If you’ve scrolled through TikTok or Instagram in the past couple of years and have an algorithm that does lean a little more girly and feminine, you’ve probably come across the Clean Girl Aesthetic. Kinda like the girls that got it all together. It’s a whole internet culture now. It’s a look, a vibe, and, to some, an entire lifestyle. Think clean make-up looks, slicked-back buns, cute outfits, gold jewelry, and an oat milk latte in hand. It’s effortless—but also meticulously curated.

The clean girl aesthetic is all about having (or looking) like you have your life put together. From early morning gym sessions, to reading that self help book, Mel Robbins podcasts, to eating clean, it’s about looking like you put a lot of effort in but having the minimal effort vibe (weird right). It’s almost unattainable, just another unrealistic standard that sets up girls for failure. I mean really what college student gets up at 5am for a pilates class, goes to school, and finishes up their homework by 9 and is in bed ready to sleep? Nobody I know, but I sure see a lot of it all over my social media. 

There’s a reason the clean girl aesthetic has taken over social media. It’s aspirational yet unattainable for most. Who wouldn’t want to have flawless skin, a trendy wardrobe, and the discipline to wake up at 5 AM for pilates? It feeds into this idea that if you just try hard enough, you too can become that girl—the one who never looks stressed, always has time to romanticize her morning routine, and somehow makes drinking lemon water look glamorous. It’s also an extension of the health and wellness movement, which has been huge in the past few years. Taking care of yourself is in, and looking like you effortlessly take care of yourself? Even better.

I used to try so hard to be one of these girls over all of my social media. The ones who spend their weekends journaling, walking, or reading and are in bed by 9 stress free but I realized I’m nowhere near that and that is perfectly fine. 

You don’t have to be cookie cutter perfect and have your life together every single day, I mean if you do good on you but if your like me and up to midnight catching up on homework and sleeping in through all your alarms, that’s perfectly fine too.