You’ve probably seen the “That Girl” trend at least once while scrolling through your TikTok feed. If you haven’t heard of the term, “That Girl” (also known as “the Green Smoothie Girl”), is basically a girl who has her life together. She gets up between 5 and 7 a.m., has the healthiest meals, gets a workout in every day, takes Pinterest-like photos, is extremely productive, and is simply someone who everyone aspires to be. If you haven’t seen it here’s an example:
Now, not everyone can be that girl, and not everyone needs to be that girl. The problem a lot of people have with this trend is that it tends to promote getting skinny or achieving a very narrow aesthetic. When you look at these photos and videos, the trend wants you to aspire to be “that girl” that you are seeing. But you really don’t have to be “that girl” to do all of the things that they portray in these videos, or follow a certain aesthetic to be the best version of yourself. This is why when looking at these videos, I don’t necessarily look to be “that girl”; rather, I take these videos and let them inspire me to romanticize my life. This concept differs from being “that girl” because it’s all about you. Romanticizing your life allows you to focus on you and your life rather than the lives of the people around you or the people you see online. Rather than aspiring to be “that girl”, I have provided some tips on small things you can do romanticize your daily life based on things that influencers may suggest to you, minus the intense aesthetic and toxic meanings.
- Eat Delicious Meals that Fuel Your Body
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In “That Girl” videos, the girls portrayed commonly have a green smoothie and avocado toast for breakfast, but personally, I’m not a fan of green smoothies and I don’t like avocados. But that is okay! What I take from these videos is that it’s important for you to be mindful of what you put in your body and make time to fuel yourself. Set aside time in your daily routine to make yourself a filling breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and maybe a snack too – even if your meal is just scrambled eggs and toast or frozen Eggos. Take the time in your day to cook meals that you love and take the time to eat them. I try to stay off my phone when having meals and just eat, and I find that doing this allows me to appreciate my meals more. Of course, if you like avocado toast and green smoothies, go for it! But just know that you don’t have to eat only those meals to live a healthy lifestyle.
- Journal, Read, and Learn
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Honestly, I struggle with this one sometimes. With work and school, I always just want to get things done and then play on my phone for the rest of the day (more on that later). But I find that taking time to “fuel your mind”, as some people say, makes me feel so much better. There are so many ways you can work your brain too! Some examples could be as simple as reading or journaling. You can also do things such as watch TedTalks or other informational videos, take online courses, plan your week, and more (and YES, your schoolwork can be romanticized. The homework you do allows your mind to learn something new)! By taking a portion of time in your day to do these things, it can allow you to feel a lot better and more productive than you would just aimlessly scrolling.
- Take Time for Movement
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Your body needs to move, and moving doesn’t always need to be a 1-hour strength training workout session (unless you want it to be, of course). Even just taking 10-30 minutes to move makes me feel a lot better and a lot happier! Some ways you can do this (aside from working out) is going for walks, doing stretches, or yoga–or my personal favourite–playing Just Dance or other video game workouts. You can also do these whenever you want during the day, whether that’s in the morning, before bed, or even during your lunch break! By taking time to just move, your body will thank you.
- Take Time Away from Your Phone
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Okay, this one I struggle with A LOT. Being a social media manager (and also just a girl in her late teens), I am always on my phone. Sometimes I don’t even want to be, but I’ll still scroll through every single one of my social media and entertainment apps endlessly. We’ve probably all read and seen what social media can do to one’s physical and mental health, which is why it’s important for us to learn to take some time off of it. To make sure I stay off my phone, I’ll try to check important and unimportant things off my to-do list or take time to do things I love (such as writing this article)! I can guarantee you: by taking time away from your phone to do other things, you will feel more productive and be happier with what you did in a day.
- Be One with Nature (or Even Just Natural Light)
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The sun is a beautiful thing, and I find that being outside makes me feel a lot better during the day. Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I will do is open up my blinds, and I find just seeing the sun in the morning makes me feel a lot better. There are loads of things you can do outside. Some of my personal favourites are reading or doing schoolwork on my laptop or eating out on my porch. I am very fortunate to have a beautiful backyard, so it’s nice getting to be out there when I want to be. But even if I don’t feel or have the chance to go outside, I also love sitting on my couch or at my desk by a window with natural light because it feels so much more refreshing than being in the dark or sitting in my bed. Just by getting outside or being in the light, you will feel so much better and grateful about what is around you.
So, please know you don’t have to be “that girl,” and if you already are that girl, well that is just great! But the point is, being healthy, fit, and productive within a narrow aesthetic should not be what people take from the “That Girl” trend; rather, what you should take from these trends is the opportunity to start romanticizing your life in the way you want your life to be and I know that you will feel much better about yourself in the long run, both on camera, and off.