Perfect is boring, and people are finally coming to that conclusion en masse. Having the perfect skin in the 90s meant having silky, smooth face that took makeup like it was there all along. Having perfect skin in 2010 meant having software that would mask all imperfections, create an unrealistic expectation in girls who are going through puberty (let’s not forget grown women) and surgical enhancements that are capable of achieving a shadow of that smooth skin when you’re 65. It’s incredible and incredibly sad all at the same time, but the industry is starting to shift, I think. Let’s unpack the cultural background first and see what we get underneath.
Perfection Is The GOAT? Not Anymore
Gather round the grandma, girls and boys, let me tell you a story. There was a time, not that long ago, when everything had to look finished, polished, and good to go. Fashion was so structured. Houses like Celine and Victoria Backhem defined the 2010s with clean silhouettes and precision. Influencers built entire identities on wrinkle-free outfits and carefully coordinated palettes. And yes, the polishing software came in very handy too, but the aesthetic itself did not leave room to any mess, even in the hair. After the chaotic hair days of the messy 80s and 90s, came the hair products of the 00s and 10s.
Visual Arts & Beauty in 2010s
Photography followed the same logic, by the way, fashion did not walk alone. There was a lot of softer lighting, very controlled compositions, VSCO filters, etc. Mind you, they still strived for the natural look, only there was very little natural about it. Then came the era of Instagram with click here ads. And Instagram feeds were engineered like portfolios. They were in one theme, very consistent, overly symmetrical at times, you get the idea.
It’s hard to say whether the Beauty Industry mirrored that obsession with control or actually spawned it. But the full-glam era came, with Instagram showing young girls in particular, what they must or mustn’t look like.
It was shaped in part by figures like Kylie Jenner, revolved around contour sharp enough to redraw bone structure. If you’ve ever tried it, you’d know. Era of matte finishes, and techniques that aimed to eliminate any trace of human skin (which, btw, lost the battle to porcelain).
In visual art, the dominant digital aesthetic leaned toward hyper-smooth rendering, always. Gradients were smooth and invisible, brushstrokes weren’t defined, and technical mastery was the primary signal of value.
Theatre, too, operated with the goal of polish: elaborate stage design, which I still love, I have to admit, tightly choreographed movement, and lighting engineered to conceal its own mechanics.
In short, it was a culture, where we, as the audience, are invited to the result only, not the whole game process.
What Has Changed?
In fashion, the center of gravity has shifted toward something messier, something that is intently left unfinished, sloppy even. Brands like Balenciaga and Maison Margiela are offering clothes that look distressed and deconstructed. Something that raises a lot of eyebrows. Because marketing stained underwear is wild. But it doesn’t mean we should wear stained underwear, people, I think this is just a cry for help from the polished people. They are truly tired and need a break.
Mud-covered runways, exposed seams, it all gives give-me-a-break vibes. Also, the point is to create tension and wake us up from the perfection stupor. Styling has followed suit: clashing layers, awkward proportions, pieces that look thrifted, and all that jazz.
Inversion in photography? Of course, it always follows suit. Direct flash is back big time, motion blur, grain, and overexposure, too. I think a move away from composition toward immediacy is also underway. Images feel captured and candid, more than staged.
Social media dump accounts are another facet of imperfection. You’ve surely seen them before. Collections of loosely related, often low-effort images. They are starting to replace the hyper-curated feed.
In visual art, a similar rejection is coming. Loose lines, naive proportions, visible corrections. All of that. The influence of artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, maybe. If you look closely, there’s a lot of chaotic layering in his work, some text fragments, in short, an aesthetic that doesn’t have anything to do with control. Even in digital spaces, glitch art and intentionally unfinished visuals are everywhere.
Theatre has perhaps made the most radical shift. Immersive and experimental productions strip away the illusion of completeness altogether. I know, they can be annoying even, and definitely not my cup of tea, but again, they are a signal. Performances feel closer to rehearsals than finished products, which some people enjoy, because they are raw, and sometimes uncomfortable. Personally, they remind me of “Why don’t you like me?” performance on Friends. If you know, you know. But the audience is no longer a passive observer. It’s a part of the environment, blurring the line between process and performance.
Is Authenticity Back?
Beauty. Of course. The Beauty Industry is king, and we all want to know about the latest trends. And it has softened its standards, too. Brands like Glossier are all for visible skin with pores, texture, even acne. The products have shifted towards skincare more than polished matte finish. Editorial looks lean into smudged eyeliner, asymmetry, and expressive, almost careless application. The goal is to leave it recognizably human.
Now, I know, the Weight loss grugs vs. Healthy at any size debate has gone out of control, but the pattern is clear. In 2010s polish was status. It is not anymore. Today, status is communicated through the opposite: effort concealed, imperfection foregrounded, authenticity performed. But this mess isn’t accidental. It’s constructed, just differently. The irony is that looking unpolished now often requires just as much intention as looking perfect did. Can you spell NOT AGAIN?
The difference is in what that effort is trying to signal. Then, it was distance. Now, it’s proximity. And in a culture oversaturated with content, proximity (real or simulated) has become the new definition of cool.