Have you ever been asked by someone what your hobbies or interests are and felt embarrassed to share that in your free time, you like to shop, take photos with your friends and perfect your Pinterest boards? Me too. It often feels like anything that brings a woman joy is picked apart and made fun of. Seriously, try to think of one thing that women can like without being shamed. You can’t? Me neither.
Frankly, I am tired of being embarrassed about my “girly” interests, and thankfully, it seems like we all are. Women all over the world are taking part in a viral TikTok trend that encourages them to share their interests.
What is this trend?
The “I am a girl who loves…” TikTok trend is inspired by the iconic words of Britney Spears herself. In an old interview, when asked what makes her happy, Spears said, “I’m a girl who loves coffee, Starbucks, I love to read magazines, I love going to movies. I don’t know, just normal stuff like that.”
TikTok user @filmfqiryy layered this relatable soundbite over The 1975’s song “About You” to create the viral sound “girlhood” that is making its rounds on the app. As of Feb. 2023, 730,000 women have now paired the viral audio with photos and text about themselves, sharing all of the wonderful “girly” things that bring them joy.
In a video with over 10,000 likes, country pop singer @eringibney shares some of her favourite things, including Taylor Swift, dainty tattoos, Gilmore Girls, romance books and iced coffee. Comments on her video include “Aww, are we all the same,” “Basic and proud,” “Let’s be friends,” and “I am exactly like other girls.” It’s clear that empowering women to be vocal about their interests is not only freeing for the individual but brings women all over the world together.
What can we learn from this trend?
We can learn an important lesson from the words of Spears and the courage of thousands of women. When women express an interest in something, instead of making fun of them or dismissing them, we need to lift and empower each other to express our interests and passions freely.
Join in on the fun!
To try out the trend yourself, reflect upon the following questions:
- What are your favourite things to do?
- What is your guilty pleasure?
- What are you passionate about?
- What makes a bad day better?
Grab a pen and paper or your phone and create a list. Start jotting down all of the things that make you happy and you might be surprised by everything that comes to mind. It’s kind of a therapeutic process. Not only can you use this list to join in on the trend and share your unique interests, but you can use it as a reminder of what you should be doing more of to bring joy to your everyday life.