Hair without volume, ‘natural’ skin and lots of beige and white: discover the ‘clean girl’ aesthetic

In a video posted three months ago on TikTok, a 22-year-old influencer teaches the five essential steps to becoming a “clean girl.” The term refers to a beauty trend that has been gaining popularity on social media.

The “clean girl” aesthetic consists of a minimalist look, with a basic aspect, that evokes freshness and naturalness. It encompasses everything from makeup, hair and clothes to home decor and lifestyle. The TikToker teaches that the first step is “make up on make up”, that is, makeup as if you “woke up like this”.

No red lipstick, colorful eyeshadow or heavily contoured eyes. The idea is just the opposite: to have skin that looks smooth, flushed and radiant, by force of nature.

The ideal hair of a “clean girl” needs to be kept under control, preferably tied in a low bun with gel, without any flyaways. The wardrobe consists of pastel-colored pieces, lots of beige, white and gray — no prints. Accessories should be minimalist, like delicate jewelry and “preferably gold,” the TikToker teaches.

Google Trends data shows that interest in the “clean girl” aesthetic began to grow around the world in 2022, with Hailey Bieber often associated with this trend. She is among the top searches related to the aesthetic on the platform. This year, interest grew again in January, coinciding with the rise of another trend on social media: the “mob wife”, which goes against the “clean girl” proposal, by valuing glamour, luxury, exaggeration and boldness in costumes.

The aristocrat and wife of Justin Bieber described, in a 2023 interview with Harper’s Bazaar, what she calls her “beauty philosophy”. “What works for me is ‘less is more’. A natural vibe, nothing too heavy, everything very minimalist”, said Hailey, who owns a cosmetics brand. In addition to her, celebrities such as Selena Gomez, Bruna Marquezine, Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid are among the followers of the “clean girl”.

THE FALSE NATURAL

For Natália Marques, an image and style consultant, the trend is a step backwards in the path of self-acceptance that has been built in recent years. “This aesthetic brings the stereotype of flawless, perfect skin, but no one has skin like that,” she explains. “It’s a step backwards. Ideally, we should be embracing our imperfections.”

Professor and fashion consultant Monayna Pinheiro, from Faap (Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado), says that the trend emerged as a revamping of the 1990s, when supermodels began to opt for basic looks when they were off the catwalk.

“They walked around with almost no makeup, wearing comfortable clothes, like baggy jeans and tank tops. This was criticized for reinforcing a stereotype of what it means to be naturally beautiful,” she says.

For her, the “clean girl” poses the same risk by spreading the image of the “fake natural”. While selling a supposedly simple look, many influencers are, behind the scenes, even resorting to invasive procedures.

“To achieve the most treated skin possible, without blemishes, without pimples, without wrinkles, without expression lines, which theoretically involves minimalism and naturalness, the person may be going in the opposite direction: an obsession”, says Monayna.

I WANT TO BE RICH

For the experts, the “clean girl” trend comes in the wake of another misguided trend: the idea of ​​wanting to look rich, which has been gaining momentum on TikTok in recent years. “There are rich nails, rich pants, rich hair. They created an image of ‘being rich’ that doesn’t match reality. Rich people don’t all dress the same,” says Natália. The consultant goes further: this image may be linked to Eurocentric and eugenicist standards.

To keep their hair in order, for example, influencers use pomades and gels that act like glue, leaving even curly and frizzy hair frizz-free. “The question is: does this enhance and represent everyone?”, asks Natália.

“They sold us this idea that elegance is only about being minimalist, having slicked-back hair and wearing beige clothes. That’s not true. Wearing colors, prints and voluminous hair doesn’t make anyone less elegant,” she says. She warns of the danger of not only trampling on one’s own personality, but also rejecting the context in which one lives. “Brazil is a colorful, tropical country. Saying that color is bad is a Eurocentric view.”