Vanessa Tiiu’s “The Ultimate Guide to Being ‘THAT’ Girl” has amassed 3.3 million views on YouTube in less than a year.
It was followed by Kaylie Stweart’s “How to become ‘THAT GIRL’ in 2022”, Stephanie Rose’s “My ‘THAT GIRL’ Morning Routine 2022” , Fernanda Ramirez’s “The ULTIMATE GUIDE to becoming THAT girl”, et cetera.
It has become a Tik Tok trend to post aesthetic 30 second videos of girls being that girl throughout their day.
On Pinterest, there is a vast amount of boards dedicated to the aesthetics of being that girl as well. But, first off, what makes a girl that girl?
Vanessa Tiiu described that girl as, “[the] that girl trend is about being productive, it’s supposed to be really motivating… it’s more so working towards the best version of yourself, being that ideal girl that you have in your head” (YouTube).
Many, if not all, agree that Ms. Tiiu’s version of that girl is a genuinely inspiring trend meant to motivate others to become the best version of themselves.
On YouTube, women take different approaches at what being that girl means to them, and posting “guides” or “tutorials” on better habits to enhance our lives.
However, there are also many who’ve posted damaging videos, primarily on Tik Tok, of advice that can be unhealthy for young girls seeking to better themselves.
On Tik Tok, the trend is to post 30 second videos about eating habits that can be borderline unhealthy or not feasible. Eating three snacks a day, whether it be fruits or vegetables, is not a healthy eating lifestyle.
Despite knowing the body needs sustenance, these “that girl” Tik Toks have advised young girls to eat fruits only as meals. When combined with encouraging girls to go to the gym to gain that ideal body of society’s demands, it can lead to extreme fatigue in the best case scenario.
By the time these girls receive any advice on study habits, they’ll be too exhausted to actually be productive, which is the original goal of being that girl.
Abbey Sharp, another YouTuber, stated this in response to Vanessa Tiuu’s video: “While this might be motivating for some people like Vanessa who can maybe easily integrate this lifestyle into their day-to-day life it can also feel feelings of guilt and inadequacy in others… My concern is that this trend paints a perfect ideal that is not attainable for 99.9% of people with obligations and responsibilities” (YouTube).
Of course, the idea of the trend is that it is malleable. Ms. Sharp calls out the unhealthy guides all over Tik Tok and YouTube regarding the “that girl” trend, where it dictates a certain lifestyle whose only purpose is to be aesthetic. It includes aesthetic meals, having an aesthetic body, aesthetic clothes, et cetera. However, this can all just not be feasible or achievable for many.
Therefore, the intent is to bring back the original purpose of the “that girl” trend, which is to work towards the best version of ourselves. The purpose is to motivate others and ourselves to create achievable goals that will promote healthy, productive habits. However, not all advice on the internet is good advice, and we must take it with a grain of salt.
