Wikipedia defines the alt-right pipeline as, “A phenomenon in which consuming provocative right-wing political content, such as antifeminist or anti-SJW [“social justice warrior”] ideas, gradually increases exposure to the alt-right or similar far-right politics.”
If you’ve been online in the past three to four years, you’ve probably noticed a pattern slowly taking over your feed. Particularly in 2025, as more people seem to care less about masking their conservative views, we can notice a culture shift in motion. But why is this? Why is our society moving towards conservatism, and what does that mean moving forward?
Conservatism has been trending online in many forms, one being the “clean girl” lifestyle. The trend took over social media in 2023 when mainly Gen Z girls banded together with their minimalistic aesthetic and nutrition-obsessed values. The trend is, at its core, a dieting culture. “Clean eating” is a historically disguising term for a very elitist, white, culturally-exclusive view of food, but it’s also created complex relationships with food among many young people. The rise of thin beauty standards (which never really went away, but the body positivity moment seems to be getting marginalized in the past few years), can be recognized as a societal attempt to suppress women in an increasingly misogynistic world. Alongside the rise of home-grown food obsessed trad wives and anti-“hustle culture” believers, the link joining girls to traditional gender roles grows stronger, which is so scary to think about. The second conservative aspect of the clean girl is its foundational principle of physical and moral cleanliness. Eerily resembling traditional purity ideology, which reasons that if women don’t follow certain physical, moral, or sexual criteria, they lose societal value. If that doesn’t sound straight out of The Handmaid’s Tale to you, I don’t know what will. Purity culture is historically acknowledged as racist; so the same can be said for the predominantly white, thin, modest-emphasizing, “clean girl.” Even the “clean girl look” is incredibly conforming. The white and pink outfit blueprint completely strips you of any uniqueness in your clothes. But then again, it could be argued that all aesthetics trap you in a box.
There are so many conservative trends that subtly carve a path for bigotry to enter our spaces, and the patriotism to conservatism path is no exception. From Americana-Christian style upholders like Lana Del Rey and Ethel Cain exploding in popularity, to the popularization of camo print among teens; the American flag has made its way onto our shirts and into our unconscious minds. In October 2025, Billboard reported zero rap songs in their top 40 for the first time since 1990. On the other hand, country music has been “the fastest growing genre in America,” according to Luminate music data. While there have been some Black country representation in recent releases, like Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, most country music is dominated by white artists. Several white pop artists have been inching their way to country recently, likely with monetary motives; think Post Malone, Dua Lipa, and Tate McRae. Clearly, the country music space is showing some economic potential. As we move further from the rap upsurge of the 2010s, young people are now gravitating more towards the acoustic guitar and the Americana aesthetic as a whole. This is not to say rap and hip hop are going anywhere anytime soon, however, hand-in-hand with the conservative moment’s modern make-over, I can’t help but fear underlying messages this new music trend might hold when young people are obsessing over a genre built on conservative ideas.
It seems that recently, celebrities and brands have not been as concerned about political correctness and inclusivity as they were before. Sydney Sweeney had hinted to her right-wing stance before outright supporting racist eugenics, and Nicki Minaj never outwardly spoke up for her predominantly queer fanbase yet it still came as a shock when she praised Trump on Turning Point USA? These celebrities did not develop their conservative opinions overnight. This noticeable political shift in pop culture has just reassured them to be more public with those opinions. This current presidential term has strategically provided protection for rich, sheltered celebrities by distracting the public with debacles ten times crazier. Right-wing celebrities provide something for politicians, too; they pull consumers like us into their coalition towards a politically polarizing and ultimately fascist country. In a time of so much economic hardship, political instability, and overall collective despair, sometimes it feels like if one sociopolitical approach doesn’t seem to be working, we need to try something new. And that’s why people as incompetent but manipulative as Trump are elected. The world has gotten to be so exhausting, that being politically conscious and inclusive isn’t the top priority for many. So, this culture shift has been a long time in the making, but it’s also not a coincidence, it’s incredibly calculated.
Sure, enjoying Zach Bryan or an occasional facial ice bath doesn’t innately mean you’re going to wake up MAGA tomorrow, but context is more important than ever. In the age of social media, it’s easier than ever to get manipulated by the authoritarians and the tech billionaires they hire to strategically curate the content we see every day. It’s more important now than ever to think Sure, enjoying Zach Bryan or an occasional facial ice bath doesn’t innately mean you’re going to wake up MAGA tomorrow, but context is more important than ever. In the age of social media, it’s easier than ever to get manipulated by the authoritarians and the tech billionaires they hire to strategically curate the content we see every day. It’s more important now than ever to think The online world is so distorted these days by the people behind the scenes, and it’s hard to trust certain depictions of world events like the U.S. invasion of Venezuela or the wrongful murder of Renee Good. My advice is this: in an active pipeline of alt-right propaganda, to not get swept away, you need to actively resist the current. Be conscious of what influences you, don’t become numb to the news, and do your own research! There has always been, still are, and always will be people rebelling against totalitarian regimes. A simple act of defiance like incorporating more color into your wardrobe and making your voice heard has so much value and empowerment in a political landscape tirelessly trying to hold you down.
