According to Oxford Languages, the word “aesthetic” refers to “concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty.” However, the word has acquired a new meaning on social media. An aesthetic trend is a culture of the young generation mainly taking place on social media, especially TikTok. Once certain styles of beauty, fashion, or lifestyle go viral and become popular on social media, it becomes the so-called “Aesthetic Trend.” 

For example, the “Vanilla Girl” aesthetic has become the hottest fashion and beauty trend on social media such as TikTok and Instagram after the “Clean Girl” and “Weird Girl” aesthetics. These types of aesthetic trends went viral a few years ago among the young generation, and now they are everywhere. Another example of this trend is the “Clean Girl” aesthetic, which was the most popular aesthetic trend in 2022. 

The term refers to a beauty, fashion, and lifestyle pursuing a certain look that is elegantly casual but also minimalist and effortless. Clean girls have flawless and glowing skin, looking gorgeous. In addition to the “Clean Girl” aesthetic, the “Weird Girl” aesthetic was also one of the popular trends. The latter is commonly described as a sense of freedom; it is about wearing what you feel like without artificially joining a fashion trend.
 

The trend has become so common and popular that it can be seen on almost every form of social media. However, the trend provoked controversy as the “Vanilla Girl” aesthetic went viral. The fact that the word “vanilla” implies a certain color, and those who go viral are normally thin and white women was the main factor that sparked the controversy regarding inclusiveness. 

In fact, the Clean Girl aesthetic was also involved in similar controversy because of the word “clean.” As previously mentioned, being a clean girl means having perfect and effortlessly glowing skin, and the majority of clean girls have been white women. For this reason, many criticized that the trend is not inclusive and may lead people to feel uncomfortable in their own skin, for being a colored person, or for not being thin. A Twitter post saying “Clean Girl aesthetic but make it black” in May 2022 received more than 90,000 likes. This also reflects the fact that blackness is not accepted as a part of the look.

Furthermore, some people argue that the young generation is losing their individuality as a result of the trend. They argue that indiscriminately following and admiring the trends can disrupt people from figuring out their own identities, making everyone similar. As such, many questions have been raised regarding aesthetic trends.

Rian Phin, social commentator, author, and video producer, also mentioned today’s toxic obsession with the aesthetic trend, especially focusing on the Clean Girl aesthetic. “Regardless of how trends shift, they invariably exist to ostracize poor people and those who lack proximity to hegemonic standards of desirability. 

The Clean Girl aesthetic seems to say that we are still looking for ways as a society to reinforce hierarchies and create forms of exclusion in the beauty space.” She added, “where once the beauty sphere was about inaccessible beauty product hoarding and spending hours learning makeup techniques, it is now about spending the same money and time on skincare, facial treatments, eyelash extensions, and so on.”

The UOS Times interviewed Student A and Student B to gain students’ take on this issue.
 

Q1: Have you ever heard about the concept of aesthetic trend?
A1: Yes, I have. Since I use both TikTok and Instagram, I am quite aware of the trend. It became a hot trend last year.

Q2: How do you view the trend?
A2: I do not think the trend is healthy or inclusive. The algorithm seems to accept only white women who are good-looking and thin. I rarely get to see black or Asian clean girls, which explains why I do not think the trend is inclusive. I was very shocked when I saw the word “Vanilla Girl” on TikTok. It just means a certain color and race. Also, I believe the trend can amplify “fatphobia,” as social media generally shows extremely thin girls and normalizes them.
 

Q1: Have you ever heard about the aesthetic trend?
A1: I have heard of it a couple of times. I have also seen many aesthetic-related posts on Instagram. I became quite familiar with it after seeing many celebrities and influencers join the trend.

Q2: How do you view the trend then?
A2: In my personal view, the trend does not seem to have a problem. It is just a way for people to share their lifestyle and values, and nobody is forcing someone to follow or not follow the trend. Whether people join the trend or not simply depends on their will. Although it is undeniable that the young generation could be easily affected by the trend, that does not mean those who follow it deserve criticism. There is no reason to invade their freedom to express themselves. However, I hope social media shows more diverse aspects of people through the trend.

Sam Gomez, a Latina creator, went viral for fighting against the “Clean Girl” aesthetic last year. “You say slick hair and gold hoops is the clean girl aesthetic, I say its historic Latina culture.” This is the text that was stated in the video as she was dancing. The aesthetic trend seems problematic in many aspects. It lacks representation for various people, unnecessarily glorifies thin bodies, and accepts only flawless skin. Trends should be a way for people to freely share their lifestyle and values rather than pressure forcing everyone to fit into extremely narrow standards. It is time to re-examine what “aesthetic” truly means. 

Lee Seung-bum 
okok3037@uos.ac.kr