I am not on TikTok, which ought to tell you a few things about me, some more obvious than others. Or, perhaps, all of them obvious. I am not Gen-Z, for example. Duh. I am not au courant with the latest trends in makeup (something called “crying makeup”??). I do not worship at the altar of Hailey Bieber (who seems like a generally inoffensive person). And I am usually pretty oblivious to whatever aesthetic is currently blowing up on social media.
This is probably a good thing, on the whole, as I find that social media aesthetics have a tendency to trigger my old-man-yelling-at-the-clouds reflex. Case in point: the “vanilla girl”.
I only heard about “vanilla girl” at a relatively early stage — i.e. while it is currently trending — due to commentary from some social media peeps I follow on IG and articles from the likes of Refinery29 pointing out the lack of inclusivity inherent in this trend. It’s an important discussion and you should definitely engage with it if you haven’t already. As a white woman, I don’t know that I have anything relevant to add to it. My rant today is about a far less significant issue, but one which simply won’t stop worming its way into my thoughts far more often than it should.
Why do people love beige clothing so much????
When I say that I think about this way more than I should, it’s because my general philosophy in life is to not think about other people’s aesthetic choices or their discretionary spending. Not my monkeys, not my budget. I totally understand that different people like different things. I get that. I do.
But why beige?
Why so much beige, everywhere?
It’s not just clothes, it’s houses too. Then there is the whole “sad beige parenting” thing. Beige is all over everything that’s an object of curation on social media. Do you know how hard I have to work to keep my Instagram feed from looking like a bowl of oatmeal?
Here’s why I don’t understand the seemingly unassailable dominance of beige.
One, beige clothing has a tendency to look dingy unless the materials are better than average and maintained carefully. Visually, it needs texture to make it look interesting, and texture mixing is not unlike pattern mixing: not everyone knows how to do it well.
Two, beige is not an shortcut to chic-ness. Sure, we have all seen amazingly sharp beige outfits on Insta or magazines, but those reflect only the most successful efforts of stylists and fashionistas. Throwing on a bunch of beige clothing without paying attention to shades, proportions, textures, volume, silhouette, etc. etc. doesn’t guarantee a good outfit. It guarantees beigeness. I get that some people don’t feel comfortable with colour, or don’t like colour, or don’t know how to wear colour but, like … black exists, yeah? Mediocre black clothing will always look 110% sharper than mediocre beige clothing — and I am not throwing shade here, most of us can’t afford significantly better than mediocre clothing, and that’s ok — and black requires a lot less consideration to pull together as an outfit. Black is less work and more error-proof.
Three, beige is not a universally flattering colour. Neither is black, but if I am going to look like a consumptive Victorian ghost, I think I am better off in black; it looks intentional that way.
Four, we haven’t even talked about laundry care, but see point one above. And don’t get me started on the upkeep of beige houses.
I’ve fallen into the rabbit hole of asking the internet why people like to wear beige, and have found many answers. The symbolism of beige features prominently in most of these, and once you scratch the surface of that, undertones of classism and racism (colour being strongly associated with non-white cultures) are unmistakable, bringing us back full circle to the discussion of inclusivity. What I haven’t really found are full-chested praises of beige at the purely aesthetic level. I understand that individual people might have beige as their favourite colour — people are infinitely weird in all sorts of wonderful and wacky ways — but on a mass population scale? No. Beige — the very definition of a nothingburger colour — does not have the necessary inherent qualities to visually seduce an entire generation. So I am left with the conclusion that nobody* actually likes beige as a colour, as opposed to liking beige as an idea. Change my mind!** And if flexing your bougieness is that idea, there are a multitude other means so I beg you: no more beige clothes.
(*at a statistically significant level)
(** actually, don’t. I will not be moved on this point. sorry!)
Thank you! WHY all the beige? I live in Amsterdam, and it’s been EVERYWHERE for at least a couple years. I don’t get it. As you say, it’s dingy, and it’s mostly unflattering. And if depression were a color, that color would not be black. It would be beige. I’ll die on this hill.
I have to admit that all this beige has made me appreciate black again, after a few years of being tired of it.
Also, I should have clarified: think beige, in moderation, can be lovely. It is a neutral, after all, so it can be used with intention (in complement with other colours) in interesting ways. But the all over, all the time … I don’t get that.
I agree completely. Another personal style blogger I follow was just lamenting about this too. How everyone is looking to follow neutral fashion, and she has to keep the focus on her aesthetic, and the people who like bright, colorful, fun fashion will find her in time.
I’ve always had niche style so I know what it’s like to be outside the popular norm, I sympathize. In the past, it seemed to me that fashion would always be swinging from one extreme to the other, year to year; so if neutrals were “hot” one season, bright colours would be “hot” in a couple of seasons. But lately, I feel like that arc is getting flattened, especially when it comes to popular trends. Like, beige has been sticking around for a while, under different guises — the trend names change, the aesthetic is very similar. I’m not sure I like that. I think there should be more diversity and variety, not less.
