Is the Clean Girl Aesthetic Over?

We all know the Clean Girl aesthetic. The slick back buns, Hailey Bieber reposts, sleek jewelry. It is this elegant vibe that kind of has an underlying tone of “I have money.” Honestly, I feel like if you say you never tried to take part in one of the trends that fall under this aesthetic, you’re totally lying. I might be biased because a slick back bun doesn’t look good on me, I have one too many tattoos to have “clean” skin, and I have a lot of fun partying a little too hard. I just truly believe that the Clean Girl Era is coming to an end. I think that the year of 2025 is full of maximalism, meanwhile this trend screams minimalism. Minimalism, except for the amount of skin/hair care you have, because let me tell you, to be a clean girl you need a lot. We’re not getting into that today technically, today we’re getting into how this is coming to an end. Not because I say so, but because if you stay up to date with any sort of fashion reports, magazines, news outlets, you’ll find being loud with your closet and vibe is the new quiet, clean girl.

Can we start by talking about what the key elements to the Clean Girl aesthetic are? There are a few major ones, and then some hidden traits as well. The ones most people would recognize are the slick back bun, gold jewelry, and minimal makeup. First up, the slick back bun. Honestly, I know that this was technically a thing before this whole aesthetic was a trend, but it wasn’t called a slick back bun. It was called having greasy hair. Yeah… Sorry if you’re into the whole slick back bun thing, but I feel like you should probably just wash your hair. Now, there are a few exceptions. If you are going to some black tie event, yes a slick back can look good! I think it can look classy, but if you are wearing a slick back casually I just don’t get it. Like I said earlier it’s probably because I just can’t do it myself, so yes there is a little bit of a personal vendetta against it, but nonetheless, if you’re participating in this whole “I look bald,” thing, maybe just wash your hair and give it a nice curl. Don’t let this fool you, I am jealous of the girls who can pull this off. Sorry, I’m giving you a lot of mixed signals on this thing. I can’t explain more without repeating myself, so if you get it, you get it, if you don’t, you don’t. One of the next key elements are gold jewelry. Now, even if you are a clean girl who is wearing silver, the whole vibe is gold. It is this certain level of class clean girls must meet. But! If you are buying all of your gold jewelry off of Shein, and having to order new ones often because they turn your hand green, is it really worth it? Probably not. Now, the gold (or silver…) jewelry that you are ordering is not going to be big, fun pieces that add to your outfit, they are going to be plain bands that wrap around your dainty fingers. Maybe a cute one with a heart, or a fake diamond on it. This is a major staple to the Clean Girl aesthetic actually. You can’t show that you are clean without showing that you don’t get your hands dirty. The perfectly manicured nails, dainty rings, and slender fingers. I feel like this shows “Hey! I am so clean!” If you can show that you don’t have to get your hands dirty, it shows you don’t have to work very hard, which ends up showing a level of money that most people these days aren’t able to attain. Okay, last one we’re going to talk about is minimal makeup. I genuinely don’t have any issue with this, and believe that even if you were to go maximalist, minimal makeup is still an option. But, this plays into the clean girl vibe so well because if you can wear minimal makeup it’s showing that you have this glass skin everyone wants. You have the eyelashes to fly away, and glossy lips, and obviously it’s all natural! I feel like minimal makeup screams Clean Girl because it just shows you take care of yourself, which I feel like slick back buns don’t do, so it’s kind of contradicting. Okie dokie, next topic is the influence that influencers have in this trend. Hailey Bieber is who we’ll be discussing today. Listen, we all know Hailey Bieber before the Selena scandal, but were any of us really paying attention to her? Other than being Kendall’s friend. Maybe that’s just me, but for somehow who is chronically online, I feel like it would be hard for it to just be me who thought this. Hailey Bieber launched her brand Rhode, which is the epitome of Clean Girl. It is a skincare brand, but I believe that are well known for their lip gloss. I’ve heard their skincare products give people glass skin and a dewey look, which every clean girl needs. I think that Hailey is a gorgeous girl and taking a specific industry by storm, but if you look at all of her photos they are all posed, but not too posed, she has glossy lips, clean hair, manicured nails, and never applies a filter too heavily. Her page is full of neutrals. I believe Hailey Bieber is THE clean girl, but not because she tries to be, just because that’s where her roots are. Now that we’ve discussed the major components to being a clean girl and who one of the biggest faces for this trend are, let’s dive into it some more.

