Style, scam, or scheme?
A critical analysis on the rise of minimalism as an aesthetic
Trends and aesthetics seem to rise and fall as frequently and as unpredictably as Ontario weather, but one that keeps persevering is minimalism.
The clean girl aesthetic: the no makeup makeup look, the way most new apartments are all sleek and white and colourless, Garage’s total rebrand, my inability to find a single maxi skirt with patterns and frills. Everywhere I look, I see monochrome and the death of individuality.
Now, PSA: I don’t think there’s anything wrong with following trends. They’re fun, they can be interesting, and experimentation is never a bad thing. But for God’s sake, six people wearing the exact same black leggings, white shirt, and slick back bun, pushes it.
And it’s not just visual aesthetic that minimalism is invading. Our recipes too—you now have your three ingredients, low carb, low gluten, low everything. You have your “Come Declutter With Me” videos, your “Underconsumption Core“, and the new rise of “Cringe Culture.”
You also have the it’s not “that” deep movement.
But Zainab, that’s not minimalism! Sure it is.
Today’s definition of minimalism has taken on the meaning of keeping only what one considers essential. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines minimalism as “a style […] that is characterised by extreme spareness and simplicity”. And it has infiltrated everything.
We say “it’s not that deep” to remove the deep, complicated meaning behind media, reducing it to surface level simplicity. Why dig deep for meaning when we can just accept the simple surface? Why prescribe meaning? Why think? Minimalist aesthetic embraces minimal thinking.
Minimalism has reduced everything about ourselves: our thoughts, our foods, our interests, our curiosity, our experimentation, our sentimentality. And the reason it has become so insidious is because it packages itself so reasonably.
Minimalism styles itself as the “correct” way—clean, refined, and encouraging a healthy, affordable lifestyle. Of course, we should be hygienic, we shouldn’t hoard or clutter, we should eat healthy. Of course, we should reduce overconsumption habits. Anyone would agree to this; I do!
But minimalism takes it so very far, and you have to wonder why. My theory: it is a mass social manipulation. Let me explain.
First, our economy—arguably, the world’s economy—isn’t doing great. And what better way to encourage people to not only adjust to this, but actively ignore it, than to encourage the aesthetic of simplicity and “under-consumption?” If we think that we’re purposefully centering our lives around “essentials only” and “under-consumption,” we won’t realise there’s nothing to consume because companies aren’t providing us with what we need. And when you stop realising, you stop caring.
Furthermore, it’s easier for companies to make “minimalist” clothing and items, for cheaper and sell them for higher prices. And you go along with it because you think “that’s just what’s in style!” I think that they’re practically scamming you.
And the more you conform, the easier it is to pick up on whoever doesn’t and target them. Which, arguably, is what we’ve already been doing. Hello Cringe Culture, the decimation of fandom spaces, and the raging increase in all types of bigotry. And of course, the act of minimalism can also be an attack on other cultures, to shame them into assimilating to a Western artistic movement, to make them look desirable.
Look, I’m not saying the idea of minimalism is inherently bad or even started out with bad intentions. Nor am I claiming that maximalism and other aesthetics are dead: they’re alive and can be found in many alternative communities and global cultures.
But, there is a very obvious campaign happening that is pushing us towards both the assimilation and acceptance of a world that is becoming less accommodating for us to live in, let alone thrive in, and to do so without complaint. And it’s working.
Every day, the list of things that lead to dangerous pipelines grows longer and longer. Perhaps, we should start considering if minimalism needs to be added to the list.
