It seems virtually impossible to scroll on Instagram or TikTok without seeing multiple videos of the same “day in my life” routines and the same aesthetic taking over my For You Page. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing these routines, but what I don’t love is creativity dying and everyone looking or acting the same.

According to Byrdie, the clean girl aesthetic first popped up in the virtual world around 2022, and since then, it has had over 750 million TikTok views.

The rules to be considered a “clean girl” seem simple enough: shower and be as minimal as possible. With all these routines and guides on how to be a “clean girl,” it basically kills anything remotely fun. Everyone wants to be considered a “clean girl,” and now it’s making everyone look the same and dress the same in neutral colored clothing.

According to British Vogue, the outfits that a “clean girl” wears are well-fitting clothing that is considered classic, neutral colored and matched with subtle, gold accessories.

Not only is it affecting the outfits that people are wearing, but it is also affecting the way we do our makeup and skincare. Influencers like Avery Woods and celebrities like Hailey Bieber share their expensive skin care products, Caudalie and Rhode, and do their makeup routine that results in them looking like they put nothing on at all.

Everyone is starting to look the same everywhere you look. It makes someone who may experiment with their makeup or style feel almost out of place when this aesthetic has taken over most of the women’s beauty and fashion style.

These routines have begun to spread to celebrities who were once praised for their maximalist style, like Kylie Jenner or Sofia Richie. It’s even caught up to celebrity makeup artist Nina Parks, who has been praised for doing the very minimal makeup look for the queen of the clean girl aesthetic, Hailey Bieber.

A beauty Reddit thread expressed users’ concern that individuality was dying in the beauty community, with people asking, “Can we just bring back the colors and fun in makeup?”

However, we might finally be killing the clean girl aesthetic now that celebrities like Zara Larsson are wearing bedazzled and pastel makeup, or that Kylie Jenner has brought back her bold lip and colorful hair for the new King Kylie beauty launch. Hopefully, with the conversation of 2026 being the new 2016, we will bring back the creative fun and leave behind the slick back buns and blush.