a valued reader) as I build this space in the luxury lifestyle and wellness space:
Choose your aesthetic consciously, not out of compliance.
You can love slick buns and glowing skin without pretending they’re a new invention.Credit where credit is due.
That look you love? It usually came from somewhere. Respect the roots. Honour the source.Don’t let a trend dictate your worth.
You don’t have to shrink, soften, or simplify to be desirable or relevant.Experiment loudly.
You’re allowed to switch it up. You’re allowed to take up space. Not everything has to be beige and balmy.
Finally…
There’s power in redefining trends on your own terms. The ‘Clean Girl’ look is undeniably beautiful, but it’s not the only version of beauty worth celebrating.
You don’t need to erase yourself to be considered elegant. You don’t need to fit into someone else’s idea of “minimal” to be magnetic.
And trust me, when your beauty is rooted in truth, intention, and self-respect, it doesn’t need a trend to validate it.
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