Viral trend: Gen Z embraces 'tired girl' appearance to represent burnout culture, wearing fatigue as fashion

Gen Z has embraced a daring new makeup style called the ‘tired girl’ trend. Instead of hiding fatigue, the viral social media trend emphasizes it. Actress Jenna Ortega, especially in her role as Wednesday addams, became the face of this aesthetic. There are dark stains under the eyes. The skin is pale. Lips are tinted with muted, bruised shades. Thus, a deliberate appearance of exhaustion is created. It is both rebellion and art, which rejects the polished perfection of social media. Ortega’s appearance uses soft charcoal shadows, matrel and diffuse lips that are naturally, yet composed. Although inspired by the 1990s Grunge and K-Beauty’s “hangover makeup”, this version reflects the burning culture of today. On social media, the creators share tutorials that measure the stain levels and color tones with precision. Fiona Horne, the lead singer of Def FX, linked today’s ‘tired girl’ makeup trend to her own past in the 1990s. She remembers seeing a TV segment on the look, where hosts joke that it was nothing new, as Grunge had the same messy atmosphere. This made her think about her orchestra days, when her makeup artist deliberately improved her tired, troubled appearance for music videos. For Fiona, it proves that the tired appearance of Gen Z is now tending, but artists like her pioneered it in 1993. “So here is the guidance of the ‘tired look’ charge … in 1993,” she wrote on Instagram as she shared a video of her popular song. However, experts believe that the new trend, unlike grunge mode, does not involve depth. “Grunge originated from values against establishment, musical scenes and community solidarity, where aesthetic and cultural rebellion was inextricable,” CNN quoted the future laboratory’s Dan Hastings-Narayanin. The trend forecaster calls the new trend “briefly, commodified and ready for replacement by the next viral moment”. Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday Look Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday appearance in Season 1 was created by Hair and Makeup Artist Tara McDonald. “The core principle was to bring about a polished but natural appearance using minimal products and to highlight the natural features of Jenna,” McDonald quoted. McDonald naturally held Jenna Ortega’s under-eye area rather than covering it. It made her dark circles stand out against the lighter foundation. The makeup artist gently applied eyeshadow to add depth without looking heavy. For the lips, the effect aimed at looking naturally flushed, with a slightly bitten appearance.