Lately, I’ve noticed myself gravitating toward pink, softness and all things traditionally “feminine”. I didn’t question it at first—maybe I was just in my coquette era or it was an unconscious reaction to winter making me crave warmth. But then I started seeing it everywhere.
TikTok algorithms flooded with nostalgic collages of friendship bracelets, ballet flats, strawberry-shaped hair clips and snippets of women laughing in the golden hour. Instagram reels are romanticizing girlhood as an experience; one filled with whispered secrets, shared lip gloss and the unspoken understanding that we’re all navigating the chaos of life together. Even brands have leaned into hyper-feminine aesthetics as if suddenly realizing that women actually enjoy feeling like women.
But why now? Why has girlhood become such a cultural phenomenon?
The Need for Softness in a Hard World
After years of girlboss culture pushing us to be hyper-independent, always hustling and proving we can “keep up with the men,” there’s been a shift. Women are exhausted. We spent the early 2010s idolizing CEOs in stilettos and chugging black coffee to prove we were just as powerful, only to realize that constantly grinding isn’t sustainable.
The girlhood movement feels like a rejection of that pressure. It’s a collective deep breath. A reminder that femininity doesn’t have to be performative or sacrificed for strength. It embraces softness as power, whether that’s through twirling in a sundress, writing letters to your best friend or simply allowing yourself to be emotional without apology.
Nostalgia and the Romanticization of Youth
Another reason for the obsession with girlhood? Nostalgia. The world feels uncertain, and many of us find comfort in the simplicity of our past. The little moments that once felt insignificant like painting our nails with childhood best friends, making silly friendship pacts, lying on the floor overanalyzing a text from a crush—now feel like golden memories.
We’re craving the safety of those experiences, so we recreate them. We send voice memos instead of texts because they feel more personal. We swap our neutral wardrobes for bows, ribbons and pink simply because they make us happy. We cling to this concept of girlhood as a reminder that life can be lighthearted, whimsical and full of connection.
The Internet’s Role in Defining Girlhood
Of course, the internet plays a huge role in shaping how we see girlhood today. Social media romanticizes everything, and this movement is no exception. But girlhood isn’t just an aesthetic, it’s an experience. It’s the moments of joy, pain and growth that come with navigating life as a woman.
That’s where it gets complicated. Some people argue that this hyper-feminine portrayal of girlhood can feel exclusive; what about the girls who never liked pink? The ones who never had a core friend group or who struggled to feel included in traditional femininity? The reality is that girlhood looks different for everyone. The beauty of this movement isn’t in perfectly curated aesthetics but in the way it invites women to reclaim their experiences in a way that feels personal and meaningful.
Reclaiming Girlhood on Our Own Terms
For me, embracing girlhood again has been both a surprise and a comfort. I used to think I had to outgrow certain things to be taken seriously. Now, I realize there’s power in softness. There’s joy in embracing the things that make me feel feminine, whether that’s adding more pink to my wardrobe, baking just because or romanticizing the little moments of my life.
Maybe the obsession with girlhood right now comes from allowing ourselves to embrace joy without over-explaining it. Because femininity, at its core, is expansive and evolving. In a world that often demands so much of us, sometimes it just feels good to twirl.