Social media, with its ever-evolving trends, thrives on the power of aesthetics. Over the past few years, TikTok has become a driving force in shaping beauty standards and lifestyle choices, sparking viral phenomena that sweep across feeds with breathtaking speed. Among the most captivating of these is the “Clean Girl” aesthetic—a look characterized by slicked-back buns, glowy skin, minimal makeup, and understated elegance. It’s become shorthand for effortless beauty, wellness, and a specific kind of feminine presentation. But beneath the glimmering surface lies a deeper question: is the Clean Girl aesthetic merely another fleeting trend, or does it reflect a timeless ideal that transcends digital platforms?
Understanding the ‘Clean Girl’ Look
To understand the rise of the Clean Girl aesthetic, it’s essential to first grasp what it represents. This look isn’t about high fashion or avant-garde style. Instead, it emphasizes simplicity, cleanliness, and refinement. Think dewy skin, brushed brows, gold hoop earrings, fresh white T-shirts, and the occasional iced coffee in hand. The makeup is light—tinted moisturizer, lip gloss, and a touch of cream blush. The wardrobe is basic but curated, with a heavy reliance on neutral tones, linen, and gold accessories.
Its champions often cite models like Hailey Bieber or Bella Hadid, while influencers flood TikTok with morning routines featuring gua sha, green juice, and sustainable skincare. The allure lies in the suggestion of effortlessness—of waking up perfect, maintaining a clutter-free life, and looking good while doing it.
But this cultivated simplicity is, in itself, a carefully maintained artifice. And while it may seem fresh and modern, the roots of this aesthetic are deeply entrenched in longstanding beauty ideals.
Not So New: The Historical Roots of Simplicity
The Clean Girl aesthetic may have gone viral in the 2020s, but its core principles are far from new. Throughout history, minimalism in beauty has resurfaced time and again. Ancient Roman and Greek societies praised youthfulness and clear skin, while the Victorian era introduced the idea of “natural beauty” as a marker of class and femininity. Even the 1990s and early 2000s embraced the “no-makeup makeup” look with models like Kate Moss epitomizing understated glamor.
In many ways, the Clean Girl vibe is simply the latest iteration of these historical aesthetics. It presents itself as fresh, but draws on the same ideals—youth, health, wealth, and a kind of feminine restraint. In doing so, it echoes beauty standards that have been subtly imposed for generations, rebranded for a digital age.
Privilege in Disguise
As with many trends rooted in social media, there’s a darker side that’s worth unpacking. The Clean Girl look, for all its simplicity, isn’t accessible to everyone. The products featured in influencer routines—luxury skincare, $50 candles, silk pillowcases—come at a price. The lifestyle it implies is one of leisure and affluence. You need time to perfect your skincare ritual, money to curate a capsule wardrobe, and the social capital to wear minimal makeup and still be seen as “put together.”
More critically, the trend often skews toward a particular image of whiteness and Eurocentric beauty. While creators of color have embraced the Clean Girl aesthetic, many have pointed out the double standards in how their natural features—like slicked-back edges or glowing skin—were once vilified, only to now be trendy when worn by white influencers. This repackaging of existing cultural norms under a new label can be frustratingly reductive, even exclusionary.
The Psychology Behind the Appeal
Despite the criticisms, it’s easy to see why the Clean Girl aesthetic resonates so deeply with audiences. In an increasingly chaotic world—marked by burnout, social unrest, and endless scrolling—there’s something soothing about an aesthetic that promises order, calm, and self-care. The Clean Girl is aspirational not just in appearance, but in lifestyle. She’s hydrated, well-rested, emotionally regulated, and in control.
This appeal is particularly potent for women who have grown up under the weight of perfectionism and social pressure. The Clean Girl represents an attainable ideal—not the supermodel or celebrity, but the girl next door who just seems to have it all together. The aesthetic becomes a way to assert control in a world that often feels overwhelming. It’s not just about how you look; it’s about how you live.
A Digital Life of Its Own
What makes the Clean Girl aesthetic unique compared to earlier beauty movements is how seamlessly it merges with the content-driven lives we lead online. It isn’t just about style—it’s about the rituals that support the aesthetic. TikTok tutorials break down everything from skincare to journaling, turning self-care into a form of performance. The aesthetic has bled into every corner of digital culture: Pinterest mood boards, Spotify playlists, even Notion templates.
This fluid integration into daily life has allowed the Clean Girl trend to persist longer than many of TikTok’s viral moments. Unlike, say, the E-Girl or Cottagecore waves that felt more costume-like, the Clean Girl ethos is modular—it can be adapted, toned down, or elevated, making it both trend and lifestyle.
Trend or Timeless?
So where does this leave us? Is the Clean Girl aesthetic destined to fade, like so many other internet trends, or is it here to stay?
The answer likely lies somewhere in between. As a viral TikTok category, the Clean Girl aesthetic will eventually lose its novelty. The internet craves novelty, and attention spans are short. We’ve already begun to see backlash, with some creators rejecting the aesthetic’s sanitized perfection in favor of messier, more authentic self-expression.
But the deeper values behind the trend—simplicity, wellness, minimalism—are likely to endure. These ideals have always had a place in beauty and lifestyle culture, and they’re especially relevant in a post-pandemic world where people are reevaluating what truly matters. Even as the Clean Girl label fades, the essence of the trend will remain embedded in our habits, purchases, and self-concepts.
Embracing Without Imitating
Perhaps the best way forward is to take what works from the Clean Girl aesthetic without becoming trapped by it. There’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting clear skin or a tidy space. But when these desires are filtered through the lens of social media perfection, they can become burdensome.
True beauty lies in authenticity—in the freedom to adopt what feels right and discard what doesn’t. The Clean Girl aesthetic can be a source of inspiration, a gentle nudge toward healthier routines or more mindful consumption. But it should never become a measuring stick of worth or a uniform we feel compelled to wear.
In the end, what’s most powerful about this trend is not the look itself, but the conversation it sparks about how we present ourselves, online and off. And in that sense, whether it fades or endures, the Clean Girl aesthetic has already left its mark.