There has been such an overexposure of this trend on Tik Tok and Instagram. I think that if there is one thing Gen Z and even Millennials love, it is being unpredictable and quirky. Now this trend is predictable and the opposite of quirky. Every girl looks the same doing it, yes gorgeous! But, nonetheless the same. I could confidently say that every time I open Tik Tok, I expect to see at least one “Clean Girl” Tik Tok. It is the most predictable trend. Oh, you see a clean girl doing her skin care, oh she put on her bubble head band, oh and now she’s curling her eyelashes before she goes to bed. Okay, yes I am a fool and do stay to watch the whole thing because they are mesmerizing, but that doesn’t mean I think it’s any different than the last one I saw. I guess that’s what makes it a good trend still trending though. So, what girls are often participating in this trend? I don’t want to bring it up, but I think I have to. There is an exclusivity problem. To be able to successfully participate in this Clean Girl trend a lot of the time you have to be of a certain class. A class with money. You have to be able to afford the latest, best skin care, the newest sneakers that add a pop to your closet. If you are a Clean Girl reading this and you aren’t in this class I’m talking about, then I know you’re working to get what you want! And I admire that. I do think that you should spend your money how you want, and if Golden Gooses are what’s calling you, don’t even bother listening to me. If you are living alone and maybe struggle to pay rent sometimes, but still trying to reach this aesthetic, you’ll probably find it more difficult, and won’t reach that goal anytime soon. I’m sorry, I know that sounds mean, I am just feeling a little raw this morning. To give you a vibe of where I’m at, I am at a coffee shop in Bird Rock, San Diego, California, drinking a black coffee that I paid $4 for, and Claire is playing in the background. A lot of mixed feelings. Sorry for getting off track. After the class privilege you probably have or need and how that is an issue for most, let’s talk about the shift in consumer behavior. So disgusting, but something all of us have taken part in at least once, probably twice. Honestly, with Tik Tok, Instagram, Pinterest, it is nearly impossible to not take part in consumer behavior. Everyone has someone they admire, damn I just talked about people I look to in my last article. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t have your own preferences. I briefly talked about this earlier and how every Get Ready With Me is the same as the next and the one before on Clean Girl Tok, but what makes you different? Why do you think you have to do the exact same thing as that girl. You can admire her, but that doesn't mean you have to copy her. You have the ability to love one trend, and put your own twist on it, but honestly I believe that it is so hard for many people to find their own personality these days because they are so online. I am so online, but I also take time out of my day to do things I know I love. I love Devon Lee Carlson and her style, but I am not going to be wearing low rise jeans just because she did. Bad example, but I do believe that the Clean Girl Aesthetic takes away all individuality and turns us all into this army of slick back wearing, classy girls. Which is cool, but like, what do you love? What did you enjoy doing before you spent at least an hour a day on your phone? And if it isn’t putting my hair in a slick back and spending an hour doing skincare, then maybe you should adjust some things and heal your inner child.

This section won’t take long, but what’s replacing it? What is replacing the Clean Girl? Well, I believe that if you are going to switch from Clean Girl to another trend, it should at least be something you connect with in all aspects of your life. I honestly could not think of one single aesthetic I fall under, because I base the way I dress and who or what I speak about based on how I personally feel that morning. I’m not saying that’s the solution, but that’s my take. If you are looking for something specific, I believe that maximalism and grunge vibes are coming back. Not so much Y2K in the sense that you should dress like Paris Hilton (why do I mention her in every one of my blogs). Y2K in a Kesha Sense, a grunge that is so uncaring but perfectly curated. You’re messy, but you don’t smell bad. You are down to stay up all night and go have a good time, but you also prioritize your goals in life. Along with maximalism, finding things you love, different staple pieces, putting them to use all at once. Finding ways to use your personal style as a trend. Does that make sense? I just think you should replace your clean girl vibe for just being you. Sounds cliche, don’t hate me, but it’s true and something I’ve come to realize is so much easier than following some made up agenda by some influencer. Now, let me know what you are deciding to do. Toodles.