The new aesthetic ‘clean girl goth’ has arrived at lightning speed onto all of my platforms and likely yours too. 

Written by Annastasia Lee

Disgraceful Contributor

The new ‘clean girl goth’ trend follows the ‘It girl’, ‘clean girl’, ‘coquette girl’, ‘coconut girl’ aesthetics, all of which rose to popularity on the social media platform TikTok. Not only do these trends reek of classism and over-consumption sentiment, the ‘clean girl’ example is reminiscent of every 90’s/2000’s brown and black girl’s aesthetic.

The trend was slick hair, minimal makeup, dewy skin and gold jewelry. But at the time, this exact style was deemed as ‘ghetto’ or ‘poor’ and many girls were bullied for looking this way. Coming back to 2023, now it is being appropriated as ‘cute’ and ‘clean’. Unbeknownst to many people hopping on to the ‘clean girl’ moment, there are questions to be raised. Now, everything is going to come back around and become unfashionable or fashionable in weeks with nobody able to stop and think. 

Another problematic element with these aesthetics is the language used. The idea of a ‘clean girl’ itself demonizes its opposite and one cannot exist without the other. If you don’t adhere to the clean girl trend, what does that make you? An ‘unclean girl’; someone with cracked lips instead of perfectly glossed with the latest £37 Dior lip oil, you adorn messy hair and have chipped nail polish. And worst of all, God forbid, you adorn a touch of humanity. 

Trend cycles in the fashion industry are not a new phenomenon, the first to coin such an event was James Laver in the 1930’s, he foresaw that trends tend to appear in a 20-year rotation. Nowadays, with the addition of TikTok and other short form social media, the trend cycle is more like 90 days or less. This creates a market that is impossible to keep up with (as if it wasn’t impossible anyway). Leading to further and further feelings of insecurity for women and especially girls who might be from a low-income household or community that does not provide them access to the world’s supply of Urban Outfitters.

It is clear to me that the commodification of women’s bodies is more prevalent than ever before. These micro-trends are another avenue for brands to take advantage of women’s insecurities to push their products. The second a new trend pops up, brands and media campaigns run to show you how buying their clothing or makeup will allow you to fit into this trending archetype. 

I, for one, am sick and tired of being shoehorned into ‘aesthetic’ and ‘cores’ online. I don’t believe that it is healthy, especially for young girls, to promote segregation in style in this way. It stops young women from taking the time to develop and curate their own sense of personal style as well as perpetuating the idea that women are objects; dolls to be dressed up and marketed too accordingly. If we all follow these trends and aesthetics, we are boxing ourselves in. And everyone looks the same in their little box or subculture. In this there is little to no individuality. Instead of buying a ‘clean girl’ starter kit, try finding items you really love and that will last. Be true to yourself and you can’t go wrong.

Now that being said, there is nothing wrong with enjoying a bit of lace trim on your silk cami (coquette) or spraying your hair with salt spray to give the appearance that you’ve been surfing (coconut girl). But think, do I really enjoy this? Or am I just trying to fit into an idea of who I want to be.  You are so much more than an aesthetic.