Let’s Talk About “That Girl”

Edited by Sreya Sayeed

What is that girl?

The trend promotes becoming a “better you” and highlights an aesthetic lifestyle. Influencers and Youtubers record different parts of their day to upload on social media platforms such as Tik Tok, YouTube and Pinterest. Being “that girl” includes waking up early, eating healthy food and drinking green smoothies, having a skincare routine, and going on walks while having a productive workday. She has her life together and everyone wants to be her. Many girls who make videos based on the trend place emphasis on the fact that being “that girl” looks different for everyone.

Why is the trend controversial?

People started to become more critical of the “That Girl” trend as it gained more popularity. They argued that it set unrealistic high standards as the trend pushes girls to strive for perfection. It leads them to believe that to be productive, they must wake up early in the morning and eat a healthy breakfast. To feel better about themselves, they need to complete an expensive skin routine in the morning. They need to look like the girls promoting the trend: skinny, white and wealthy. It is impractical to expect yourself to wake up early every day and follow the time-consuming tasks while having a productive workday.

Another argument against the “That Girl” trend is that it promotes consumerism. The lifestyle replicated in the trend is expensive. To buy a ten-step skincare routine, to eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day, to purchase Lululemon workout sets, to buy self-help books and decorate your room in the aesthetic style shown in the videos is putting a financial burden on yourself. However, the trend encourages the idea that to fully become “that girl” and the better version of yourself, you need to complete these steps. 

My experience with the trend

There was a point where my social media was filled with videos relating to the lifestyle trend. Watching the videos filled me with the need to become “that girl”, to be happy and successful like the girls promoting the trend. I began to wake up earlier to follow the steps promoted in the trend: journaling, working out, eating a breakfast filled with raw veggies and fruits, and more. I would spend endless amounts of money on self-care items that I could not afford and eventually, would not use. 

If I missed a step of the routine that I had created for myself based off the trend, I would feel an insane amount of disappointment in myself. I will admit that the trend encouraged me to push myself, but to the point where I was burnt out. Working a part-time job that required me to wake up at 5am in the morning while balancing five courses during the semester left me little to no time to complete the routine “that girl” revolves around. Realistically, I could not wake up earlier every morning to complete all the steps, but I still felt guilt when I didn’t. 

Eventually, I stopped obsessing over the idea of becoming “that girl.” There are a few steps from the trend that I have kept in my daily routine, but I came to the realization it is unrealistic to expect myself to complete all of them. 

Things to remember

The “that girl” trend encourages people to become a better version of themselves. So why is it controversial? That’s because, you are only seeing bits and pieces of these people’s lives. It is impossible to do all of those things every day without burning yourself out. These trends can be helpful when they motivate you to eat healthier or to go out for walks. They become toxic when they force you to push yourselves further than you can go.