Remember that time when almost every creator’s Instagram post had an orange, blue, or black and white filter? But how often do you come across a feed like that today?

The aesthetic feed blew up on Instagram at some point, but we’re now seeing less of it—it just isn't as popular as it used to be. Here are a few reasons why...

What Is an Aesthetic Feed on Instagram?

person holding iphone with light aesthetic instagram feed

You've probably heard the term "aesthetic" so often that it started going over your head. But simply put, an aesthetic feed is the overall look and feel of your Instagram page. It all depends on what you like or what your page is about: your niche.

This is achieved through the use of filters and presets. For instance, a city photographer who captures buildings in Chicago could have a black-and-white Instagram feed. And a travel creator that frequents islands may add a blue and orange filter over their photos to bring out the colors of the skies and beaches at the destinations they travel to.

Aesthetic feeds used to be so popular that creators, graphic designers, and photographers started selling presets to those Instagram creators who couldn't be bothered to make their own, or didn't know how to. But people are no longer interested in them.

Here's why the aesthetic feed is dying on Instagram...

1. Creators Are Becoming More Authentic

There was a time when many Instagram creators wanted to paint a picture-perfect image of their lives, their bodies, and even their lifestyles. And to that end, they edited their pictures and filtered their Instagram feeds to perfection. But that's no longer the case.

At some point, something significant started to happen. There emerged a handful of creators who started showing their followers who they really are—flaws and all. Soon, more creators took their masks (and filters) off to present themselves to the world in a real way.

Women celebrated their bodies by showing off their cellulite and stretchmarks. Others started opening up about their struggles, no matter how small—all in an effort to connect with their followers from an authentic place. The result? The weight of perfection lifted off their shoulders, and it made keeping up their Instagram accounts less daunting.

2. Quality Over Aesthetics

Instagram app shortcuts

During the aesthetic Instagram era, some users, while pursuing perfection, realized what's more important—the quality of their posts. Truly speaking, it means nothing if your Instagram feed is "aesthetically pleasing" if the actual posts are subpar. If anything, it's weird.

Any creator's first priority should be making sure that their posts are of an excellent standard. Sure, this takes time to achieve, and there is grace for those starting out. Not everyone is fortunate enough to start their content creation journey with a professional camera and photographer-level editing skills. That's not what we mean.

More and more creators are opting to spend the majority of their time ensuring they're producing content that is worthy of their followers' time, instead of drowning it in filters. In fact, creators prefer it this way, even if it means they upload one good post every week instead of basic ones every other day.

Consider implementing simple photography tricks to boost your smartphone photography to improve your feed overall.

3. The Rise of Reels

Instagram reel on phone screen

Aesthetic feeds only worked when Instagram was a photo-centric app. Now that it's competing with TikTok by focusing on Reels, a filtered feed isn't practical. That's because Reels stick out on the Instagram grid.

Sure, creators have the option of excluding them from their grid and keeping them strictly in the Reels tab, but they prefer to show them off on their grid. And they can also add a filtered photo as their Reel's cover image, but that can be annoying to followers, and it's unnecessary extra work.

It gets old and tedious trying to align all your posts to get them to look a certain way. Reels need to stand on their own, especially as they're becoming the preferred content type on Instagram. For this reason, creators who post Reels have given up on maintaining an aesthetic feed.

If you want to get more visibility on Instagram, consider creating more Reels. Instagram has improved Reels to help you diversify your Reels content, so take advantage of the features available to you.

4. It Can Limit Creative Freedom

person holding iphone with black and white instagram feed

No matter how you spin it, an aesthetic feed is limiting. It gives you no room to play around with colors, editing styles, and so forth. You can only produce posts within the parameters of a certain filter, which typically consists of just one color scheme.

What happens if you create an amazing post that looks better without your chosen filter? It's rather daunting to always consider whether a creative idea for a post would be a good fit for your aesthetic feed.

It also limits what you can do in terms of work for your clients if you're an influencer. Rather than making sure that a post delivers on the brand's objectives, you become more concerned about how it can fit seamlessly into your grid. It becomes a challenge to create content with the client in mind.

Content creation should be fun. The limits should be endless. That's how a creator grows and improves their craft. Aligning your content to a specific aesthetic feed robs you of opportunities to see just how far your creative abilities can take you. If you truly want to stand out on Instagram, consider the different ways you can make your profile visually appealing.

5. It Is Time-Consuming

We get it, perfection takes time, but perfection is a myth. That's why it's become pointless to create the perfect feed. Yes, content creation is time-consuming, but spending more time adding crazy filters to your posts to get them to match your grid is another job on its own.

One person and one laptop

An aesthetic feed might grab people's attention, but it won't keep it. Nowadays, a so-called "perfect feed" is one that is authentic—one that shows off your personality and creativity. That's why more creators are investing their time and energy on the actual content, more than on their grid's aesthetic.

And rightfully so. If we're honest, no one has something new to offer in their niche. What sets you apart is your unique perspective and spin on things. That's what grabs and keeps people's attention. That typically comes through in storytelling—be it in the way you shoot your content, how you edit your Reels, or the way you write your captions.

More creators are realizing this, so they're spending their time on what matters most—creating quality content. They're also choosing to put their mental health first because it isn't worth compromising it by stressing over how their feed looks in the bigger scheme of things.

Speaking of a creator's feed—did you know you can get more visibility for your top posts on your grid? Learn how to pin multiple posts to your Instagram profile.

The Aesthetic Feed Is Losing Its Appeal on Instagram

There are many reasons why the aesthetic feed is dying on Instagram. Creators are simplifying the content creation process to prioritize the quality of their posts, their time, and their mental health. Content creation should be fun, not stressful, and more creators are realizing that and going easier on themselves.