Women and girls have been competing with unrealistic beauty standards their whole lives. Throughout my 18 years of life, I’ve seen many trends rise, fall, then slowly disappear.
This year, many women aim to achieve “the clean girl aesthetic.” The clean girl aesthetic is meant to highlight your natural beauty with minimal makeup. Other things go along with this aesthetic like slicked back hair, basic clothing and minimalistic accessories. This aesthetic doesn’t seem to be an issue when just looking at the surface level facts but, in reality, it’s unrealistic to many.
The clean girl look doesn’t necessarily work for those with acne-prone skin, freckles and people without disposable income to throw away products. The look of a “clean girl” is pricy, even though it’s supposed to enhance your natural self. If the point of it is to highlight your natural beauty with makeup, why not just keep it all-natural to truly emphasize one’s beauty?
Many of the brands used and clothes worn by those achieving this aesthetic are quite expensive. Brands like UGG and Dior are often prevalent. This isn’t to say you can’t achieve the look if you’re purchasing off-brand clothes or cheaper makeup, but social media influencers touting themselves as “clean girls” often opt for the pricier option — and encourage their thousands of followers to do the same.
Influencers continue to create and endorse brands at the expense of consumers of fads.
I’ve tried many times to achieve the “clean girl” look, but it just does not work for me. I don’t look great with slicked back hair and the clothes and makeup are out of my price range. No matter how hard I try to achieve the look, I’m always unsuccessful.
Even the name of this aesthetic being “clean girl” doesn’t sit right. If
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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CNU chapter.
Each generation had their style. The 70s had bellbottoms laced with tie-dye peace signs, while the 80s brought big hair and leather jackets to the top. The 90s had scrunchies and tube tops. We choose to forget about the silly bands and Justice wear of the early 2000s. But in our modern day, we don’t have just one way of dressing, we have many! Many adaptations of style have sprung up in the media over the past few years. Different intricate aesthetics have carved their way into our lives. This is a clothing breakdown with some easy tips to enhance your style closer to your preferred aesthetic.
Cottage Core
Grow some mushrooms because we’re talking Cottage Core! Cottage Core is the perfect aesthetic for someone who enjoys nature. They always have stickers and pins of animals and plants that live in a forest. The biggest aspect of dressing in Cottage Core is flowy dresses. You could wear heels, boots, sandals… they don’t care! As long as you have a whimsical dress to run through the woods in. Sometimes, you may see a mix match of long skirts and a pretty top. If you’re the type of person to live in a far away cottage with trees hanging around outside your window, Cottage Core is most likely for you.
Here are a few outfits to spark some inspiration:
aLTERnative
This aesthetic goes by many names: goth, grunge, punk
What do Elvira, Rose McGowan in the ’90s, Monica Bellucci in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Angelina Jolie at the 2000 Academy Awards and John Galliano-era Dior all have in common? Knowingly or not, they subscribe to the “bimbo vampire” aesthetic.
In late August, Canadian beauty writer Hannah E. Johnson (@hannahejo) coined the aesthetic that fully embraces and lends itself to witchy women, goth-inspired clothing and a glossy blood-red lip.
To accurately emulate a bimbo vampire, you must have “long, clawlike fingernails” that are painted in a blood red hue of their choice, though Johnson recommends “Rouge Noir” from Chanel, formerly known as “Vamp.” Should this color not be at your disposal, J. Hannah‘s “Eames” or “Blue Nudes” would alternatively give the effect of a bruised, “freshly bitten” (by a vampire) neck, according to Johnson.
As far as lip color goes, the Ontario-based creator recommends Ellis Faas‘s “Ellis Red,” a color that was allegedly designed to replicate “the shade of human blood.” Metallic, shiny eye looks and perfumes like Poets of Berlin by Vilhelm Parfumerie, La Fille de Berlin by Serge Lutens and Pure Poison by Dior are also synonymous with the allure and scent of the bimbo vampire woman, she adds.
