MESSY GIRL JAPANESE VLOGS: ANTI-CLEAN GIRLS AND COUNTERCULTURES AGAINST MINIMALISTIC CONSERVATIVISM

DESTRUCTION X DOLL
2 days ago
7 min read

Japan is no stranger to having conducive subcultural movements that go against their straightforwardly conservative society. Gyaru, Harajuku, Bosozokus, Visual Kei, Lolitas, etc. Though being vastly different from each other, come out with the same objective: to disrupt the flow of intangibly restrictive, outdated expectations and values placed upon them. Many of these subcultures still continue to this very day, having branched off into larger, more substantial versions of themselves due to their growing followings. The women of Japan partaking in these subcultures have never shied away from this carefree, creative freedom of self-expression – in fact, today, they document it from their very homes. A recent phenomenon of “Get Ready With Me’s” and daily vlogs have sprung from the underground with women and girls throughout the country showcasing their heavily decorated rooms, day-to-day routines, outfits of the day, meals they’ve prepped, shows they’ve been binging, etc. Of course, to the casual onlooker, this type of content seems nothing out of the ordinary. This is the average person's life to a T… right?!

COMMENTS READ:

12/13/25 - "I love messy vlogs"

VIEW 13 REPLIES

12/16/2024 - "I see my future, and it's bright"

VIEW 28 REPLIES

12/14/2025- "Your videos are like a breath of fresh air"

"When I grow up I fear this is gonna be me" "My dream life <3"

12/18/2024- " This is extremely comforting because it shows the edges of life where not everything is clean. I don't think this girl's life is dirtier than average but these videos show it unfiltered and it's nice"

12/10/2025 - " When I feel down and bouta give up I always remember you! <3 you're my insipiration to keep going everyday. I hope you're doing well! :D"

12/6/2025 - "Your videos make me feel better, they motivate me to get up and go to the doctor for my me(n)tal state"

CREATOR REPLY

Do your best at your own pace star emoji

12/15/2024 - "she makes being alone seem so soothing for some reason. whenever im alone i would throw myself in a pit of despair and insanity, its like a hole i cannot fill. i want to feel a bit of joy like her"

7/21/2025 - "I started a new antidepressant today, I really scared and nervous but your videos give me motivation to treat myself. Fighting!"

With the new craze surrounding this style of vlogging, currently declared "Messy Japanese Vlogs," you may find throughout the entirety of its hashtag women and girls typically dressed alternatively to the distinct modest, minimalistic documented product that we're used to. Instead of classic, minimal beige and white interior designing, we are greeted with heaps of pinks and blacks, miscellaneous anime figures, Sanrio plushies, freshly lit Iqos, beer cans, cigarette butts, ashes strewn across tables, the blaring of music, hair products and junk drawers full of makeup, last night's leftovers and piles of food bags...whatever you can think of, imagine 10x! Some vlogs consist of girls adorned with long, decoded nails or women decorated head to toe in tattoos which, of course, is highly known to be a taboo associated with the history of Yakuza gangs in Japan. Some even subscribe to Jira Kei fashion, a subculture in relation to the highlighting of women who suffer from mental health challenges.

Viewers' consumption of the content has resulted in a rather contradictory number of reactions on themes surrounding the videos themselves. Outside of its aesthetically pleasing nature, there are many creators inside the hashtag who are outspoken about their struggles with mental health, how their diagnoses contribute to challenges in how they live their lives, and the extra efforts they must put in to maintain a healthy, steady way of living despite such challenges. In a very vulnerable manner, some of these women go as far as explaining which medications they're prescribed (as well as their symptoms) and will document their feelings and behaviors regarding their mental state. Though the consistency to document their grapples with life while living in a society that stigmatizes mental health and disorderly behavior is empowering to those of us watching from our screens and being able to relate to such things, there are others who are not as sympathetic to this unorthodox wave of openly vulnerable women -- and they don't hesitate to make their commentary known on it. Comments of "slash flash" in reference to a few women with self-harm scars are met with condescending remarks stating that they "need help," while also coupling allegations of "attention seeking" or purposely "fetishizing" themselves.

SOME COMMENTS READ:

4/25/2025 - "waiter, waiter!!

a glass of attention please!"

