Clean and complicated.

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Is clean the new complicated ?


Because looking effortless takes… a lot of effort.


I’ve always believed that beauty isn’t in the eye of the beholder - it’s in the routine of the beheld.


Lately, everyone I know or scroll past - looks like they’ve just walked out of an Alo Yoga campaign shoot. Slick buns, dewy skin, gold jewelry, and a matcha latte clutched like a Birkin. The Clean Girl Aesthetic has taken over, and if Instagram is any indication, wellness now comes with a side of minimalism and a $200 monthly Pilates subscription.


But here’s the question I found myself asking one morning, halfway through an Iced Americano and a perfectly curated Pinterest board:


Is being ‘’clean’’ just another way to be perfectly polished and quietly performative?




There’s something sacred in rituals - the morning serum, the body oil that smells like vanilla and restraint, the oat milk matcha that you pretend tastes better than coffee. These woman (and yes, men too - the Clean Boy is rising, and he wears tinted moisturizer) don’t just glow. They curate their lives like moodboards. No crumbs, no chaos, just calm.

But I wonder: behind the Lululemon clothing set and LED facials, are we hiding the mess? Is clean just a cover?

Don’t get me wrong - who doesn’t love a quiet luxury moment. But what fascinates me isn’t the aesthetic itself - it’s our obsession with appearing effortlessly disciplined. We no longer strive to be glamorous or even beautiful. We strive to look like we have our lives together. Wellness has become a form of aesthetic superiority. Self-care, suddenly, feels like self-curation.


And yet I get it. Life is chaotic. The word is loud. So we cling to structure, we organize our chaos into morning routines and Peloton classes. We wear beige as armor and sip green potions like they’re elixirs of control. Because maybe, just maybe, being ‘’clean’’ is the only way we know how to feel pure in a messy world.

So I sipped an overpriced matcha, checked my reflection, and asked myself, Is this who I am? Or just who I’m trying to look like?
Because somewhere between the slicked hair and the scent of Bal d’Afrique, I realized: maybe we’re not trying to be clean.
Maybe we’re just trying to be okay.


Wellness isn’t always well-being.



“All artworks belong to their respective artists. No copyright infringement intended. Via Pinterest

Image Credits :

"Matcha Latte", Margarita Evil /  Unknown / Unknown,  Eunice Tong/  "Birkin Bag", Unknown .- Via Pinterest

© The Column-2025

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