This article is part of the Future of Appearance, a collection of articles that investigates what we will look like in 20 years.
On 20 January, alongside President Donald Trump and his slew of Big Tech bros, there emerged a uniform look among the women standing tall (in high heels) on the inauguration stage: bouncy blonde blowouts, overdone makeup and ultra-traditional skirt suits. The fashion was “severe and demure”, as Vogue Runway’s José Criales-Unzueta dubbed Melania’s Adam Lippes look.
This is the aesthetic of the now-ruling conservative class. It’s bold and brash, and it’s unmistakenly Republican, from the big hair to the two-piece skirt suits. Should we have seen it coming?
In November 2024, content creator Elysia Berman made a viral video analysing how changing beauty aesthetics — extreme thinness, Utah curls, tattoo removal — were predictive of a Trump win. These shifts towards a traditional, more conservative beauty standard signalled changing sentiments across the US — both aesthetic and ideological.
The tastes of the younger class of conservatives, experts agree, indicate how the conservative look is set to evolve. After all, they’re many of the ones peddling the conservative shift forward. “Young people have gone from being the most progressive generation since the baby boomers, and maybe even in some ways more so, to becoming potentially the most conservative generation that we’ve experienced maybe in 50 to 60 years,” David Shor, head of data science at Democratic polling firm Blue Rose Research, told The New York Times columnist Ezra Klein on the latter’s podcast.
With shifting ideals and morals come shifting appearances. “How you put makeup on, how you dress, is how you signal to the world: this is who I am, this is the group I feel I identify with. It’s all about signalling,” says fashion futurist Geraldine Wharry.
Most strikingly, this turn to conservatism is marked by a return to ultra-gendered values; be it hyper-femininity or hyper-masculinity. The weeding out of the in-between is what’s worrying, says Dan Hastings-Narayanin, deputy foresight editor at strategic foresight agency The Future Laboratory, because it results in a rejection of non-binary aesthetics and those who choose not to conform to these norms. “In a political climate where LGBTQ+ rights — especially those of transgender women — are under attack, anyone who doesn’t ‘pass’ as traditionally feminine could be targeted,” he says. It’s not just in the US, either. “We’re seeing it in the US, the UK, France, China, India and South Korea,” Hastings-Narayanin says. “Anyone looking for identity, belonging or control in a fragmented world is susceptible to these ideals — especially when presented with clear, performative templates for success or desirability.”
Coupled with this gender stratification is a quest for perfection. The macro shift of self-optimisation is one Hastings-Narayanin has noted compounding in recent years. It’s intensified in the wake of inflation, the rising cost of living and a generation of young people struggling to buy homes, get married, or find love. And this self-optimisation trend — getting skinnier, looking younger, living longer — will continue to shape the next 10 years, he says, adding that it intersects with conservatism in that it promotes the cultural celebration of self-restraint.
Though only a subset of consumers are shifting to the right, this won’t just impact the appearance of those who embrace conservative ideology, says Bayla Metzger, senior editor of thought leadership at youth culture agency Archrival. “Today, culture — especially fashion and beauty — are completely threaded through different communities, subcultures and political groups,” she says. “The rise of the right wing will impact the aesthetics that play out across culture at large.”
TikTok content
Beauty: The shifting face of conservatism
The most prominent beauty label to come out of this year so far is ‘Mar-a-Lago face’. The look is associated with a more sculpted appearance, characterised by elevated brows, prominent cheekbones and taut skin, says Dr Mark Murphy, plastic surgeon and founder of Palm Beach Facial Plastic Surgery. “It’s a style that reflects a preference for noticeable rejuvenation, often achieved through a combination of surgical lifting techniques and volume restoration with fillers,” he says.
Content creators, having noted this overwork and overdone makeup typical of women understood to be right leaning, are parodying the look on TikTok, posting ‘Republican makeup’, or ‘conservative girl makeup’ tutorials consisting of orange foundation, clumpy mascara and heavy blush.
