If you’ve been online at all in the past year or two, chances are you’ve seen women dressing in this “clean girl” aesthetic filled with glowy skin, minimal makeup, slick back hair, neutral-colored outfits and chunky gold hoops. However, is the popular style that swept the internet from early 2022 to this year really dead? With the rise of internet stars like Alix Earle and Tarayummy, it just might be.
Not Really “Minimal”
While the whole clean girl thing seemed to be based on wearing less makeup and wearing your hair up in order to appear effortless, this style actually takes a whole lot of effort.
The process of achieving the perfect “slick back” bun or ponytail could become infuriating because your hair won’t sit perfectly flat even with all the gel you put in it. The lack of makeup, especially complexion products didn’t work for girls who were insecure about their skin and liked a bit more coverage. The neutral color palette of the clean girl outfits varies from the current trends to years past filled with brighter and more colorful outfits.
This isn’t all to say that someone cannot dress the way they please or however they feel comfortable, but it does seem as if the internet is realizing the flaws of this style and moving towards something on an opposite pedestal.
The Party Girl is Back
Before there was the clean girl, there was the 2010s party girl. People like Kesha or Snooki and JWoww from “Jersey Shore” emulated this aesthetic. There were no slick back buns in sight, outfits were loud and colorful and makeup was smudged and full of glitter. This was even shown in iconic characters of the time such as Serena van der Woodsen from “Gossip Girl,” who was the ultimate 2010s party girl, known for her sparkly dresses and hair that always looked like it could be brushed a little more.
This type of style and media seems to be circulating its way back around. Alix Earle became the internet’s newest it-girl sensation in late 2022 for making “get-ready-with-me” videos for nights out during her senior year at the University of Miami. People became fascinated with Alix’s lifestyle, fashion and beauty choices. She was going out all the time in a major party city like Miami and enjoying her final days in college as a woman in her early 20s. The internet loved her so much that she now has over 6 million followers on TikTok and has been able to make this party girl lifestyle her career.
Tarayummy is a Mindset
Another new Kesha-inspired party girl has made her debut on the scene. Tarayummy has been making YouTube videos for over five years and is not new to social media but in the past few months, her popularity has skyrocketed. Tara now has around 7.6 million followers on TikTok.
A trend has emerged of people testing her makeup routine that Tara shared in a YouTube video. It is much different than the clean girl minimal look, using dark black eyeliner and heavier lipstick. An audio of Tara has gone viral of her saying, “If you want to be Tarayummy you have to think like Tarayummy. Tarayummy is a mindset.” People are obsessed with her confidence and ability to be her authentic self.
She recently hosted a party in celebration of her YouTube channel hitting a million subscribers. Edits of Tara at this party have taken over TikTok and all of the comments on these videos have been filled with sayings such as, “How do I get invited to a Tarayummy party?” or “I need to go to a Tarayummy party once in my life.” Tarayummy is the next hottest influencer and is nothing like the once all-encompassing clean girl.
What are your thoughts on this type of style coming back? Let us know by tagging us on Instagram, @valleymag!
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