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america ferrerea, blake lively, amber tamblyn, and alexis bledel
america ferrerea, blake lively, amber tamblyn, and alexis bledel
blakelively via Instagram
Culture > Entertainment

In Pop Culture, 2023 Was The Year Of Embracing Girlhood

Kaitlynne Rainne

The stars of the iconic 2005 teen movie, The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants — America Ferrera, Blake Lively, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn — reunited over the weekend to celebrate Ferrera’s participation in the SAG-AFTRA Foundation panel event for Barbie in New York City on Dec. 15. Ferrera plays Mattel employee and mother, Gloria in the Barbie movie and was a guest speaker on the panel as well as a Critics Choice Awards nominee for supporting actress and is also set to receive the annual Critics Choice SeeHer Award. Her nomination comes as a relief to fans who were upset over her not receiving a nomination for a Golden Globe. 

This weekend’s reunion was everything I could hope for and included Instagram posts from Lively and Tamblyn, celebrating their fellow friend. It also, in my opinion, proves that this year was definitely one for the girlies. While I have always been a “girl’s girl,” 2023 felt like the year that truly brought the girlies together. All corners of girlhood were celebrated, from the big moments in pop culture to the small mundane things that turned into TikTok trends.

To me, it feels as though Gen Zers have been reclaiming the term “girl” in the same way the words “b*tch” and “slut” have been. I mean, at some point in our lives, we’ve all heard the phrases, “You run like a girl” or “You fight like a girl” either directed to us or someone else. And while there’s nothing inherently wrong about “fighting like a girl,” or even just existing as one, its meaning inherently held a derogatory and misogynistic tone. Perhaps that’s why we’ve all been embracing our “girliness” a little more this year. 

It’s proven to be a way for twenty somethings to band together and form our own elite lunch table. For my TikTok girlies, we’ve all seen the “hot girl walk” trends and yes, I am going to continue saying it every time I leave my apartment. Or the closets and make-up vanities that are shared with No Doubt’s “I’m Just A Girl” playing on a loop. Anyone else have visceral throwbacks to when those early 2000s makeup kits were the thing? I know I can still smell the strawberry lip gloss from that one makeup kit.

Among the girlie trends were the “clean girl,” “vanilla girl,” and “messy girl,” trends where all aspects of girlhood were celebrated. Though these trends didn’t start this year, their continued popularity on TikTok proves their longevity and staying power. Whereas the “clean girl” trend promoted slick back ponytails and no-makeup makeup, the “vanilla girl” trend called for minimalism and put together basic outfits, and the “messy girl” aesthetic celebrated the imperfections of being a girl with clothes that don’t fit perfectly and using purses that still had receipts in it from last week’s brunch. But regardless of which girlie you were, you had a space within the group to exist authentically.

@ciriym

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♬ if u use this ur hot. – 66c3aa

Probably the most notable moment of girlhood this year for me was the Eras Tour. Not only was it my first concert experience, but I grew up with Taylor Swift. Being able to see her live, performing my favorite songs reconnected me to a part of myself that I didn’t know still existed, my inner girl. The Eras Tour brought women together from all across the world giving us the chance to play along with Swift’s iconic easter egg moments and connect to music that speaks to us regardless of where we are in life. The premiere of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour also gave us another chance to witness the magic of the tour. 

Beyonce’s Renaissance Tour also brought the girlies together this year. Whether you saw the tour live or in theaters, you can’t miss the power of women in music. The 2024 Grammy nominations are the perfect testimony to women’s achievements in music, where all but one of the nominations for album of the year were women and nonbinary artists. 

And of course, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie. While I was more of a Polly Pocket girlie, I had my fair share of Barbie dolls, and watching the Barbie movie with my best friend — and dressing up — was peak girlhood this year and gave me the chance to reconnect to my inner girl once again and feel all the feels.

Because, at the end of the day, girlhood is rooted in nostalgia. The numerous girlhood trends we’ve seen have all been an avenue to reconnect with our inner girl, the same girl who loved playing with Barbie dolls or grew up on Swift’s earlier albums, or who simply wanted to feel like they finally had a place to sit at the lunch table.

This year, girlhood meant inclusion and reconnection, even if it involved not so financially responsible trends. Girl math, I’m looking at you. But if I can justify my recent Amazon purchases with refund money, I’ll gladly do it. Celebrating girlhood meant returning to the younger versions of ourselves in a world that pushes women to be everything to everyone and for little moments out of our days, the girlies could be the main characters without pressure. The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants reunion proved that even years later, sisterhood and girlhood exist and will be celebrated.

Maybe it all simmers down next year and we no longer do it for the girlies. Or maybe pop culture will continue to celebrate girlhood. But whatever happens, you can bet, I’m still going to be just a girl. 

Kaitlynne Rainne is a HER Campus National Writer on the Life and Career team and she writes about advice, life experiences and profiles. Born and raised in Belize, Kaitlynne grew up surrounded by culture and stories. They fueled a creative passion for storytelling that led her to Savannah, Georgia, where she completed her BFA in Fashion Design at SCAD. She is currently completing her MFA in Writing at SCAD with a focus on creative nonfiction, freelance writing and fiction. Outside of HER Campus, Kaitlynne also works as Editor-in-Chief at her school’s college newspaper, District. Her work has also been published in Port City Review and Square 95. In her free time, you can find Kaitlynne taking walks throughout Savannah, making oddly specific playlists on Spotify, sipping a vanilla chai, writing her novel, or spending time with her friends.