Who are 'Beige-fluencers'? And why do they want us to live such boring lives?

There's a new breed of influencers telling us what to do.

They are an army, easily spotted from afar by their uniform of linens and sweats in shades of caramel, mocha, bone and beige. 

And that last hue has become the stick with which to whack them. 

Watch an influencer fake their own appearance at Coachella. Post continues after video.

It's a term first coined by Sarah Manavis in her work for the Guardian, but in pretty much any corner of TikTok, the Beige-fluencers can be found. They are the ones lighting a soft vanilla candle, folding their matching activewear sets in perfect squares, pouring themselves a decaffeinated iced chai latte and slipping on approximately 4,000 serums.

While snippets of their schedule are sliced and diced for social coverage, they are constantly promoting a 'quiet life' of sorts. One that prioritises rest, calmness and resetting. Though, if you're constantly resetting, it's hard to know what you're resetting from.

Particularly famous faces of the Beige-fluencers recruitment scheme include US fashion designer Matilda Djerf, with her four million Instagram and TikTok followers, who is praised for her 'rich girl' hair and extortionate blazers, and Molly Mae Hague of Love Island fame.

Now, I know what you're thinking – Love Island isn't best known for its neutral colour palette, instead opting for neon hues at every possible opportunity. Bikinis, inflatables and water bottles all strapped with flashes of fuchsia and radioactive green. 

But since Molly Mae's hop, skip and jump from the villa to her settled, loved-up life with her Love Island boyfriend and their subsequent baby, we've watched her trade in pops of colour for a concrete wall of beige, brown and white outfits speckled across her Instagram feed.

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A post shared by MATILDA DJERF (@matildadjerf)

Returning to Matilda, she is always pushing an agenda of unwinding on her socials – despite running a profitable online fashion business and negotiating a bazillion brand deals. There's often a herbal tea in the background, a jade roller in eyeshot, and a well-stocked wardrobe of comfortable, cosy sweats sitting behind her ready to slip into.

Glancing at both of these girls' Instagrams, it seems the aim is to mimic a life lived in a high-end spa retreat. Or perhaps an Aesop store. 

The trend is, without a doubt, growing within the shadow of the catchphrase that dominated TikTok a few months back. A voiceover went viral that declared, "You must romanticise your life", encouraging followers to pause and smell the herbal tea all while filming it and sharing aesthetic shots on their social channels. 

It was a movement that came in almost as a remedy to burnout, encouraging rest after slogging it away as a corporate girlie. Women were sharing their wind-down routines, filming their cleaning hacks and soothing their audience one incense stick at a time. 

While this was the movement of the 'normals' on TikTok, the trend was taken and run in a rather rich direction once influencers cottoned on. Gone were the days of flashing their swanky press trips, indulgent dinners and larger-than-life nights at the club; now in are bubble baths and sheet masks. Albeit ones that used $400 bath oils and masks impregnated with 24-carat gold flecks.

It also provided a level of intimacy that has always served influencers well. A sneak peek into their homes, routines and personal lives that feeds a sense of connectedness with their audience. "They're just like me," their followers sigh with relief. "I drink decaf matcha lattes, too."

But with this Beige-agenda, I can't help but question the lifestyle it's promoting.

No, it's not an unhealthy one. It's a lifestyle that sets boundaries, makes time for recovery and probably leads to a lower resting heart rate. But it's also a pretty boring one.

A life without social occasions, adrenaline, adventure or even caffeine is one that is lacking. And so, while a drop or two of Beige living isn't going to kill anyone, a solely Beige existence is one that would leave most lonely.

So burn the candle, fold some laundry and then get the heck out of the house and live a colourful life. 

Image: @mollymae @matildadjerf + Mamamia.

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