As I scroll through TikTok, it feels like there is always a new trend targeted towards women. Whether it be something like “Girl Math”, which is when people justify their purchases in a playful and sometimes illogical way, or “Girl Dinner”, which is when you eat something minimal and snack-like as a meal, there always seems to be trends dedicated to women. As these videos continue to pop up on my For You page, I continue to question how playful they really are. These trends are super popular, but is it because women are attempting to find commonalities and empower each other, or do they just reinforce stereotypes that are so integrated in society? In order to wrap my head around this phenomena, I will provide evidence for them being a source of female empowerment and contrast it with evidence suggesting that it is actually patronizing.
The Case for Empowerment
For starters, it could be argued that these trends are a way that women can lean into traditionally “girl” behaviors and form a community with those who do the same. By observing general behaviors and finding others who do the same, people are able to feel connected and less alone. Personally, I have seen how fun it is to talk about “Girl Math” with your friends and joke about budgeting. This sense of shared experience and humor really helps girls bond with each other.
In addition, these trends are seemingly lighthearted and enjoyable. By coming up with more examples of “Girl Math,” like a concert feeling free because you paid for it months ago, or “Girl Dinner”, like cottage cheese and Takis, women express a creative and enjoyable conservation with each other. Sometimes, people argue that things are not that serious, and a TikTok trend may not be that serious to some.
The Case for Patronizing
On the other hand, it could also be argued that trends like this reinforce harmful stereotypes. For example, does “Girl Math” play into the idea that women are not be financial literate or are inherently worse at math? Does “Girl Dinner” play on eating struggles that many women experience? By connecting these “silly” actions to women, many people can use these examples as evidence to women being inferior, which is not their intention. It is a combination of promoting false financial incompetence and promoting the romanticizing of eating struggles, that does not sit right with many people.
In addition, it is important to see who is benefiting from these trends. Is it women who really end up learning more and creating communities or is it companies that benefit from the idea of “Girl Math”, influencers who enforce these ideals, and men overall.
So which is it?
At the end of the day, I believe it truly is a combination of both. I think by exploring both the positives and negatives of trends like this, we can acknowledge why they are created and combat the issues that arise. We continue to see these notions present in trends like calling women “Delulu”, which is short for “delusional” and mocks people for having unrealistic confidence or expectations. A lot of time this term is used in reference to relationships, and is more directly aimed at women. While these trends can be catchy and funny, they also have underlying societal issues that are important to recognize. The internet moves fast, but that does not negate how important it is to understand how things could benefit and harm you.