Feeling Isolated by the Clean Girl Aesthetic: A Personal Reflection

This essay, written by Sidra Imtiaz, critiques the “clean girl” aesthetic popularized on social media platforms like TikTok. The trend is characterized by minimalist beauty routines, including a slicked-back bun, glowing skin, and neutral nails, often represented by influencers with clear, blemish-free skin and Eurocentric features. Imtiaz argues that this aesthetic reinforces exclusionary beauty standards, posing challenges for people whose natural skin and hair textures don’t fit this mold. She explains how this trend can be particularly alienating for individuals, like herself, who have acne-prone skin or other dermatological challenges.

Imtiaz highlights the deeper implications of branding certain looks as “clean,” suggesting it inadvertently marginalizes people who don’t fit the prescribed image. The essay questions whether trends like these contribute to damaging beauty standards, pushing young audiences towards unnecessary and potentially harmful beauty practices. She emphasizes a need for a broader, more inclusive beauty narrative that celebrates all skin types and textures and critiques the subtle messaging that equates beauty with cleanliness. The piece ends with a call to action for promoting self-esteem that isn’t tethered to unattainable beauty standards.