Q+A with Digi: The Clean Guy’s TikTok takeover

We spoke to GQ about the rise of men’s morning routine content on TikTok and how this connects to the changes within the wider self-care and wellness landscapes for male cohorts. Are men inspired by the viral ‘clean girl’ aesthetic? Or are Men Who Self-Care blazing their own paths?

GQ: What do creators have to keep in mind when creating different content for TikTok versus Instagram?

Digi: TikTok is a beast when it comes to trends. Creators on TikTok have the ability to tap into trending sounds, transitions, and challenges, enabling them to fast track their viewership if they are smart and move fast. TikTok also has easy-to-use editing features along with a huge (and very appealing) audio library. The editing suite on TikTok has been more favourable to amateur creators so content creation is more fun and less of a chore. 

While Instagram has been around for longer, it faces many challenges, especially with its Facebook-ification and younger users deeming the platform cringey. When creating content for Instagram, creators should utilise the many formats available – TikTok just has one, and that’s vertical video – but Instagram allows for added creativity through carousels, engagement stickers on Stories, and infographic style posts helping them to connect with their audience in a different way.

GQ: There are proportionally more male users on Instagram than TikTok, but hashtags such as #mensskincare and #mensslifestyle gain more traction on TikTok — why do you think TikTok might be a more successful platform for male lifestyle content creators?

Digi: The majority of the audience on TikTok is much younger than Instagram, and a lot of Gen Zers and young millennials believe traditional gender norms are outdated. Content on TikTok also finds its way to the right community through its powerful and almighty algorithm – so men who have even the slightest interest in looking after themselves through skincare, haircare or just general routine-based content will become more accustomed to seeing other men showing how it benefits their life. 

It has had a snowball effect on this creator community, too. Male lifestyle creators have helped shed the image that this space is purely for women, and have shown that there is a huge male audience out there looking for lifestyle content. So, with it becoming more of the norm, it’s inspiring a new wave of male creators to shed limitations of toxic masculinity and lean into everyday self-care content.

Finally, there is a level of added authenticity on TikTok, whereas we perceive Instagram to be highly curated and filtered — intimacy and trust is built with the personality-driven, relatable creators on TikTok as opposed to the almost-too-aspirational creator on Instagram.

GQ: ‘What I Eat In A Day’, ‘skincare routine’ and ‘morning routine’ videos/vlogs have long been dominated by female content creators but the tide seems to be changing with male content creators beginning to hop on the trend. Do you think this is reflective of Gen Z men being more in touch with “feminine” self care or driven by something else?

Digi: Self-care has become less gendered across the board, from skincare lines headed by celebrities like Pharrell Williams and Harry Styles, to brands like Hims that offer anti-aging and hair loss solutions geared specifically towards men. Even skincare brands popular with Gen Z, like CerAve and The Ordinary, have an non-gendered, minimalist look that stands apart from the distinctive, more traditionally gendered millennial pink of brands like Glossier that dominated the second half of the 2010s.

GQ: What do you think is behind the appeal of very simple routine videos such as this one which was viewed 1.5 million times?

Digi: The comment sections under this type of video are usually full of women saying things like, “marry me” and “husband material”. A man taking care of himself and his home is attractive to a lot of people, especially women who date men. There’s a whole genre of memes dedicated to how poorly some single men take care of themselves and their surroundings, so content like this almost feels like hopeful proof that not all men have crusty navy sheets and a single bar of soap in the shower. From a content perspective, the slow-motion effect makes the video extra relaxing – every action, whether it’s dusting or closing his laptop at the end of the day, feels methodical and unhurried. 

Read the full article by Alice Crossley here. 

✨ Contributing Fairies

• Jordan Mulvaney, Creative Digital Strategist 
• Biz Sherbert, Culture Editor

✨ Digi Reading Recs

• International Men's Day 2021: 5 Male Celebrities Redefining the Beauty Industry (Tatler Asia, 2021) 
• How Social Media is Ushering in a New Era of Men’s Grooming (Sharp Magazine, 2021)
• How Men’s Attitude Toward Grooming And Cosmetics Is Changing (Forbes, 2022)

For more content like this, explore the rest of the Digiverse, or connect with us on TikTok or Instagram. If you’re a brand or business and want to inspire your audience in innovative ways, reach out to our strategic & creative lab eve@thedigitalfairy.co.uk