Glow-Up Culture Is Dead—Welcome To The Hot Mess Renaissance

For years, the internet has been obsessed with transformation. The ‘that girl’  routines, the 5 AM workouts, the endless “before and after” videos that make you wonder if you should quit your job and start Pilates full-time. But something is shifting. The “glow-up” era—the one that told us we were a self-improvement project—is officially losing its grip. And in its place? A full-blown Hot Mess Renaissance.

This isn’t about giving up. It’s about giving in—to the reality that life is chaotic, mistakes happen, and not everything needs a polished, post-worthy aesthetic. Gen Z has decided that perfection is overrated, and being a little messy (okay, sometimes a lot messy) is way more interesting.

Hot Mess Energy: A Lifestyle Choice

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chloe Buckingham (@chloe.buckingham)

Picture this: You’re late to brunch because you spent the morning untangling your jewellery pile instead of actually getting ready. Your nails are half-painted, your mascara is smudged—but you? You’re thriving. The Hot Mess Renaissance is about letting go of the performance of looking together and embracing life as it comes.

The trend is everywhere: blurry photo dumps, unhinged dating stories, unapologetic “I was a clown” moments. TikTok is flooded with people admitting their weirdest habits and worst decisions—not for clout, but because there’s something freeing about saying, Hey, I don’t have my shit together either.

The glow-up culture was exhausting. The idea that you had to constantly be working on yourself—optimising your routine, healing your childhood trauma, drinking the right kind of water—turned self-care into a never-ending to-do list. The Hot Mess Renaissance says, What if I just... didn’t?

From Perfect Skincare To "Oops, I Slept In My Makeup"

Let’s talk beauty. The glow-up era convinced us we needed flawless skin, sculpted brows, and a 12-step skincare routine that required a spreadsheet. The Hot Mess Renaissance? It’s about real beauty—meaning, sometimes you forget to wash your hair and survive on dry shampoo fumes.

Think undone, slept-in eyeliner, real bedhead (not the ‘I spent 40 minutes making it messy’ kind), and a general approach to beauty that feels less curated, more I threw this together in two seconds. The hottest It-girls right now? They’re rocking chipped nail polish and last night’s lipstick, looking like they had too much fun—which is, of course, the point.

The End Of The “Fix Yourself” Era

This shift isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s a rejection of the idea that you’re always a work in progress.Glow-up culture thrived on the belief that you had to constantly elevate—your mindset, your productivity, your entire being. The Hot Mess Renaissance? It says, What if you’re already enough?

Gen Z is done with the self-optimization obsession. They’re ghosting their gym memberships in favour of long walks that end at a café. They’re skipping “career-building” networking events to sit in the park with an iced latte. They’re no longer seeing their messiness as a problem to fix, but as a personality trait to embrace.

Messy, But Make It Main Character Energy

beauty

So, does this mean people are actually giving up on self-care? Not at all. The difference is, it’s no longer about striving for an unattainable version of “better.” It’s about doing things because they feel good—not because they’ll get you closer to some imaginary “best self” status.

In a world obsessed with before and afters, Gen Z is choosing to exist in the messy middle. They’re rejecting perfection, choosing fun over discipline, and letting their lives unfold without an aesthetic master plan. And honestly? That sounds like the real glow-up.