Social Media Trends Mini Deep Dive + Tips on How to Not Fall for These Trends
Why Is It So Hard To Just Be Yourself?!
Hi friend!
Some weeks ago, I made a reaction video about different TikTok trends. I'll link the video so you can watch it after reading this newsletter. Still, I will give you a mini-deep dive into the trends discussed in the video and how to avoid falling for these trends.
Let's start by talking about the "clean girl aesthetic." So, if you don't know about the "clean girl aesthetic," don't worry; I didn't know what it was until I started filming the reaction video. The girl in the first video that I reacted to explained what it means to be a “clean girl.”
To achieve the clean girl look (according to her), you have to follow these steps:
The clean girl look is so much more than just having excellent hygiene. It's more so about curating a specific vibe.
The most crucial step is to have your hair done (a slick back or ponytail is preferred).
Another thing that's so important is to stay moisturized. That means moisturizing your lips, your face, and your body.
Mastering a natural glowy makeup look.
The next thing is getting your nails done.
You have to have an excellent jewelry stack.
Next is smelling good, aka finding your signature scent.
The last tip is to use the sandwich method when picking out outfits. The sandwich method is matching a top to your shoe or a bag to your shoe.
There are a lot of steps that go into the clean girl aesthetic. And suppose you saw my video about the "that girl aesthetic" or read the previous newsletter. In that case, you know that the clean girl aesthetic and that girl aesthetic are basically the same, in my opinion.
Now, we will talk about a clean girl's skincare routine. In the video, I reacted to a girl who had many skincare products that she stated were the “ultimate skincare routine.”
These are her recommendations:
The Ordinary Glycolic Acid Solution.
The Salicylic Acid 2% Solution by The Ordinary.
The CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion.
The Tatcha Essence.
Milk Cooling Water is one of her favorite products.
The Resurfacing Retinol Serum by CeraVe.
Bubble Daydream Serum.
Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream.
The Laneige Water Bank.
The Laneige Lip Mask.
The Hydro Melt Lip Mask by Sigma.
The Rode Peptide Lip Treatment.
I just loved her energy in the TikTok video. It made the video enjoyable. However, let's talk about the skincare items she promoted. I'm under the belief that you only need a cleanser, a moisturizer, and sunscreen. Serums are okay, but they aren't required unless you have a problem with your skin. But having a lot of skincare products means you must be careful because some ingredients can't go with each other. Some cancel out, some are reactive, and you can harm your skin. So you have to be careful about that.
The Ordinary is a great skincare brand with minimal skincare products. I tried CeraVe years ago. It wasn't good for my skin. But I kept using it because of the hype. However, I stopped using them once I became vegan because they're not cruelty-free.
Keeping it minimal is much better, whether it's clothes, skincare, makeup, etc. You have to consider the waste your item or clothing could produce. Usually, once a person is done with a product, it's not likely that they will recycle them or reuse the product's packaging. They're most likely going to throw it away, and it ends up in landfills, and that's not great for the environment.
So, if you want to follow the "clean girl aesthetic," it's okay if you don't have a whole lineup of five to six different lotions, skincare, body butter, soaps, etc. You can have the usual stuff that you use, and still be a “clean girl.”
Now, we will move on and talk about the "that girl aesthetic." I did a YouTube video and newsletter about the “that girl aesthetic” that you can check out later. Since I already did a newsletter about this aesthetic, I won't spend too long on this trend. So in the video I reacted to, the creator had A LOT of skincare products and makeup. If you don't believe me, watch the video.
It's unlikely that she will go through all of the products by the time it expires. Judging by the video, I could tell she was an influencer. Influencers get gifted products from companies all the time. However, they don't always have to accept the products. Here's what they could do instead:
Donate the items to friends, family, a shelter, or organization.
Do a giveaway with their audience
Just say no, thank you. I have enough products. Can you please give it to someone else?
I decided to react to a girl who was (as the kids say) “crashing out” because of all these trends, and she couldn't keep up. Here is what she had to say:
"How the hell is it that there's a new aesthetic whenever I finally get my wardrobe to match my certain aesthetic? I'm finally giving clean girl vibes, and it's cute. But now, all of a sudden, there's a shabby chic aesthetic. Girl, I physically and mentally cannot keep up with all these trends. I am sick and tired of my wardrobe changing every 30 seconds. Like Stockholm aesthetic, clean girl aesthetic. This, this, like, I can't, I can't, I can't. My wallet? Oh my God."
Now, what was interesting about the video were the comments. So many of the comments were telling her that she doesn't have to follow all those trends. Of course, I agree; you don't have to follow the clean girl aesthetic. You don't have to follow the that girl aesthetic. You don't have to follow any aesthetic. Just be yourself!
That's the message we should promote online, not these different trends. Like, just be yourself. You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars just to fit in with these trends. The hardest thing for people to do nowadays is to be themselves. You don't have to adopt trends. Just be you!
So here are my final thoughts:
1.) Just be you.
2.) If you want to be a clean girl, be a clean girl but in your own way.
3.) If you want to be that girl, be that girl in your own way.
Thanks for reading, and remember to continue drinking the kale juice!
Zenee