“Okay absolutely yes, and I have genuinely been looking for an ACTUAL blood red lipstick forever, thank you,” @cazza_amore wrote in response to Johnson’s initial video about the now trending aesthetic.
“You did not need unlock a side of me I was yet to unearth! This has been my vibe for years and now I know what to tell ppl,” @kris.xo.7 replied.
“Love this!!! I’ve been wearing black and a blood lip since september started!” @mushroomkat declared.
As of reporting, the hashtag #bimbovampire has more than
While the “clean girl aesthetic” was once trending on TikTok, despite the controversy surrounding its name, it seems as though there’s been a significant shift across the platform toward a grittier and deliberately more unkempt style.
On Sept. 17, Russian TikTok creator @pusik107 shared a now-viral look at how she and a friend have been making an “abandoned place into our new home.” The “home,” however, appears to be within a dilapidated structure with what some commenters believe to be lead paint and mold on the walls. As of reporting, @pusik107’s 14-second video has more than 14.9 million views and 2.2 million likes.
After discovering the video in question, Akili (@cozyakili) shared his thoughts on the idea behind “squatters core” and the ways in which it has permeated popular culture.
“So I just saw this video of these two girls moving into Chernobyl. I think there’s lead paint on the walls. I’m not totally sure,” he said on Sept. 18. “I was looking through the comments and someone actually called it ‘squatters core,’ and I think that ‘squatters core’ is actually a really good name to describe a lot of the aesthetics that we’ve been seeing recently.”
Kanye West, according to Akili, has adopted this aesthetic, given his decision to forgo footwear as of late.
“Starting with Kanye. I think I’ve been seeing a lot of posts of Kanye running around Italy without shoes on. He also has his wife without shoes,” he added, referencing Bianca Censori. “And I think ‘squatters core’ is a good place to start with trying to define this aesthetic.”
On Aug. 26, Acne Studios unveiled its fall/winter denim campaign starring Kylie Jenner. The sultry shoot aimed to capture “Kylie transformed, stripped back, and undone wearing oversized silhouettes,
If you’re not familiar with the “boyfriend aesthetic,” it’s characterized by casual clothing and everyday settings. Photos with the boyfriend aesthetic are usually unposed or at least posed to look candid. The whole idea of the aesthetic is something attainable, but super attractive – the ideal boyfriend! Here are five idols that are total masters of the boyfriend aesthetic.
1. SEVENTEEN’s DK
DK’s Instagram feed is so perfectly curated, it’s stunning! Filled with snaps and selfies that seem totally natural, DK has the boyfriend aesthetic on lock. He has a creative and interesting photography style that makes for a great feed. Plus, he’s also included tons of pictures with the other SEVENTEEN members!
2. Stray Kids’ I.N
The Stray Kids members are relatively new to the Instagram game (most of them made their own Instagram accounts only in the last month or so,) but maknae I.N has already nailed the boyfriend aesthetic with his feed! His OOTD-style posts and casual poses are super cool, as are the urban backgrounds he typically chooses.
3. TXT’s Soobin
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A real master of the boyfriend aesthetic, Soobin’s feed feels more like someone you’d follow on Instagram after meeting in real life – not a celebrity with millions of followers! The slightly blurry quality to a lot of his pictures feel artsy without being overdone, and he looks handsome in all of them without the need for “perfected” poses.
4. NCT’s aesthetic-instagrams&utm_content_id=1609406wpp” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push([‘_trackEvent’,’outbound-article’,’http://www.viki.com’]);”Jaehyun
Jaehyun’s account almost feels like a documentary of his travels as of late, and I’m here for it! His posts are hugely varied in terms of backdrop, but
By Emma Weidmann | Arts and Life Editor
It’s hard to be on social media these days without seeing the newest micro-label. Everywhere you look — “clean girl” this, girl–aesthetic-clothes”“coconut girl” that. Everyone is trying to put a name to different looks, categorizing the clothes and makeup they wear and the “energy” they put out.
