Before dinner, a party, a concert, or even a regular night out, there is often an entire event that happens before the actual event: getting ready.
This routine has its essential components: the playlist, the outfit changes, the makeup, the hair, the group chats’ consensus on what to wear, and the pictures taken before leaving.
Somewhere along the way, getting ready stopped being something that just happened before going out and became part of the experience itself.
Social media has only accelerated this phenomenon. “Get Ready With Me,” or GRWM, videos have become a staple part of social media, popularized by influencers such as Alix Earle and Mikayla Nogueira. In these videos, creators do their makeup, style their hair, or choose an outfit while talking to the camera. Sometimes they explain where they are going, but just as often, the event itself is almost beside the point. The getting-ready process is the content.
Part of the appeal may be how casual GRWM videos feel. Instead of watching a perfectly edited makeup tutorial or a highly produced vlog, viewers get something that feels more like a FaceTime with their best friend. The creator might talk about something that happened that week, tell a story, or give advice.
That sense of familiarity is what makes the format so easy to watch. Getting ready is a routine people already understand, so the video does not need an elaborate plot. The routine gives the creator something to do while connecting with the audience.
The popularity of GRWMs also reflects something that happens away from social media. Getting ready with friends has long been part of going out. Sharing makeup, asking someone which top looks better, playing music, and borrowing clothes can be just as memorable as whatever happens afterward. For many people, the anticipation is part of what makes an event exciting.
At the same time, the rise of GRWM culture can make getting ready feel more performative. If every outfit can become a post and every routine can become content, there can be pressure to make the preparation look effortless, aesthetic, and worth sharing. Suddenly, getting ready is no longer only about feeling good before going somewhere, instead, it’s also about how the process will look online.
That does not necessarily mean GRWM culture is a bad thing. If anything, its popularity shows how much people enjoy the smaller moments surrounding a bigger experience. The excitement of going somewhere often begins before arriving.
Getting ready might have always been part of the event, but social media simply gave it a name, a camera, and an audience. Turning an ordinary routine, such as getting ready, into a ritual can make any event feel more exciting.