Is TikTok’s ‘Girlification’ problematic?

CW: This article mentions disordered eating behaviours.

Alice Bennett

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Popular TikTok trends “girl math”, “girl dinner” and “girlsplaining” have taken over social media, but the joke isn’t immune to criticism. Is “girlification” a harmless internet joke, or does it perpetuate misogynistic stereotypes and infantilise women?

Have you ever convinced yourself that by returning new clothes, you’ve actually gained money? Then you have just done “girl math“. Have you ever had a random combination of snacks for dinner because you’re too tired to make a proper meal? Then you’ve had “girl dinner“. The phenomenon of adding the word “girl” in front of things that women do has been used by many TikTokers to poke fun at themselves. But has the trend gone too far?

Is ‘Girlification’ a feminist mantra?

“Women are challenging their own internalised misogyny”

This “girlification” comes during a pushback against the “girlboss” era, in which femininity is seen as a negative thing, and discarding feminine traits is seen as necessary to be successful and powerful. Women are challenging their own internalised misogyny by critiquing ‘not like other girls’ culture. By actually embracing their femininity, they prove that women can be successful whilst still being “girly”.

The “girlification” trend is a reflection of this celebration and an interesting performance of ultra-femininity. It protests the previous vilification of anything deemed “girly”, and therefore frivolous and unimportant. It’s similar to the “bimbofication trend”, and rejects the expectations of women always needing to be smart and strong “girlbosses”. The backlash against “girl dinner” reflects the freedom of women not having to be perfect or productive all the time. As journalist Stephanie McNeal writes: “It’s about indulging in the freedom of not giving an F”.

The ‘Girlification’ of Sexism

My initial problem with the “girl dinner” trend was that the videos often featured concerningly small portions. This is not the same across all of the “girl dinner” TikToks, and I don’t think it was the original intention.

However, it has been criticised for promoting an unhealthy relationship with food and perpetuating sexist stereotypes of women not eating much. I had even more of an uncomfortable gut feeling when I first saw “girl math” being used to justify unnecessary purchases. This “girl logic” earned criticisms of portraying women and girls as incompetent and maths and bad with money.

It seemed like there was the most backlash towards the trend of “girlsplaining”, which caused people to question if  ‘girlification’ had gone too far. One TikTok that received a lot of criticism was “Israel & Palestine: explained for the girls”.

I get the motives behind it, but this infantilizing anti-intellectual stance taken on by grown women is ultimately misogynist. You’re not a bimbo or a girl; you are a grown woman, an adult of full moral and thought capacities, and you are called to the realities of your world. https://t.co/WnPZXeNLYz

— Moira Donegan (@MoiraDonegan) October 14, 2023

I liked how earlier forms of these videos made education more accessible, especially in a world where women are patronised in male-dominated fields. This was until I saw the Israel-Palestine video, which exposed the trend’s limitations and how it can feed into negative gender stereotypes of women not understanding politics.

“It demonstrates two conflicting feminist lines of thought present in social media”

Maybe it’s because I had taken a break from TikTok during the rise of these trends that I had this reaction. I wasn’t in on the joke from the start. I remember seeing these videos for the first time on Instagram reels (yes, I was that late) and couldn’t understand why the meme was so popular and no one seemed to be criticising it.

Conflicting Strands of Feminist Thought

Lots of women actually like these trends and find them relatable, warning others to not take them too seriously. I’ve definitely had days where I’ve been too lazy to cook a proper dinner, and I’m genuinely awful with money, so I relate to the idea of convincing yourself that cash is free money!

This divide in opinion is very interesting, as it demonstrates two conflicting feminist lines of thought present in social media. One embraces ultra-femininity and “girlhood”, and the other criticises the trend for upholding unrealistic expectations. Particularly, for associating female empowerment with consumerism, as seen with “girl math” and the ultra-feminine aesthetic.

It feels like we’re going around in a circle since the new ultra-femininity movement initially challenged unrealistic expectations of the older “girlboss” and “girl power” rhetoric. I was supposed to discover that this trend is even more political than I initially suspected. It shows how we can have fun with trends, but it’s important to always think critically about the media we consume and not take it in the wrong direction.

READ NEXT:

• THE ‘TIKTOKIFICATION’ OF THE NEXT GENERATION

• GIRLBOSS: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A FEMINIST IN A CAPITALIST WORLD?

• THE GIRLBOSS NARRATIVE IS FUELLING THE RISE OF HIGH FUNCTIONING EATING DISORDERS

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Featured image courtesy of cottonbro studio via Pexels. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.