But as we venture further into the conservative era, this heavy glam will fade, experts expect, with a return to ‘natural beauty’. The next generation is the indicator of this shift. “The new face of the right doesn’t have a crunchy blonde blowout. She has the same trendy haircut as a girl who retweeted ‘Kamala is brat’ last summer, and probably a pretty similar skincare routine too,” as writer Biz Sherbert put it in her analysis of Trump-era beauty for AnOther Magazine.
Beauty trends across the board — soft, refined nail aesthetics; longer wear and lower maintenance makeup that enhances facial features; hair health and repair — are aligning with this new, pared-back but actually ultra-refined, conservative look. This bodes well for beauty brands used to capitalising on (and setting) TikTok beauty trends, from Rhode’s natural-looking, plumping blush to Wonderskin’s long-lasting lip stains that leave lips perfectly done for hours.
In Palm Beach, Murphy’s clients are looking to make this shift permanent, as more clients request more natural looks, he says. Dr Simon Ourian, co-founder of Simon Ourian MD and celebrity cosmetic dermatologist, is seeing the same shift in Beverly Hills, and expects this focus on refinement over transformation to continue. “We are moving towards a period where natural, timeless beauty is increasingly valued,” says Ourian. “Many clients today are looking for treatments that enhance their features subtly rather than dramatically altering them.”
Murphy agrees, and says he’s fielding similar requests. “They want to look refreshed — basically, they want to look like themselves, just 10 years younger,” he says. “This means for our patients undergoing a face lift, we’re using deep plane lifting techniques that reposition tissue naturally rather than pulling the skin tight. We’re also seeing a shift towards fat transfer instead of an over-reliance on fillers, as it creates a softer, longer lasting result that maintains facial balance.”
It’s the reason facial harmonisation and facial balancing are trending. Culture writer and digital strategist Abha Ahad calls this “yassified eugenics”, and cautions that ‘facemaxxing’ (the enhancement of natural facial features) aligns with typically Euro-centric aesthetics.
This shift to more natural-looking procedures means there’s more money to be made at the outset. It’s the natural, ‘had nothing done’ look that takes more work. “A more deliberate look can result from procedures that focus solely on pulling the skin tight or using excessive filler to restore volume,” Murphy explains. A natural, balanced outcome requires a more nuanced approach, using more advanced technologies. The upfront cost is higher, but will likely require less follow-ups, says Murphy. Meanwhile, Ourian flags that skincare is essential to maintain and enhance aesthetic treatments. With people going longer between needles and knives, there’s opportunity for skincare brands to capitalise on the desire for maintenance.
Also driving up the cost of maintaining the MAGA moment look is the well-documented rise of Ozempic. In the conservative era, thinness — and fitness — will reign supreme.
On the Autumn/Winter 2025 runways, size inclusivity rates dropped once again. It’s a sign of what’s to come: a continued shrinking and toning of bodies in the name of control. The resurgence of diet culture, the popularity of Ozempic and the decline in alcohol consumption aren’t just about health or aesthetics, Hastings-Narayanin says — “They reflect a deeper societal push towards restraint, discipline and control over one’s body.”
Once again, this is body perfecting to reach hyper-genered ideals. For women, it’s tied largely to desirability, stemming from the resurgence of thinness and hyper-femininity as the beauty blueprint. For men, it goes back to a sense of looming crisis, Hastings-Narayanin notes: a fabricated sense of needing to prep for war. “This shows up in hyper-masculine ideals such as lifting heavier, running marathons, doing Hyrox or Ironman competitions,” he says. “It’s all about building a body capable of enduring, surviving and fighting.”
This will impact what sells across beauty and fashion. Face volumising will be a surgical focus, and ingredients like retinoids, peptides and hyaluronic acid (known for their ability to boost collagen production and improve skin texture) will dominate formulae, scientist and medical physician Ekta Yadav told Vogue Business. In fashion, sizes will shrink, and spending will rise as people look for new clothes to fit their new, smaller frames.
Fashion: From trad wife to ‘boom boom’
Like in beauty, conservative-coded fashion trends have been bubbling since before the US election, from the rise of trad wife TikTok content (led by Nara Smith and Ballerina Farm) to the old money aesthetic that dominated fashion in 2023 and 2024 (and continues to thrive). The distance between the two is not so far: recall the earlier moniker of those who worshipped Philo’s Celine: before we had the ‘Philophiles’, we had the ‘fashion nuns’.
