How Enlightened Sexism Impacts Tik Tok Meal Trends
If you were on TikTok in the past year, you are likely well aware of “Girl Dinner.” A trend fit with its own ear-worm title audio which promotes compiling causal, low-pressure, snack plates instead of full meals. The term was popularized by TikTok user Olivia Maher, who described it as a casual meal she eats when her boyfriend isn’t around. Users followed suit, filling their plates with combinations of crackers, pickles, wine, and Uncrustables. While many may mark this unconventional practice as a harmless joke, “Girl dinner” stands as evidence that the media messaging we promote online, has direct implications for the mental and physical wellbeing of our girls.
Enlightened Sexism, a term defined by columnist Susan J. Douglass in her book of the same name, refers to the belief that women have made enough progress through feminism that its use remains societally null and void. This swings the door wide open for a media landscape that promotes depictions of fully actualized and independent women, free from the impacts of sexism (which is just sooo last season). Unsurprisingly, this depiction is not reality. Enlightened Sexism has led to infiltrating sexist stereotypes spread by modern media, which no longer need to be addressed by feminism (which belongs to their ugly, loud, elders).
Don’t believe me? Let’s talk about “Girl dinner”.
In terms of terminology, the trend refers to grown women as “girls,” infantilizing adult women to perpetrate a message that they should be eating the portions of children, consequently very little. This is not a new phenomenon, food is intrinsically connected to social concepts of gender. Men are heaved massive mealtime portions and met with glowing praise for their consumption as fuel for the “growing boy”. Meanwhile, girls learn from a young age of their destiny to be mothers, a ticking clock that ends with housework and homemaking. Specifically, they are weighed down with the expectation that women should cook large meals for their husbands, many even taking on duties as children to “train” for this future. Similarly, regardless of her intention, user Olivia Maher had “Girl Dinner” without her husband, promoting smaller portions for women only when their male counterparts are not around.
Moreover, “Girl Dinner” carries the banner of normalizing and adding to the already misinformed diet culture that leads to harmful views of health and wellness. Although the concept of snack-style meals is not inherently an indicator of disordered eating, a quick survey of the “meals” promoted by the trend will show handfuls of protein, single servings of fruit, vapes, energy drinks, ice, and even sleep as “Girl Dinner”. Registered dietician Melissa Mitri explained the harm of this trend, “It’s important to remember that a typical girl dinner may not be balanced or contain enough calories,” she said. “Without much thought, this can lead to increased cravings and fatigue.” However, “Girl Dinner” is not without positive benefits. The trend has provided refuge for neurodivergent people, by allowing them to participate through eating collections of “safe foods” instead of traditional meals. Moreover, “Girl Dinner” can be improved. Mitri advised that an ideal girl dinner “should contain a protein (like cheese, meat, or nuts), carbohydrate (like fruit or whole grain crackers), and a source of healthy fat (like hummus served with a drizzle of olive oil).”
The impact of trends like “Girl Dinner” cannot be understated. Social media plays a crucial role in the socialization of young people, especially young women, who use it as a tool to understand their world. Adolescents are largely affected by eating disorders and experienced a 107.4% increase in eating disorder diagnoses from 2018 to 2022. Social media usage can negatively influence body image and lead to body comparison, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating—all contributors to eating disorder development. Reports indicate that adolescent girls use social media more than adolescent boys and are disproportionately affected by eating disorders.
While some may argue that “Girl Dinner” is just a joke, a small rebellion by women in a male dominated world, it shows that tiny-portioned, even nonexistent, “Girl Dinner” is the expectation for women. Therefore, it is more important than ever to keep an eye out for when Enlightened Sexism rears its nasty head. Despite claims that women can own credit cards, divorce (sometimes), and are therefore free, feminism is still crucially needed in our nation. With the pandemic of media misinformation reaching even our youngest, “Girl Dinner” stands as a reminder that we must be conscious of what messages we feed our women.