From Colors to Neutrals: The Rise of ‘Sad Beige Babies’
This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s summer editorial intern Jenna Wirtz. Find her on Instagram at @jenna.wirtz. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
When you ask a child their favorite color they probably will not respond saying beige. Despite this, homes across America have banished color in the name of aesthetics. This may have started with decor, but now has led to parents dressing their kids exclusively in neutral tones, along with buying them wooden toys rather than their plastic counterparts. They opt for Birkenstock clogs over light up sketchers.
Oatmeal, white, beige, cream, stone, bone and ash are the new colors around the block for many 20 and 30 somethings.
Every parent is going to decorate their home as they wish, but people across the internet worry that removing colors from kids’ home environments is going to have a negative impact on them. “Sad beige baby” is a term referring to parents who adorn their kids in neutrals and muted tones rather than traditional colors.
Many parents dress their children, particularly before they have free agency, in clothes that reflect their personal style. This is not an uncommon phenomenon, however this move towards neutrals means that a lot of babies and toddlers are wearing shades rather than colors. It seems like nowadays, parents do not want to compromise their aesthetic, which I do not think is wrong, I just think it is weird.
I do not think that a ‘sad beige baby’ is actually sad, I just think that parents remove the personality and charm that comes with the clothes and toys that children gravitate towards. It is akin to having a professionally decorated Christmas tree that has been meticulously and exactly designed to your liking. There is nothing wrong with it, in fact it is quite beautiful to look at. However, there is nothing that compares to the warmth that fills your chest when you see your ornaments with your kids’ faces surrounded by foam or popsicle sticks. Even if it is imperfect, many of us gravitate towards the homemade look, because it holds memories and nostalgia.
I scrolled through the ‘sad beige baby’ search on TikTok and found that many parents believe that offering an environment full of neutrals is calming and helps regulate stimulation for their kids.
The reason why so many people hate the ‘sad beige’ aesthetic is because it looks sterile. If you look at the inside of Kim Kardashains house, you will be struck by how there are no toys on the floor or messily scribbled art hung on the fridge. It looks less like a home and more like a modern chapel or frankly just like an unfurnished, freshly renovated house before paint or flooring.
This aesthetic is a signal to wealth. If you are basing all of your purchases on this limited color pallet, that means that you are likely paying more because you have to look for specific pieces to match this niche color pallet. I doubt any of the Kardashains were given Fisher-price toys for their kids at their baby showers. It seems unlikely that somebody on a lower budget has the privilege to hand select each of their child’s clothes, or even their home decor. I grew up on hand-me-downs, and garage sale clothes.
As more and more of our lives are being shared online, people feel more pressured to have everything look just right. Whether that is what their kids are wearing or their home decor. It makes sense why many parents who gravitate towards a more neutral aesthetic want their kids to match, in an age where we document everything.
Is dressing your kid in oatmeal, beige and stone a crime? Of course not, but I hope I offered you a few things to think about before you adorn your child in beige, and before you judge others who do so too quickly.
What do you think about the sad beige baby aesthetic? Let us know in the comments below!