Each of these labels is just another way to slap a name onto an aesthetic. The viral “clean girl” aesthetic of the past few months is characterized by slicked-back hair, matching sweatsuit sets, chunky gold hoops and a trendy Stanley water bottle. On the other hand, “coconut girl,” which trended on TikTok over the summer, is all about tan skin, beach waves and an aesthetic full of sunshine and bottles of Sol de Janeiro perfume from Sephora.
While you might chalk this up to just another trend, there’s something else going on under the surface. When the latest headlines read Hailey Bieber’s “cinnamon cookie butter hair” and “blueberry milk nails,” you have to wonder why we suddenly need social media influencers to give us new names for everything from brunette hair to light blue nail polish.
In other words, it’s marketing.
New labels like these — labels for things that already exist and names for new aesthetics aimed at a certain consumer profile — are just another way to get you to associate your personal identity with what you spend your money on. If you’re not careful, you’ll see your money go down the drain in the name of an aesthetic.
So, a bit of de-influencing is in order. Hailey Bieber’s hair isn’t a new trend; it’s brunette with highlights. Blueberry milk nails are just light blue. And you don’t need to change your whole appearance and
Both Sofia Richie and Elliot Grainge are first generation old money. Sofia’s father Lionel is worth an estimated $200 million (£160 million), while Elliot’s father Lucian Grainge, the CEO of Universal Music Group, is worth an estimated $50 million (£40 million). While Sofia may be more new money than old, she can afford to embrace this aesthetic as she has access to luxuries that the average person doesn’t: time and serious money.
While the rest of us are stuck at our 9 to 5s, slaving away making money just so we can look like old money, those with actual money can afford to do all the things necessary to embody the aesthetic. They have the time and money to attend regular hair appointments, facials, manicures, and spa days to be able to create that flawless skin and just-done hair. For celebrities, luxury brands will often gift them clothes in exchange for exposure too, which is why you hardly ever see a celeb repeating an outfit.
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Aspiring to an aesthetic that 99% of us simply cannot afford is not only harmful to our mental health, but continues to perpetuate unrealistic beauty and style standards. Most of us don’t have glowing skin 24/7, perfectly preened hair, or access to a luxury wardrobe. We’re more dull skin, limp hair, and Primark over Proenza Schouler. Of course, we can buy clothes that emulate the old money aesthetic as much as we can, heck, we can even invest in a Chanel bag as an investment piece. But the reality is that if we’re not from old money then we’re not going to look like old money, no matter how hard we try.
We can certainly look to people like Sofia
Perhaps one of the most consistent and ubiquitous forms of oral human tradition is the humble proverb. These snippets of collective wisdom are found globally, thriving due to their naked simplicity in communication and comprehension. Folk sayings like “a watched pot never boils” are designed to convey moral lessons that are often too difficult or time-consuming to describe literally.
Given their nature as moral ZIP files, it would be natural to assume that adages are heavily culture-loaded — an assumption that would be right, for the most part. Yet within the global proverbial lexicon, there seem to exist several underlying motifs that converge around the same deeply human topics with only slight variations in substance.
One topic of particular thematic interest, at least to me, centers around the epistemology of beauty — think common quips like “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” or “don’t judge a book by its cover.”
This should come as no surprise. Aesthetic questions influence many of our day-to-day decisions, from what color combination to wear in the morning to vacillating about font size when working on an essay at 2 a.m. In essence, the ubiquitous desire of humans across cultures to seek out what we perceive to be beautiful seems to represent a process of sensory optimization, a claim that has received such empirical validation that an entire new field of scientific inquiry, “neuroaesthetics,” has spawned.
Ironically, if the pursuit of beauty is considered one of the most unifying aspects of human behavior, what each individual finds to be aesthetically pleasing is arguably one of the most diverse. Take, for instance, how we so frequently strive to distinguish ourselves in our choices in fashion, for tied to them is a significant portion of our individual identity.
Our dedication to seek out