At the London premiere of the second season of the hit TV series Wednesday on August 19, 2025, actress Jenna Ortega made headlines—not for a dazzling, flawless look, but for her strikingly tired eyes, pale complexion, and pronounced cheekbones, all accentuated with a touch of purple lipstick. The effect? She looked as though she hadn’t slept in days, and that was precisely the point. According to CNN, Ortega’s appearance marked the latest embrace of the “tired girl” beauty trend, a movement that’s been sweeping through Gen Z and upending traditional standards of attractiveness.
For decades, beauty ideals have centered on hiding fatigue and imperfections. Concealer, foundation, and brightening creams have been marketed as must-haves to project a fresh, energetic face to the world. But now, a growing number of young people are flipping that script, choosing instead to highlight the very features once seen as flaws. The “tired girl” aesthetic is all about embracing dark under-eye circles, pale skin, and a slightly disheveled vibe—think less “ready for the red carpet,” more “I’ve been up all night solving mysteries or just living life.”
Ortega’s character, Wednesday Addams, has become the poster child for this trend. With her signature sullen look and gothic sensibility, Wednesday represents a rejection of the hyper-polished, unattainable beauty standards that have dominated social media for years. As Ortega herself demonstrated on the red carpet, the tired girl look is about authenticity, vulnerability, and even a bit of rebellion. It’s a style that says, “I’m not going to hide who I am or pretend I’m not exhausted.”
But Ortega isn’t the only one championing this movement. Other celebrities, like Lily Rose-Depp and model-singer Gabbriette, have embraced similar aesthetics. Influencers such as Emma Chamberlain, Danielle Marcan, and Lara Violetta have also joined in, sharing makeup tutorials that encourage followers to accentuate, rather than conceal, their tired features. By the end of July, TikTok had launched a dedicated hashtag—#tiredgirlmakeup—with countless videos racking up more than 300,000 views. Lara Violetta, for example, is known for her heavy under-eye makeup, which she describes as giving her “a chic look, because you really have to work hard to get them.”
Makeup artist Kim Brown, beauty director at Glass magazine, describes the trend as “a celebration of what’s real.” She explains, “The tired girl has grit and personality. She’s strong and very cool.” It’s a look that’s a little messy, a little rebellious, and a lot more relatable than the airbrushed perfection that once dominated Instagram feeds.
Of course, this isn’t the first time a countercultural beauty trend has emerged. The tired girl aesthetic draws some inspiration from grunge looks of the 1990s, made famous by musicians like Courtney Love, as well as the gothic style that’s long been associated with pale skin and dark makeup. But unlike those movements, which were closely tied to music scenes or subcultural identities, the tired girl trend is more of a fleeting internet phenomenon—one of many “core” trends that have popped up online, from cottagecore’s pastoral nostalgia to Barbiecore’s pink-hued exuberance.
Dan Hastings-Narayanin, a trend forecaster, told CNN that these viral movements often “come and go quickly, are commercialized, and soon replaced by something else.” Still, he notes, the tired girl trend resonates deeply with Gen Z, who are grappling with economic uncertainty, academic pressures, and a job market that feels anything but secure. “Revealing tiredness and a touch of dark humor has become a coping mechanism for young people,” Hastings-Narayanin says. “Their message is: I’m exhausted, worried about the future, but I’ll laugh at the darkness.”
Indeed, the broader context for this trend is a world in flux. According to a report released by Korn Ferry on August 19, 2025, young employees—especially Gen Z—are now more likely to “hug” their current jobs rather than hop to new ones. The so-called “job hugging” phenomenon, as reported by Fast Company, is driven by the impact of artificial intelligence, a shortage of new job opportunities, and a volatile economy. A July survey by Eagle Hill Consulting found that most workers plan to stay in their current roles for at least six more months, with Gen Z leading the pack in their desire for stability.
The job market’s external opportunity index has dropped to its lowest point since the metric was first tracked, reflecting growing pessimism about finding new work. Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a global employment consultancy, recently reported that by the end of July, U.S. employers had cut more than 800,000 jobs—the highest number since the 2020 pandemic. Meanwhile, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed that only 73,000 jobs were created in July, a sharp drop from the average of 111,000 earlier this year. Inflation and tariffs introduced by President Trump have only added to the sense of instability, making recruitment tougher for employers and fueling anxiety among workers.
In this environment, it’s perhaps no surprise that Gen Z is gravitating toward trends that reflect their lived realities. The tired girl look is more than a fashion statement—it’s a form of self-expression, a way to push back against the pressure to appear endlessly energetic and untroubled. As beauty expert Nirvana Jalalvand, who worked with Ortega on Wednesday, puts it, the trend “sends the message that the character won’t spend hours in front of the mirror. She has things to do, places to be, and looking perfect isn’t her top priority.”
This stands in stark contrast to the “clean girl” trend, which champions dewy skin, rosy cheeks, and an overall look of effortless health. Influencers like Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber, and Kendall Jenner have popularized that aesthetic, but Gen Z’s embrace of the tired girl look suggests a craving for something more real—and perhaps a little less exhausting to maintain. Jalalvand observes, “We’ve gone too far with perfection, and now people are swinging back the other way.” Even Instagram has shifted, with users favoring candid, unedited photos over carefully curated ones.
From a practical standpoint, the tired girl look is refreshingly low-maintenance. As makeup artist Tara McDonald explains, “Almost anyone can do this makeup style without professional skills.” A bit of concealer, a sweep of eyeshadow, and a natural lip color are all it takes. The trend’s simplicity is part of its appeal, especially for a generation that’s already juggling so much.
Whether the tired girl trend will have lasting influence remains to be seen. But for now, it offers a window into the mindset of a generation navigating an uncertain world—one that values authenticity, resilience, and the courage to show up, even when running on empty.
