Emerging on TikTok in the early 2020s, the clean girl aesthetic, at its core, is all about effortlessly presenting your best self. It’s about living your most productive, put-together, self-aware life—or at least seeming like you’re doing so.
If you missed the clean girl aesthetic at the height of its popularity, here’s your primer on what it is and why it’s drawn some valid criticism over the years.
What is the clean girl aesthetic makeup look?
Popularized by influencers like Emma Mac and Hailey Bieber, the clean girl aesthetic keeps things ultra simple. Having almost nothing to do with personal hygiene, much of the vibe is ultimately beauty-based. On the makeup front, clean girls should look comfy and cozy, even if it takes a bit of work to look comfy and cozy.
You want to stick to the basics — a hint of concealer, blush, gloss, and brow gel will do just the trick. Bringing out your inner glow is also key. Besides using a dewy primer and skin tint, you can apply a bit of highlighter. Don’t go full disco ball, though — the idea is to appear au naturel. In the iconic words of Jools Lebron, the look is very demure, very mindful. Keep your makeup minimal and achieve picture-perfect skin with a disciplined skincare routine.
For hair, the signature look is pretty much the perfectly coiffed, slick back bun, claw clip optional. It also doesn’t hurt to have a fresh mani to top off your low-key look. Here’s a typical example of how the clean girl makeup look comes together.
@xolizahbeauty #cleangirl #cleanbeauty #rmsbeauty #cleanormusty #cleanmakeup #thatgirl #beginnermakeup #FerragamoLetsDance #fypage #glowyskin @rmsbeauty #meganfox ♬ XOLIZAHBEAUTY – xolizahbeauty
What is clean girl style?
In contrast with Y2K’s flashy metallics and rhinestones, clean girl style embraces minimalist designs. Reminiscent of the quiet luxury trend, the vibe lies somewhere between an Eileen Fisher catalog and Monica Geller’s closet on Friends. There are lots of casual corporate silhouettes, such as slouchy cardigans, wide-leg trousers, and relaxed blazers. For more off-duty outfits, you can opt for midriff tees, lounging sweats, slip dresses, and mom jeans.
As a whole, the clean girl color palette is fairly neutral, almost adjacent to “sad beige” look. If you want to spice up your style, hoops and dainty necklaces are the way to go, especially if they’re gold.
Here’s a quick clean girl style montage for you:
@itstaylorlou Simple & clean fits are the moment #thatgirl #cleangirlaesthetic ♬ all the things she said ARE TOXIC by altegomusic – ALTÉGO
What does the lifestyle look like?
The clean girl aesthetic is an entire lifestyle. The clean girl conjures the illusion of being put together overall. This means embracing wellness to optimize productivity. Cleans girls rise at the crack of dawn to do pilates, drink matcha, and journal in their luxury stationery. Self-care can also look like facial masks and everything showers.
If you’re wondering what the latter is, be sure to check out the following clip. (This is where the trend is actually related to hygiene.)
@ashleynoelleeee 10 step everything shower routine ✨ summer edition ✨ #selfcareroutine #fyp #selfcaretiktok #cleangirlaesthetic ♬ BIRDS OF A FEATHER – Billie Eilish
Criticisms of the clean girl aesthetic
Despite dominating feeds and marketing campaigns everywhere, the clean girl aesthetic has been catching heat since its inception. For starters, the clean girl aesthetic can be exclusive, platforming predominantly white women, especially if they’re young and thin. This is notable because the gold hoop and slicked-back hairstyle has been popular in Black and Brown communities for decades, particularly if you look at the ’70s disco and ’90s hip-hop eras.
“When you look up clean girl aesthetic on pretty much any social media platform, I would say a majority of it is gonna be white girls,” says TikTok creator @ashleykimchi.
@ashleykimchi clean girl aesthetic is nothing new, not just a trend, and certainly not from YT people ‼️‼️ if there is any information that is incorrect, pls kindly lmk in the comments! last but not least, give credit where credit is due. #cleangirlaesthetic ♬ original sound – ashley 🎀
“The truth of the matter is that the slicked-back hair, gold hoops, clear lip gloss—that originates from Black and Brown communities,” she continues. “As trendy as it is now, it used to be referred to as ‘ghetto’ and ‘unclean.’”
