That Girl – Create Happy Media

The ‘that girl’ trend is a social media trend that has been popular on apps like TikTok and Instagram in recent years. ‘That girl’ somehow manages to get up early, shower, go to the gym, journal, meditate, study, eat healthy, do her skincare, and get 8+ hours of sleep all in the same day, while maintaining perfect grades. She has money and good grades, she’s healthy, she’s fit, she’s pretty, she’s popular. She’s perfect. Everyone wants to be her.

‘That Girl’ videos mainly involve young women and often take the form of morning or night routine videos. Here are some examples:

The videos usually involve getting up early, working out and doing yoga, meditating, journaling, manifesting, eating healthy plant-based meals and green smoothies, affirmations, extensive skincare routines and being super productive. ’There is nothing wrong with these things, many of them can be beneficial to our well-being, but many people have been calling out this trend and saying that it is toxic. In my opinion, the ‘that girl trend’ is unrealistic and unachievable, but I'm deciding the only way to discover whether this trend is great or toxic is to try it myself for one day.

After researching this trend a bit more, I almost straight away spotted some problems with it. First of all, the name of the trend is very exclusionary. People of other genders can and will do these things just as much as females do! It’s unfair to label simple things like journaling or skincare as ‘feminine things’.

The second thing is that all of the videos are all very perfect and ‘aesthetic’. Again, nothing wrong with that, but, social media is giving us distorted views of life. It isn’t always going to be ‘aesthetic’. Despite what you see online, influencers whose lives seem ‘perfect’ have bad days or days where they sit on the couch and watch Netflix for seven hours, they just don’t show these parts of their lives on social media. Making things look aesthetic, wearing cute clothes and taking pictures for social media are all super fun, but there is a sort of pressure to make everything we do perfect. Don’t do it for the aesthetic, do it because it makes you feel good!

The third thing I noticed is it seems to be encouraging hustle culture and toxic productivity. Being productive is great, but unfortunately, some people take it to extreme levels. Even if you enjoy being productive, it’s not necessary to work hard all day, every day. Everyone needs time to rest and recharge sometimes. The moments of your life you spend doing nothing, or just relaxing, are as important as the ones you spend being productive.

Number four, time-consuming skincare routines aren’t necessary. They can be fun, but, for most teens, skincare routines don't need to be complicated- just washing your face and using moisturizer and sunscreen is all you need to do. Cheap products can often work just as well as expensive ones. Remember that some products contain harsh chemicals that can damage your skin so please be careful.

A typical part of ‘that girl’s’ routine is to wake up early every day, so I decided to start strong by waking up at 6 am. I had a smoothie for breakfast, and I did some journaling. I was enjoying it so far. I did some simple skincare and got ready for school.

What I’ve noticed in some videos is that these people have often been working out, or doing yoga/pilates. So, I decided to try Pilates when I got home from school. There are hundreds of pilates videos you can find on YouTube that you can do at home with little or no equipment. If you don't like sports or going to the gym but still want to stay fit, you should try this. I like that you can do it by yourself from the comfort of your home. I will definitely be doing it again!

Then I did my homework and did some reading to relax and then gratitude journaling before I went to sleep. After trying this trend, I have concluded that this trend isn’t inherently ‘toxic’, but it’s not great either. It’s not for me, but it’s all about personal preference. I would find this hard to do every day but if you find strict routines and always being productive, helpful or enjoyable, this trend may be for you! Our brains all work differently, and what benefits some people may damage others.

There are definitely both pros and cons. Elements of the trend that are beneficial to our well-being, in my opinion, are healthy meals, journaling and affirmations, fitness, and reading. Elements of the trend that are not beneficial to our well-being in my opinion are expensive and complicated skincare routines, always being productive, aesthetic and perfect.

Overall, what I’ve learnt is that routines can be helpful but it’s important to keep them realistic. You probably aren’t going to be able to wake up at 6 am every day, read for an hour every day, and do your 12-step skincare routine every day, for example. If your routine is unrealistic and you're failing to do it every day, you’re going to feel disappointed and unachieved. Instead, it’s good to incorporate simple things into your daily routine, such as making your bed, eating a healthy breakfast, packing your backpack the night before the school day, or going on daily walks for example. These things are achievable and beneficial to your well-being. It’s also important to remember everyone’s lives are extremely different. In the end, it’s best to do whatever makes you happy and not stressed; maybe for you, this is a super productive and aesthetic ‘that girl’ lifestyle, or instead a calm and relaxing lifestyle with a simple routine, or no routine at all.