We all know the famed “clean girl aesthetic” that has taken over our TikTok page and Instagram feed. It features sleek, pulled-back hair or effortlessly smooth and long waves, paired with a wardrobe heavy on neutrals and basics. Beyond fashion, it promotes a lifestyle of perfection – working out every day, eating healthy, self care, journaling and meditation.
While the preface of hearing or viewing this aesthetic seems to be very healthy and intuitive, in reality, it’s far from it.
The toxic layer of being a “clean girl” lies in the pressure for perfection. Realistically speaking, as a high schooler or working adult, who has the time to embrace such an expensive and time-consuming lifestyle?
Not to mention the fact that all of the products and styles that the aesthetic promotes are very Euro-centric in style and attainability. The slick back hair look, or perfectly blown out hair coincides with the hair textures of majority European countries. Along with that, the methods of a ‘clean girl’ include processes like hair oiling, which have only become popular in the western world because of these trends, when multiple Asian cultures have been participating in it for years.
I can speak from experience as well. I fell for the allure of the aesthetic, drawn by the healthy lifestyle and a much-needed change. I started working out every morning, waking up as early as 5 am to work out – even during the school year. I found every moment to be productive to either my education or my health. I would eat healthy, making food at home most days. I bought multiple clothing items that matched or fit in with the aesthetic. I tried to be perfect and healthy. But the truth is, I wasn’t the best version of myself.
In retrospect, I realized I was spending every waking moment trying to improve and. I was exhausted, and I didn’t even realize. I worried more about my self perception that I never let myself rest the way I wanted to. I spent money that could have been used more wisely, and my food choice became repetitive and limiting
In my experience, I realized that our definition of health and being intuitive is heavily flawed.
Health does not equal obsession. It does not mean you need to have a bunch of money. It does not mean you need to live a monotonous lifestyle. It means balance, and realistic standards. Sometimes I want to sleep in, and that’s okay. I do not always want to waste my money on makeup products that are completely healthy for me, I like my drugstore makeup perfectly fine. My room does not always need to be perfect, six out of the seven days in a week I have clothes and empty ramen cups littering my room.
So why not embrace being a hot mess sometimes? I see no problem with that.
I don’t mind embracing the hot mess within me. There are days I am too lazy to get out of bed, or to do my homework at all. Sometimes I do not take my mascara off before I sleep, and you know what? My lashes survive!
The bottom line is to fully embrace the clean girl aesthetic is extremely toxic, even if it presents as a health-based lifestyle. The same thing applies to any lifestyle that is not balanced. Every single person is unique with their needs and their life situations. A shoe can never fit everyone, just like your lifestyle can only ever be mended to what you need, not just another trend that infests our media.
