Kendall Jenner. Emma Chamberlin. Alix Earle. The list goes on. It seems that every few weeks, a new girl becomes popular on TikTok and defines the trends for the next weeks. The girls are almost always white, straight, skinny, wealthy, and conventionally attractive. If I were them I’d probably post as much as possible. They are able to make lots of money through brand deals, as well as gain admiration from millions of people. This is not an attack on any of them individually, but rather, a criticism of the way platforms like TikTok push out individuals.
My first reason for giving up on trying to be “that” girl is that it is simply unrealistic. These girls have a completely different set of resources compared to me. For many of them, content creation may be their only job. This gives them more time to do things like go out, party, get their nails done, go to the gym, etc. Part of their job is to have a particular appearance, so of course they will probably spend more time focused on appearance compared to the average person. Additionally, they have extensive monetary resources. Whether it be through established wealth or through brand deals, they are able to use products that are not economically sustainable for me.
Another reason for my choice is the speed of TikTok trends. These girls define what is trending on TikTok for weeks, shaping the aesthetics and products people are interested in. “Clean girl” versus “Dirty girl” is a perfect example of how quickly these trends are changing. Users were obsessed with the “clean girl” aesthetic, involving slicked buns, dewy makeup, clean rooms, and consistent workouts. However, in a matter of hours, many users were swayed to the “dirty girl” aesthetic, which, as the name suggests, is the opposite of the “clean girl”. Alix Earle posted a video of her messy bedroom to seemingly confirm this transition. These trends change too quickly for individuals to keep up, which is harmful to the environment, my wallet, and my brain.
My final reason is that the idea of an “it” girl is extremely problematic. As aforementioned, the women who are “it” girls have a particular look. These aesthetics center only around wealthy white women, a rather exclusive group. Oftentimes, while white women are praised for these aesthetics, women of color are judged. Take for example, the hairstyles of “clean girls”. These hairstyles are not meant to work on all types of hair, which excludes a large group of people from the trends. Another example is Alix Earle using a hair oil popular in Black communities. While there are many hair oils suited for her straight hair, Alix decided to promote an oil used primarily by Black women. While there’s not necessarily anything wrong with her using it, by promoting it as a part of her routine, she drew large amounts of attention to the product. This led to price increases and stock issues with the product. On a positive note, the oil is Black-owned, however, it still limits access to buyers. This same trend of white girls rebranding trends from other cultures continues to happen and is often associated with the “it” girl of the time.
If you enjoy content from any of these girls or aesthetics, there’s nothing wrong with that. The videos are meant to be entertaining and oftentimes the products and styles they recommend are good. However, I encourage individuals to be cautious when enjoying these videos. While it may feel like you know this person, they truly do not know you. You know better than them what products and lifestyles work best for you. I hope everyone has or develops the confidence to not feel the need to fit into a particular aesthetic. Again, if you enjoy that and want to, by all means, go for it! But don’t feel pressured to conform to a trendy aesthetic. Cliché, but you are good enough on your own!