The effort to be effortless
Words by Maria De Feo, Writer
Society is obsessed with effortlessness. Proof of this is the “frazzled English woman”, a new TikTok trend. It is now in fashion to dress like romantic comedy protagonists like Bridget Jones or the actress Keira Knightley in her paparazzi pictures. These women are seen as a source of inspiration when they are in their most “frazzled” state, with their hair in a messy updo and their makeup minimal and smudged. The women’s layering of chunky knit jumpers and heavy woollen coats, topped with a skinny scarf that usually does not even match the rest of the outfit, is now a source of inspiration for many. The clothes that Keira probably threw on to go get her morning coffee, hoping to go unrecognised, are the clothes that we want to buy. This is almost paradoxical. We are trying hard to look like people who did not try hard at all. We are going out with the purpose of buying clothing which had probably been lying in the real frazzled English women’s wardrobes for decades. We style our hair to make it look unstyled.
One reason for the trend’s explosion could be the parallel trend of life romanticisation. Everywhere we turn, we hear people talking about how important it is for us to act like we are the main characters of our lives. This stimulates us to imitate the main characters of our favourite films. Romantic comedies from the 2000s, which are mostly set in autumn or winter, represent a great paradigm for the romanticisation of cold seasons. While walking around and barely feeling our knuckles because of the frosty wind that is brushing them, instead of cursing and complaining, we can imagine that we are the star of a romantic comedy enjoying her beautiful, whimsical life. Dressing in the effortless style of these characters is just another way to get in character.
While the desire to make life feel like a movie is certainly a reason for the frazzled English woman’s explosion in popularity, I cannot help feeling as if our obsession with effortlessness is broader. After all, the word “effortless” dominates a multitude of fashion articles precedent to the frazzled English woman trend. Our fascination with messiness and carelessness seems to transcend the present time. Maybe it is because, a lot of the time, we admire in others what is inaccessible to us. When we know that someone’s looks are a result of a process and of hard work, we assume that we can replicate them by putting in the same amount of effort. If someone looks stunning while putting a minimal amount of effort in, we cannot make the same assumption. We cannot attribute all that person’s beauty solely to the work they put into it. We are forced to admit that they have some natural gifts that we might not be able to replicate. We are left in a position of distance, of admiration towards the unattainable.
At the same time, though, we respond to unattainable, natural beauty much like we would respond to a full-face of makeup or to an elaborate, strategic outfit. We buy all the items the people we want to emulate own, hoping to resemble them. If we look at it this way, then our obsession with effortlessness seems puzzling, and, in certain ways, even a little harmful. However, I am convinced that there is a way to see a promotion of effortlessness as something beautiful and even helpful. I will use a personal anecdote to explain this idea. In my last year of high school, I learned to do makeup. I was thrilled that I could make my eyes look more expressive by drawing on them with eyeliner, or my skin clearer by covering blemishes with concealer. I liked this idea so much that, every single morning I devoted 40 minutes to my makeup routine. At first, it was amazing. Makeup made me feel so confident. After a while, though, I started to notice changes in the way it made me feel. When I washed my eyeliner off, I no longer felt like myself. I could not go a day without covering my face up. In the process of trying to become more confident through makeup, I was simply becoming more reliant on products to feel acceptable. I was losing love towards my natural features. I broke this cycle when I started leaning into a more effortless philosophy, when I started accepting that it would be fine for me to go out with my blemishes in sight, or without the perfect eye look. Seeing women sport chic, simple looks and pair them with an almost (if not completely) bare face encouraged me to do the same, occasionally. The creation of elaborated makeup looks and outfits is a form of art and of self-expression. However, it is nice to be reminded, at least sometimes, that it’s also ok not to care.