The latest Gen- Z trend to have taken over social media is 'that girl'. Since April of this year, videos with #thatgirl have garnered over 1.3 billion views on TikTok. Over the summer the trend quickly spread to YouTube, with an increasing number of lifestyle creators encouraging their viewers to glow up, by offering ways they can reach their highest potential.
The idea of achieving optimal productivity as well as being a 'girlboss' became popularised in 2014 by the founder of Nasty Gal, Sophia Amoruso. The term became a sign of empowerment for women breaking into male dominated industries. Millennial women stood firm against societal norms by placing a great emphasis on productivity alone. However, the tide turned, in 2021. The once serious term was renounced and turned into the meme 'gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss', a parody of 'live, laugh, love'. The counter-meme was established to fight back against overwhelming pressure to continuously grow and progress at all costs.
Ironically, the Gen Z focus has shifted from overworking to an obsession with schedules and constant self-improvement.
What does it mean to be 'that girl'?
According to The Teen Magazine 'that girl' is someone who prioritises their mental being and works on bettering themselves. It presents a snapshot of what your life could be if you committed to:
Waking up early e.g., 5am
Following a plant-based diet
A workout routine
A skin regimen
Journaling
Contrary to the idea that we need to have a picture-perfect life, 'that girl' is more of a mindset than an aesthetic.
However, behind these lists and routines is a much darker side to 'That Girl'. These videos depict beautiful girls in high rise apartments, rolling out their yoga mats at 6am, in their two-piece Gymshark outfits and nibbling on avocado toast all by 8am. This presents a one size fits all regime to be productive and glamorous which isn’t feasible for everyone.
For example, The Refinery29 defined the trend as 'hustle porn' with girls resembling a moving Pinterest board. Many believe the trend reinforces 'toxic productivity' by showing young girls that in order to be a beacon of success they have to follow certain rules such as modifying their eating habits to gain the ‘ideal’ body type. I, myself , have watched countless of these videos where girls place a couple of egg whites and some strawberries on a pretty plate and call it a meal. The daily recommended calorie intake for women is at least 1500-2000 calories to stay healthy, I doubt these meals amount to these figures. For young girls and teens watching, they might worry about their own eating habits and consider cutting down their portions to be 'That Girl'.
Numerous girls have taken to social media to voice their outrage about the trend. One user even tweeted:
This wellness overload that currently plagues our screens today, lectures us that if we don’t have multiple streams of income, trying to build a business or jumping on the next cryptocurrency before it blows up, somehow our lives are unimaginative and we’re small thinkers for not wanting to be more and have more. But to what end?
Co-author of 'The Wellness Syndrome' Carl Cederstrom stated: “Increasingly, we are taught or socialised into thinking about ourselves as our own corporations. The erosion of the line of private and profession is something you see in these trends because it means the work never ends. The work is your life itself.”
It begs the question if this trend is a fun way to help girls enjoy life to the fullest or a perverse agenda to cripple their mental health.
Is there a toxic side to this trend?
I think the intention of the trend initially was harmless fun to be positive after the tumultuous year we’ve all had. Since the COVID-19 pandemic erupted many of us have been slumped at home with little motivation and the idea of 'That Girl' was a way to keep up our overall wellness. Several girls credit the trend to helping them establish daily habits and routines. Youtuber Hollie Jade, 18 said: “The trend is about finding joy within the small moments”. She uploaded her 'That Girl' video to break out of a rut after exam season.
Other content creators such as Zoeunlimited are calling out the trend for being harmful and are instead encouraging girls to take a stand and become their own version of 'that girl'. Her video titled 'You don’t need to be that girl' has accumulated over 1.1 million views on YouTube where she highlights the good and the bad of the trend whilst ending the video with simple changes we can all make that work. Videos like these amidst the Pinterest overkill show that there doesn’t need to be a 20-point mission statement to follow, it can be whatever that helps your personal well-being. If we’re moving our bodies and nurturing our minds, the journey of personal growth is what makes you 'That Girl' not an aesthetic.
Edited by Charlotte Lewis ( Editor-in-Chief)
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