The “clean girl” look has become popular among typically white and affluent young American women. Characterized by a minimalist, fresh-faced look with dewy skin, natural makeup, and sleek hair, it emphasizes a polished, understated appearance and a healthy lifestyle. Originating from TikTok, this trend has been popularized by influencers who promote it as a modern beauty standard.

Celebrities like Hailey Bieber have significantly contributed to the rise of the clean girl aesthetic. Their social media presence and branding have established this look as a desirable beauty standard. Brands associated with these celebrities offer products that promise the clean girl look, turning a personal style into a profitable venture.

Although the clean girl look’s terms might suggest it’s new, the concept is far from recent. Elements like brown lip liner, hair oiling, and gua sha have deep roots in the cultural practices of women of color. While the terminology may be new, these practices are steeped in long-standing tradition.

The Cost of Being “Clean”

Beauty and wellness products hold significant importance in the lives of Asian women and other women of color. These products and practices are rooted in cultural traditions and carry historical significance. Gua sha, for example, has origins in the paleolithic ages, and is a healing technique deeply ingrained in Chinese culture.

Paige Yang, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner, has been deeply influenced by this exposure. Yang, who runs an integrative wellness center in Honolulu and founded Yang Face, was introduced to Chinese medicine by her grandmother and later pursued a career in medicine.

Yang notes the frustration with influencers promoting Eastern wellness practices inaccurately: “A lot of times it is frustrating to see influencers without credentials promoting the practice in a way that really minimizes the medicine.”

When mainstream culture adopts these trends, they often lose their original context. Beauty trends among Brown and Black women — such as the brown lip liner and slicked-back hair that complements the “clean girl” look — have been unfairly labeled as unappealing and “cheap,” while Eastern wellness practices were dismissed due to perceived foreignness and dubious nature. This double standard leads to the marginalization of these practices, only for them to be rebranded by mainstream society.

As these practices gain popularity, the cost of related products increases, making them less accessible to their communities of origin. For example, yoga, which originated in Northern India over 5,000 years ago, is now commodified in the West, with classes costing anywhere between $30-$70. This gentrification inflates prices and strips practices of their cultural essence.

The issue is not with mass consumption; many countries of origin welcome the rise of wellness products in Western media. According to native Chinese social media personality Cici Zhang, “Most people in China are happy about gua sha becoming trendy and popular in America. The only thing that would make people upset is when anybody who’s not Chinese, who doesn’t know traditional gua sha, tries to promote the facial in the wrong way to sell products to make money from it.”

Zhang, born and raised in China, came to the U.S. for college and graduate school. Like Dr. Yang, Zhang was raised by her grandparents, who upheld traditional customs like using the lunar calendar for gardening and harvesting.

Gua sha is introduced to most Chinese people within the home and is much more intense than portrayed on Western social media. Its purpose is to scrape the body until petechiae appear on the skin. Zhang recalls that the facial slimming aspect of gua sha was already popular in China during the ’90s.

“When it passed down to Westerners, most people only knew the gua sha facial. Gua sha facials are kind of like a subproduct from gua sha. The reason why it exists is because people in China figured out a new way to do facials using the same tool, so they did not need to buy extra tools to perform the facial.”

The need to buy extra, coupled with cultural inaccuracies, has led to the distortion of practices for Western audiences. When appropriated and exploited for profit, their original meanings and subtleties are often lost.

Representation and Ownership

POC-owned beauty and wellness brands play a crucial role in preserving the authenticity and cultural significance of these practices. They offer a respectful approach, ensuring cultural heritage is honored while making products accessible to a broader audience.

Representation and ownership are vital for maintaining the integrity of beauty and wellness practices. When POC communities control their narratives and products, these practices are respected and valued.

In British Vogue, Hailey Bieber’s facialist Emma Goodman is celebrated for offering “souped-up facials nothing like those you’re used to.” However, this excludes many women of color familiar with practices like chakra balancing and facial reflexology. Presenting these techniques through a white lens raises questions about the implications for women of color who have historically been demonized for similar practices. The commodification often overlooks their origins and contributions.

A key aspect of Yang’s Yang Face brand is reducing cultural appropriation by encouraging the use of TCM-based products from qualified practitioners. The Yang Face website provides resources for learning about Chinese medicinal tools and their proper use.

Yang emphasizes the importance of consulting expert practitioners rather than relying on online influencers. She notes, “It’s hard, because we don’t have the same connections to marketing or the same contracts with bigger wellness companies that sell more products or have a bigger influence.”

Many POC brand founders embody and practice the essence of their products. It’s not just a commercial endeavor, but a deeply integrated part of their identity. Yang adds, “I’m living the medicine. I’m practicing it. I don’t have the luxury to just be making tons of videos just to promote sales when some of the information might not be accurate.”

Accuracy in representation is crucial. Zhang recalls seeing a video of a Black woman visiting the Yao village in China to learn about the local women’s rice water hair care recipe. The woman launched a brand in the U.S., and Chinese people were pleased to see their cultural practice shared and appreciated.

Embracing respect and authenticity can drive positive industry changes, fostering greater cultural sensitivity and prompting brands to be mindful of the origins of practices. This shift benefits cultural communities and enriches the global beauty industry by creating a more genuine and diverse tapestry of beauty standards. This commitment highlights the need for a more inclusive and respectful approach to beauty and wellness trends. Acknowledging cultural origins, supporting POC-owned brands, and fostering appreciation for diverse traditions can lead to a more equitable industry that honors all forms of beauty.

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