The viral “clean girl” look on TikTok is actually appropriated from BIPOC women. For months, #CleanLook (135.7M views) has trended on the app, with the dewy skin, slicked back hair, and gold jewelry beauty style being embraced by many White influencers and their followers–but it’s being called out as yet another example of appropriation. The “problematic” trend isn’t actually new, but has been “popular among Black and Latinx women for decades.” Crediting influencers like Hailey Bieber and Bella Hadid for the Clean Girl aesthetic ignores the fact that Black and Brown women are the ones who really pioneered the style, and in fact faced descrimination (like comments that gold jewelry is “ghetto”) because of it. Co-opting the look as a new “trend” also erases the cultural significance of the style for BIPOC women, for whom it is a “rite of passage.” Once again, BIPOC communities are pointing out the appropriation without credit that has become all too common on social media, and elsewhere. YPulse’s research shows that 62% of BIPOC young people agree that cultural appropriation is a problem in the U.S., and recognizing the cultural roots of trends is vital for brands. (Impact, PureWow)
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