4/24/2025 - "& that's why you wear love sleeves and pants"

4/25/2025 - " SLASH FLASH AHAHAHA"

4/24/2025 - "Hey so that's not cute"

11/29/2025 - "what is it doing laughing emoji"

12/31/2025 - "this lowkey pmo"

9/18/2025 - "Bro ts so depressing to watch crying emoji"

8/30/25 - "Let's not normalize smoking pls heart emoji"

&

7/10/2025 - "some ppl are just too cute for smoking"

If you think about it, the correlation between outward Conservatism and the responses towards women who portray even the slightest of differences from social norms may have a hand in as to why this sudden lack of sympathy is being seen. Political ideologies, specifically Conservative as of late, play a big role into what's being broadcasted in media -- Fashion and beauty advertisements (I.E. Sydney Sweeney's "Good Genes" Aéropostale commercial), film, music, and other related artistic paths of communication. What's reflected in the current political standings of the world always reflect back what into what they want us to see, and better yet control how we express ourselves. With majority left leaning officials in office, we are prone to witnessing and (with exception to the ignorance of those who refuse to do so along with those who participate in performative activism) accepting those in diversified, alternative roles. When the right overtakes, we are reinforced with harmful white supremacist-esque rhetoric that often creates exclusionary, Eurocentric-based imagery and colonialist propaganda. No matter how you try to spin it, it is a predictive trend we've seen time and time again without fail. Take the beauty industry for example. During and after the 2020 pandemic, a rise in uber-hygienic content with inclusion to hyper-minimalism and a newfound beauty aesthetic, "The Clean Girl," intertwined with our experiences during the pandemic. Not being within physical contact of your community would surely lead the average person to seeking it elsewhere, and what better way to find it than the outreach of online platforms, somewhere you could connect to MILLIONS across the globe relating to one another in a time of need! It didn't matter whether they were in content-specific, niche communities via forums or mainstream social media platforms, like a then up-and-coming revised version of Tik Tok (previously under the guise of "Musically") that was swiftly becoming popular. And lest we fail to mention that by this point in time, chaos had ensued to an even greater extent when the world came to the realization that we had no proper insight as to what would happen next, who would be keeping their jobs, who's families would be affected by the virus next...it was complete and utter turmoil making us feel totally out of control of ourselves and our lives. Despite this, a specific audience on the beauty side of the internet would find relief in social media influencers selling them a new promise of a bigger, brighter, "cleaner" way of living -- something that would force them back into a routine of discipline and regain the control they felt they lost when being forced into lockdown in the first place. In a world full of distortion, they were given the OK to look polished, feel simplistic, and act on their desires to take care of themselves, especially in a culture that glamorizes "hustling" and working yourself to the bone, leaving no downtime for rejuvenation. But what began as a movement promoting health, wellness, and rejuvenation, would slowly place a spotlight onto the reality of it all.

The "Clean Girl" became less about self-wellness and more about performance-based perfection, advertising various cleansing products and exhaustingly detailed skincare routines, minimalized makeup, slick back hair, and smaller food portions in comparison to their intense Pilates workouts. In addition to this, the Clean Girl would discreetly push a narrative of "necessary" standards already present in society's idea of beauty in order to abide by the aesthetic -- thin, pale, non-textured haired cis-het women emphasizing on little to no accessories of self-expression, including tattoos, piercings, and colored hair. It sent the message that if you could uphold these standards, you'd be perceived as "neat," "put together," "elegant" ( which can also be seen in the sudden uptick from the "Old Money" fashion and beauty trend, though that deserves an entire article on its own)... almost like you need to maintain this certain beauty ideal in order to receive a stamp of approved validation from the masses.

Japan has a long reigning history of endorsing similar standards to the general public, preserving an image of hyper-cleanliness, sterile minimalism, and Eurocentric-inspired beauty norms to represent their country. It's a way of keeping what they deem as "ugliness" or the more obvious "messiness" of the people, privately instead of publicly, creating a collateral effect of their citizens to keep even personal "flaws" to themselves. The "Japanese Messy Vlogs" and Japanese messiness in general have rejected such normalities, rebelling instead by embracing the imperfections of not only their disorganized clutter, but the unapologetic self-expression they exhibit through their appearance, their individual personalities, their lifestyles, and openness with their struggles. And the Japanese Messy Girl vloggers are not alone -- as they continue their outreach a wider audience, the ongoing inspiration from women and girls have allowed too for women and girls in varying countries to participate in their own coalitions, defying the standards they may also feel pressured to attain from their communities, families, and peers!