The Rise of Social Media Aesthetics
By: Divija Agrawal
Edited by: Angelina Gaol
It’s finally time for us to face it; your favourite new fashion trends that you see all over social media might be one that excludes ethnically diverse groups – even though those groups are historically, most notably the original creators of some of those trends, much, much before today.
Aesthetics and personalities that people on social media try to emulate are constantly flooding the internet; but what exactly is an ‘aesthetic’, in this context? In simple terms, it’s a way for people – particularly teenagers – to showcase a set of personalities or values, connecting with others who share these with them. The rise of these aesthetics are most particularly catered towards the youthful population of the social network, as this is the ideal and peak time in which people are finding out more about themselves as individuals, who they are and shaping their own personalities.
So, why is it even important to look into the contexts of fashion trends today? Some trends that use these pieces of fashion seem only exclusive to white women, regardless of the fact that they don’t originate or hold any cultural significance to those pieces. It’s important to identify where the trends come from as well as pay homage to them. One way is by potentially consciously increasing inclusivity in the social media sphere. Reading into their history shows that it isn't just a trending phase for everyone, but rather a piece of long-lasting culture that holds strong significance to women and people who might be excluded from the trends.
The ‘clean girl’ trend is currently a trending aesthetic that holds a lot of history – particularly in the rise of popularity in hoops as a jewellery staple.
The 1900s brought a new stigma to hoops, due to associations with the Native American and Latinx cultures. It wasn’t until the 60s and 70s that they were seen as a symbol of empowerment and activism when Black women like Nina Simone, Donna Summer, and Angela Davis sported them in league with the Black Power Movement. Even further back in history, gold hoops originated from ancient Egypt and Nubia (an African civilisation now known as Sudan). Latinas typically receive their first pair of small hoop earrings, which can be called arracadas at a young age from their family’s maternal figures - because hoop earrings don’t have backings and won’t fall out easily which is good for young children. Furthermore, in Black communities, hoop earrings are sometimes seen as a right of passage and “often symbolise growing up and celebrating your ethnicity”. In an interview, Ravine Spencer notes that Black and brown communities often lacked the resources to be able to pass down high-end heirlooms and inheritances in the way non-ethnic communities could. This meant that beauty practices and statement pieces became heirlooms, being passed down with sentimental values.
Such personalities have always been there, in some ways just being synonymous to certain stereotypes or perceptions of different people. This includes ‘ABG’s ‘which have been in the scene for some time, and more recently, ‘clean girls’. Although discussions about these aesthetics may be brushed off as superficial, most of these trends have had one thing in common: a long and rich history. The ‘Asian Baby Girl’ culture originated in the 90’s about the Chinese American youth gangs of the US East Coast, particularly in New York city. The clean girl trend has been around for decades, specifically seen on Black and Brown women.
Some other trends that have links to the Black community include intricate acrylic nail designs, the ‘sneakerhead culture’, and wearing baggy pants. How many of these trends are you familiar with but are not aware of the history, origin and how they came about?
Familiarizing ourselves with these contexts brings light to the fact that these so-called ‘new trends’ lack inclusivity for the groups of people who originally created them and neglect the roots of their origins. More often than not, these trends will cater to specific groups of people, making it hard for inclusivity to be common and for origins to be acknowledged. Unfortunately, they usually are most inclusive of people who are conventionally attractive as per euro-centric standards; white, thin, with clear skin and straight hair.
This brings us back to the clean girl trend. While the idea of the clean girl has been around for decades, it has usually appeared on Black and Brown women — a heritage of slicked-back buns, gold hoops, and buttery skin has now been reduced to a mere trend that mostly white women on the internet follow. This only amplifies the existing privileges that come with having certain features that aren’t attainable for everyone. Regardless of how trends shift, there is an underlying message that is clear – people who don’t naturally look a certain way or can’t afford to fit into hegemonic standards of beauty find themselves excluded. This aesthetic specifically has fixed women into the stereotypical mindset of trying to fit into these unrealistic and societal norms, making women describe themselves as “feeling burdened with the task of managing unruly bodies, maintaining ‘appropriate’ standards of cleanliness, hairlessness, and thinness, and hoping that they would not offend or otherwise step outside of the boundaries of appropriate bodies."
The use of the terminology ‘clean’ brings up the contrasting idea of grossness – and ‘gross bodies’ which alters women’s understanding of their own appearance and whether or not they should tick certain boxes that determines their level of attractiveness. However, there are now newer societal advancements towards embracing actual no-makeup skin and natural beauty looks - allowing people to be more transparently honest with what skins, natural bodies and appearances realistically are like.
Social media creator Catherine Lopez makes a point about what it means for app users to call a look “that’s been a staple for women of colour outdated”. She also encourages people to take a look at the content they’re consuming online, encouraging people to not limit their attention solely towards racial issues, but also enjoy content from People Of Color (POC) creators.
Enjoying social media aesthetics, and embracing aspects of yourself online is one of the most brilliant things about the age of the internet; but as with all things go, it has always been important to consider contexts and levels of inclusivity in what you indulge in. Let’s be a part of a movement that progresses in solidarity towards a more caring world, even if it’s in the social media sphere.