According to Pew Research’s latest Religious Landscape Study, 62 per cent of US adults identify as Christians — this has remained relatively stable for the last five years after trending downwards. As these values return to the fore, the trad wife aesthetic will only permeate further.
The idea of ‘making America great again’ — often wrapped up with Christian values — harkens back to post-World War II America, Wharry says. While the wartime saw women going to work in place of men, after the war, the men returned, and with them came fashion’s cinched, corseted waists and voluminous skirts. “It was the whole Dior New Look,” Wharry says, noting the hyper-feminised aesthetic of the time. “There are parallels in this idea of going back to this perceived glory of what America was at the time,” she adds, pointing to the way women are outfitting themselves today, from trad wives to those in the cabinet office.
This sense of nostalgia is also driving what trend forecaster Sean Monahan has dubbed the ‘boom boom’ aesthetic seen on many of this season’s runways. It’s the power suits; the abundance of (faux and real) fur; the old Hollywood glamour dominating red carpets. Consumers are nostalgic for the loud, brash, maximalist period in American culture, says Hastings-Narayanin. “It’s a kind of Americana glamour rooted in excess and status. It’s tacky but also comforting. For some Gen Z, this is anemoia — nostalgia for a time never experienced.”
And though male celebrities are embracing play on the red carpet, by and large, these aesthetics are fading — and will continue to do so, Hastings-Narayanin says. Babygirl men, and with them their crop tops and short shorts, are on the decline.
At the opposite end of the spectrum to boom boom is the old money, quiet luxury movement. Old money implies generational wealth — something non-white Americans have historically been prohibited from amassing. It’s moving more into the mainstream as well. Pretty Little Thing’s brand overhaul from clubwear to ‘quiet luxury’ minimalism is generating online chatter — and critique — for its conservative tilt. The swapping of bodycons and cutouts for blazers, maxi skirts and lots of beige signals an embrace of the more buttoned-up aesthetics so tightly bound up with a more conservative look.
Selling the new look
Because the ‘conservative look’ is less clear cut than it once was, brands have to navigate more than just the decision of whether and how to market to consumers’ changing values and looks. They need to dissect what’s at the root of these shifting appearances.
To do so, brands must evolve their understanding of consumers, especially the next generation, says Metzger. “I can see how conservative-led aesthetic trends feel conflicting, but I think in a lot of ways they’re driven by simple and relatable emotional triggers,” she says.
Marketers can fall into the pitfall of overgeneralising consumer groups — especially generational cohorts, she continues, noting the conversation emerging at present in which marketers are questioning whether they got Gen Zs wrong. “Gen Zs are often simplified down to being diverse, fluid, inclusive, activists, and the way that Gen Zs showed up at the polls throws a wrench in that story,” she explains. The way many are presenting themselves does, too. “I think this could be a really interesting turning point for marketers to dig into understanding this generation through a more nuanced lens.”
That said, brands shouldn’t rush into a reactive overhaul, Hastings-Narayanin cautions. “These shifts — whether in consumer values, aesthetics, or behaviours — take time to fully emerge,” he says. Instead of committing to any quick, drastic changes, brands ought to be listening, tracking and preparing behind the scenes. After all, for all of those embracing conservative aesthetics, there are plenty pushing back.
*Note on our images:
We created all lead images in this series using OpenAI GPT-4o’s image generation tool. To do that, we leveraged the ongoing partnership between Condé Nast and OpenAI and generated images that best reflect the expert insights and predictions about appearance found in this collection of articles.
We are aware of the debate surrounding the ethics of artificial intelligence in image-making, and we share concerns regarding creative ownership as well as that of our own image. In this series, we are talking about a world that doesn’t yet exist, and as AI is in so many ways the tool of the future, we felt it was appropriate to experiment with it in this way.
We guided the visuals entirely through written prompts. No external images or copyrighted materials were uploaded or referenced — every image was created from scratch based on our team’s original concepts.
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