Is Your Morning Shed Just Consumerism Gone Wild?

People are going to bed wrapped, slathered, and strapped. Heatless curlers entwined into girls’ hair, mouth tape slapped over lips, and orange self-tan smeared over cheekbones and foreheads… Waking up every morning has become a routine of stripping off countless items to try and cut morning routines shorter.

“The uglier you go to bed, the prettier you wake up,” is a common phrase recited by the influencers sharing their “morning shed” on apps like TikTok. There’s a desire for beauty, and life in general, to be as low-maintenance as possible. So if going to bed with a collagen mask melting into your skin and wringing hair into knots prevents rushed skincare routines and curling iron burns in the morning, it might all just be worth it. 

Most of these are actually pretty beneficial. Heatless curls and self-tan are things that have been used for generations– girls have been twisting their hair into ringlets before bed since the 18th century, and self-tanning agents were introduced since Coco Chanel popularized bronzed skin in the 50s.  

But at what point does it all become trend-hopping absurdity? Do we really think going to bed with a chin strap and sticky mouth tape will suck in a double chin? Or will wrapping waists in oil and cellophane truly suck in a tummy more naturally than liposuction? 

Beauty fads are something that the women of our world will probably never be able to escape, no matter how many we abandon: from mercury makeup to electric blue eyeshadow. Social media has amplified their popularity and marketability in recent years, and not just in the beauty world. So, until the next trendy “life hack” comes along, most girls will continue going to bed looking like part-robot experiments, but that might just come along with being a modern woman—no matter what century we’re living in.