The fashions of the 2020s represent a departure from 2010s fashion. They have been largely inspired by styles of the early to mid-2000s, late 1990s, 1980s, and 1960s. Popular brands in the United Kingdom, United States, and Australia during this era include Adidas, Nike, New Balance, Globe International, Vans, Kappa, Tommy Hilfiger, Asics, Ellesse, Ralph Lauren, Forever 21, Playboy, and The North Face.
Common skincare techniques in America during the early 2020s included “slugging” the face and sometimes the hair with petroleum jelly. Many Indian and American women also used vitamin C and Retinol serums in the form of a liquid, cream or gel to reduce fine lines, improve collagen production, reduce blemishes, and address pigmentation issues. In April 2021, influencers on TikTok popularized Gua sha, a Chinese skincare technique that uses face stones to promote blood and energy flow. Another Asian technique, the use of rice water as a hair treatment, gained popularity in the West at the same time.
Makeup
The Clean Girl look was an evolution of the previous decade’s Model Off Duty aesthetic. The term was coined during the early 2020s to characterize the makeup style pioneered by American models like Bella Hadid and Lily-Rose Depp. This casual monochromatic tone style had matching clothing sets that complemented the cosmetics, button-down shirts, slicked-back hair, fluffy brows, dewy skin, flushed cheeks, and glossy lips. Clean Girl was focused on appearing effortlessly flawless and casual, adapting all the fashion trends from the early 2020s and giving them a muted tonal color palate and a sexy carefree attitude.
The strong emphasis on skincare, diet, and exercise made The Clean Girl not only a fashion statement but a lifestyle as well, similar to her 1960s predecessor. The Clean Girl aesthetic has been criticized for cultural appropriation, toxic positivity, and fatphobia, which did affect its mainstream popularity. The maximalist graphic eyeliner trend of 2022 gave British and American women the freedom to emphasize their eyes with vibrant colors and geometric designs. Graphic eyeliner made headlines and introduced women to fresh methods to experiment with facial makeup.
Tattoos
From 2021 onwards, new tattoo styles emerged among younger trendsetters. Popular trends for women included colorful modern reinterpretations of traditional Japanese tattoos, psychedelic art, tramp stamps, minimalist black and white portraits, lightning bolts, fine art, pop culture mashups, holograms, and dot work. Other popular tattoo designs included spiritual meanings such as representations of the Buddha, Hindu mandalas, and the Tree of Life. Tribal tattoos and hyperrealistic portraits of loved ones popular during the 2010s declined.
Plastic Surgery
The Brazilian butt lift is a gluteal fat grafting procedure that utilizes excess fat collected from other areas of the body to add buttock volume and projection, and/or adjust overall shape and symmetry. The Brazilian Butt lift reached its peak media coverage in 2021, when it was declared to be “the world’s most dangerous cosmetic surgery”, with news headlines discussing the procedure’s risks and fatalities following the procedure.[
Photo by Thom Bradley on Unsplash
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