Neither effortless nor clean: The clean girl aesthetic has gone too far

The clean girl aesthetic is a trend that began in the early 2020s and has since refused to fall.

It focuses on minimalism, an “effortless” appearance, and prioritizes perfect skin, slicked-back hairstyles, neutral clothing, and a very organized lifestyle.

But how effortless is this aesthetic?

A social media influencer who goes by @manelparletrop on TikTok posts almost daily videos of her morning routine. Her routine includes wearing a special mask for her dewlap, a gel mask, a lip collagen mask, and more — all overnight.

But her morning routine does not end there. Manel’s skin-care routine has not three, not five, but more than 20 steps — all before she begins her makeup.

I consistently see social media content where people confess that they haven’t washed their hair for five days, even though it’s greasy. That’s why many do the slicked-back hairstyles — so really, how clean is this aesthetic?

Young children are also being affected. A phenomenon known as “Sephora kids” involves eight-year-olds using toners, moisturizers, and other products bought with mommy’s credit card. Yet, their young skin does not need more than a good Cetaphil lotion!

Elementary school-aged children are doing their makeup and hair before school every morning. Don’t get me wrong here, you deserve a cute hairstyle, but a six-step skin-care routine, followed by foundation, blush, and mascara? When I was that age, I was begging my mom to let me change my earrings to a pair with butterflies.

While I understand the clean girl lifestyle, there has to be a limit. I use a heatless curler, own a satin bonnet and scarf for my curly hair, sleep on a satin pillowcase so my skin-care doesn’t get absorbed by a cotton one at night, and have a morning and nightly skin-care routine.

However, I find it excessive to have a five-day greasy hair slicked-back bun or a 12-step morning skin-care routine — and then encourage children to follow suit. If you follow a clean girl aesthetic routine or lifestyle that looks like this, it’s respectable, but there is a line. For many, an aesthetic can become excessive and obsessive.

I do think this aesthetic can look very good on some, but it is not “effortless” or entirely “clean.” It’s important to take care of oneself, but everything has to have a limit. The important thing here is that everyone finds whatever works for them.

If you like doing a 12-step skin-care routine or you only wash and moisturize your face and that’s it, all is good and well. At the end of the day, the purpose of skin care, makeup, and hair is to feel comfortable with ourselves.

But don’t think you have to fit an aesthetic that may just be adding pressure to something you enjoy.