If you weren’t already aware, this past year has been rather… ‘girl’. Content about girlhood has been gracing the internet and uniting women all over the world these days, whether it be regarding mutual practices, similar struggles, or common delusions. You may be wondering, what exactly are the parameters of the ‘girl year’? Have no fear– we’re here to show you how 2023 gave us back our girlhood (it was ours first anyway).
GIRL DINNER
If you’ve heard of it, you probably knew it was going to be here. Girl dinner took the world by storm this past summer by normalizing girl cravings. You’re on your period and want grilled cheese? Girl dinner. You’re too tired from doing your homework and only have the energy for a mac and cheese cup? Girl dinner. You want chips and salsa for some reason? Girl. Freaking. Dinner. Essentially, the trend justifies eating whatever your heart desires for dinner. This is especially important for women in today’s society, where toxic diet culture has become such a driving force. Remembering that you have the freedom to eat what you’d like is part of what girl dinner is all about. Heat up that ramen and go off, guilt-free!
Did you know that even Popeye’s even adopted the concept? Girls are unstoppable, tbh.
GIRL MATH
What do women in STEM use to succeed? Girl math (jk, in fact please don’t use it)! Following the girl dinner trend, girl math further supports our 2023 classification as ‘girl’ year. In a nutshell, girl math is the sunk-cost fallacy, but made fun and trendy in typical girl fashion! The concept alters the interpretation of your purchases and other financial decisions to make them seem costless.
Here’s how it works: buying something with cash instead of card means you didn’t spend anything since the number on your bank statement didn’t go up. Not going to Starbucks on Monday means you can afford to buy two coffees on Tuesday. Buying more to get free shipping technically reduces the overall amount you spent. Why? Because girl math, damnit. This TikTok trend is here to help you justify your spending problem by equating happiness to a financial asset!
We’re hereby claiming the “finance bro” stereotype from the men, because girl math is peak economic genius. After all, women do control about $20 trillion in annual consumer spending, according to the Harvard Business Review. Clearly, us girls and our math make the world go round.
Below is one of the TikToks that started it all.
A quick disclaimer though… girl math reminds you that it’s okay to treat yourself, which it totally is! However, being financially responsible and budgeting when you know it’s necessary? That’s also a girl thing to do. As long as you’re doing what you want and need with your money, you’re totally girl mathing. Don’t worry!
‘Barbie’ dominating CINEMAS (AND your heartstrings)
Rightfully earning its title as the most anticipated box office hit of the summer, genius Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ had all of us wondering “what was I made for?” after our trip to the theater. Personally, I sobbed like a madwoman, and my mother had to ask me if I was okay. You would think it would’ve been the other way around! Point is, ‘Barbie’ struck just the right chord in its female audience, and waterworks were incredibly common. Note: small spoilers ahead!
When Stereotypical Barbie (played by our queen, Margot Robbie) begins to experience bits and pieces of human emotions, she has a full-blown existential crisis and therefore sets off on a journey to restore peace and normalcy in Barbie Land. During her perilous journey, however, Barbie begins to understand the significance of having these emotions– whether they’re positive or negative. Towards the end of the film, amid a heartfelt exchange with a noteworthy character, Barbie learns how to truly feel– and it’s absolutely gut-wrenching. A movie scene riddled with nostalgic flashbacks and Billie Eilish is bound to get the tears flowing. The more you know, I suppose!
The impact of Gerwig’s production? Each and every girl who tuned in now cherishes the blurry memories of their childhood more than before– whether they be of their mother, their friends, or their beloved Barbie dolls. In my eyes, that’s yet another massive win for the girls in 2023.
The “HOW TO DRESS TO ATTRACT A MAN” Trend
Did that header make you recoil in horror? Not to worry– it’s pure satire, and a hilarious trend that began circulating TikTok this past summer. For centuries, women have been subject to masculine scrutiny for not presenting appropriately by their standards. In this day and age, women are winning by denouncing and defying that dated norm on social media. The sarcastic audio shares a collection of tips to attract male attention through appearance, to which many women have posted their own ideas. The joke’s premise is to dress the exact opposite of what the male gaze may expect or desire – and several girls have taken this to a new level. The original TikTok below from @daliaelichavez is just one example, in which she includes a bright orange ski mask (and a seriously unpleasant expression!). Check out some of the other 10,000+ videos under the sound if you ever need a good laugh, or a reminder that women only need to dress to please themselves.
BEYONCÉ’S RENAISSANCE TOUR
Beyoncé, who is without a doubt one of the most powerful women on the face of this earth, took the world by storm with her Renaissance tour this year. Breaking ticket sale records and setting trends from her performance routine (does “look around everybody on mute” sound familiar?), the “Single Ladies” singer proved her seasoned Billboard hot 100 presence with iconic acts themed around feminism and “afrofuturism”. Her silver-themed tour brought in fans dressed head to toe in sparkles and cowboy hats. Beyoncé is an avid feminist superstar with several empowering ballads made for us girls, so she is welcomed warmly on this list with her album Renaissance and its corresponding tour. Blue Ivy, Beyoncé’s 11-year old star daughter also made her tour debut, wowing crowds with her dance abilities. The 5-month production was a massive success – according to Forbes, it earned her over $570 million. I know that’s right, Bey! Who run the world and 2023? Girls!
Honorable mention: All of the ways Taylor Swift Won in 2023
We had no choice but to put Taylor Swift somewhere in this article. After all, she represents a good chunk of the women in our world: she has over 100 million monthly Spotify streams, over half of them being women. In fact, according to a Forbes survey, more than half of U.S. adults say they’re Taylor Swift fans, 52% of whom are female! Therefore, it’s safe to say that when Ms. Swift wins, it’s a considerable win for women, too.
2023 has been quite the year for her: first, she debuted her Eras Tour concept in March and proceeded to break staggering records all throughout the summer. In the midst of the immensely triumphant North American leg, she released Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), and promptly announced and released a movie documenting the tour’s performances months later. On top of it all, Swift also won six awards for her song ‘Anti-Hero’ at the VMAs in September.
Taylor’s 2023 successes also extend beyond her career, considering she’s reported to be in a blossoming relationship. Not only does she seem incredibly publicly happy with this new beau, but he also happens to be a man she can wear 4-inch heels around without being taller – the lucky guy is Kansas City’s tight end, Travis Kelce. We love to see it!
Like I said, 2023 is absolutely turning out to be the year of ‘girl’. From TikTok trends uniting us to our celebrity mothers mothering, women are taking over the media in the most perfect ways possible: by reclaiming and performing our stereotypes, and supporting our feminist idols in their casual record breaking.
Stay on the edge of your seats, though… the year’s not over yet. May the girl content continue to flow bountifully into our feeds!