Preach! I think it’s an attempt to look “natural” and/or communicate that you are a crunchy/natural parent? Blah. Can’t wait for this trend to pass. Good for them…not for me. At all.
That could very well be, but again, it’s interesting to me that beige is always about “it signifies X” not “it’s a fun colour”. I’m sure there must be at least one person in the world who loves beige for beige’s sake, but most people seem to wear it because of what it represents. There are many different ways to signal things (like your example, being “natural”) so resorting to beige exclusively just … does not compute to me.
Hi Adina! I’m not a beige person either because it washes me out, but I’m not offended by it. Years ago I read an interview with Juliane Moore where she said a stylist told her to never buy something unless it was black, white, green, or purple. As I was young and have similar coloring, I immediately adopted this philosophy. Decades later, I still consider this advice even though I don’t adhere to it completely anymore. Maybe the beige thing is similar. It’s easier to believe there’s a “right” way to dress and if you adopt the aesthetic of a popular influencer, you save yourself the work of figuring out what really works for you. Also, I didn’t comment on your last post, but I meant to tell you I really like the squash blossom necklace and I feel like turquoise jewelry in general can change the whole vibe of an outfit, especially if it’s leaning a bit Victorian or preppy.
At an aesthetic level, I understand why Julianne’s stylist came up with that advice; though I personally disagree with limiting one’s colour palette, it is true that some colours are more flattering to people’s complexions and colouring than others. One can only hope that Julianne liked the colours she was recommended, lol!
I don’t think beige flatters a majority of people, so I don’t think that’s why most people are choosing it.
Your point about following popular influencers as a shortcut to achieving “style” is very valid. But I guess the question is: why pick the beige influencers? And why are there so many beige influencers in the first place?
I am 100% with you in the anti-beige camp! I do not like it for clothing, especially as a whole outfit. (Hadn’t thought about your point that it needs a higher price point to look decent, but that makes good sense.) I do not like it on houses. I do not like it pretty much anywhere in any large quantity. I just find is so boring. Especially when there are so many really excellent colors and patterns out there. I mean obviously everyone should use the colors that make them happy – but for me that will just never ever be beige.
I’m not that into beige but I do genuinely like tan, camel, caramel and other warm light neutrals. They suit my colouring and style more than white and other fresh colours. In Summer it feels better to me to wear lighter colours and these are colours that I feel comfortable in (much more so than white, or a light pastel for instance). I do associate wearing head to toe beige (or white for that matter) with a certain minimalist aesthetic that I’m not into. I’m definitely a maximalist. I wear colour, pattern, texture and adornment. I’m fine with others going their own way but I think there is sometimes an attitude of superiority associated with a minimalist look. Like it is somehow intrinsically more “chic” than a more maximalist look because it’s so “effortless”. That’s the part that gets me going.
I like the same warm neutrals too! But they are in a different category for me. I also wouldn’t wear them head-to-toe unless it was something like caramel or a darker brown like whiskey.
I do take issue with minimalism being considered intrinsically more chic than maximalism — and, again, I find a lot of those discussions loaded with classism. If I hear “wealth whispers” one more time … No, wealth buys rockets to Mars and other dumb sh*t.
I’m not sure that the beige trend is connected to racism. My intuition is that a large number of people only feel comfortable when they’re following the majority, and that means following trends, even unflattering ones.
Personally, I loathe beige. I was “dopamine dressing” before the term was even coined. I want all the colour, all the brightness. Different colours even elicit emotions in me. Yellow for sunshine and happiness, red for adventure, pastels for a sense of peace.
I don’t think beige is consciously connected to racism for most people – they’re probably wearing the trend for the reasons you mentioned. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t racism baked into the roots of the trend itself. The article Why the West is Afraid of Colour gets into this topic. It might be paywalled, but there are similar articles out there like this Apartment Therapy one: https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/color-chromophobia-and-colonialism-some-historical-thoughts-185710
I think it’s important to stress that most people aren’t consciously thinking about these issues or even aware of them – they might have never analyzed why they think certain colours are “garish” or “tacky”, etc. It’s just a sort of “received cultural belief” that’s accepted without being investigated.
And, of course, there are plenty of people who love and are not afraid of colour. So this is more of a comment on the broader cultural trend, not individual people.
Ugh, it’s the worst. I don’t know why it’s so popular. I suspect it’s appeal is that it seems soothing/calming and minimal, and maybe an over-correction to feeling overwhelmed by the world.
Especially in interior decorating – somehow that’s the most criminal offender to me. It’s like my dingy ’90s landlord was put in charge of everything.
I totally agree! It’s disappointing how much of a chokehold beige interiors have on the Zeitgeist. I need colour to have a revival soon!