There’s also the fact that it’s never actually effortless to look effortless. The clean girl aesthetic can set fairly unrealistic beauty and lifestyle standards.
“Clean girl was one of the first trends that I can personally remember on TikTok that moved the app away from its like, raw, unfiltered roots. Like, suddenly, the girlies were sharing their highly aspirational life, and they were blowing up on the app because of that,” notes Lauren Meisner of the Infinite Scroll podcast.
@infinitescrollpodcast why #cleangirl is in its flop era: a deep dive into the rise & fall of one of tiktok’s biggest trends🫧🧼 search ‘infinite scroll’ anywhere you get podcasts to listen to the full episode🎧 #cleangirlaesthetic #cleangirlmakeup #cleangirlroutine #cleangirllifestyle ♬ original sound – infinite scroll podcast
This aspirational life doesn’t come cheap. It can be expensive to invest in skincare and hair care products to appear “effortless.” The clean girl aesthetic can pressure women not to look “dirty” or disheveled. Natural things like body hair, blemishes, and imperfect nails can be considered “unclean.”
There’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting to look put together, per se. However, unpacking who has the means to look “clean” and what “clean” looks like can draw out the more problematic aspects of this aesthetic.
Examples of the clean girl aesthetic
Despite some of its more controversial facets, the clean girl aesthetic can be a fun way to experiment with a simpler makeup and fashion style. It can also encourage you to consume less you streamline your routines and stick to beauty and wardrobe staples.
Bearing in mind what critics have had to say about the aesthetic, here are clean girl inspo videos if you’re curious about the look.
@daisyherriott clean girl aesthetic >
♬ original sound – georgie | fashion & makeup 💫✨
@barbiebanksx Clean Girl Aesthetic – black girl edition 🤍 #cleangirlaesthetic #makeup #tutorial #girls #softglam #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #trend ♬ LUSANDA Hey Ya OUT NOW – LUSANDA
@kharisjournal How to get the “clean-minimalist” look ✨ 1. Timeless pieces Choose staples over trends. Invest in pieces you can wear for years without looking outdated. Like a classic white button up shirt. 2. Neutral colors You can have endless outfit combinations leveraging neutrals. Colors such as black, white, navy, gray, tans & browns. 3. Monochromatic or tonal dressing Try these methods to look put together. Monochrome is dressing entirely in one color without varying shades and tines. Tonal is varying the shades and tints of a hue within an outfit. 4. Accessorize wisely Choose the right accessories to compliment your look. Match it with your personal style, body type and face shape. It’s all about balance. 5. Keep it simple Don’t overcomplicate things. — Source: Erica Ball, Carmen Lopez, Matt Spaiser, Dressbarn. — #stylingideas #styletips #cleangirlaesthetic #cleanoutfits #minimaloutfit #capsulewardrobe #easystylingoutfitinspo #easystyletips #grwm #grwmoutfit #grwmaesthetic #outfitideas #outfitinspo #minimalistoutfits #wardrobeessentials #ootdinspo #ootd #wardrobestaples #fashiontiktok #cleanaesthetic ♬ Murder on the Dancefloor x Gypsy Woman by L BEATS – DJ L BEATS
@0emmamac Full makeup tutorial of this look is on my youtube Emma Mac 🤭🩷🩷
♬ original sound – EMMA MAC
@scarlett____ for my clean girlies ☁️ #cleangirl #cleangirlaesthetic #thatgirl #vanillagirl ♬ original sound – Scarlett Frazer 🎀
@yazghotb there’s no need to wait until the new year to start becoming the person you want to be #cleangirlaesthetic #glowup #howtoglowup ♬ original sound – yaz
More trending style explainers:
- Preppy doesn’t mean what you think it means anymore
- Add a fresh twist to your summer looks with Aperol spritz makeup
- Underconsumption core: The TikTok trend that will encourage you to buy less
- What is ‘fake’ vs. ‘real’ coquette, and how has the definition changed over time?
- 2014 Tumblr is back in full swing: Here’s what to know about all things Tumblrcore
- What counts as the Y2K aesthetic? Here’s what you need to know
- The Kindle girlie aesthetic is dominating BookTok
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