The “that girl” mindset and aesthetic has become popular on all social media platforms, but primarily Tiktok. It is focused on cleanliness accompanied with healthy lifestyles that can be considered aesthetically pleasing. It is unattainable for most girls, however, due to the monetary cost of this lifestyle as well as its unIt realistically high amount of time, participation and commitment required. 

It seems much healthier than other internet trends. No overly filtered images, just sleek cleanliness and an overall focus on health and wellness. Generally focused on bettering yourself and your life, this trend does have good intentions. 

Unfortunately, this lifestyle is completely unattainable for the majority of its observers. 

The people that are partaking and creating this trend are girls that do it for a living. They are content creators that prioritize an image on the internet and dedicate quite a bit of time in order to get there. 

The average girl, or the targeted audience does not always realize this. I don’t know about you, but when I first saw the TikTok of the girl with a sleek Olaplex bun at the gym I most definitely did not consider this as a possibility. 

Instead I looked at my own life and compared and contrasted. Obviously, my life is nowhere near as aesthetically pleasing. Sure, I work out and eat healthy on a regular basis, but I also enjoy a McDonald’s milkshake on occasion. 

That is what is missing from this: there are absolutely no slip ups. You will never see Emily Mariko eating a taco from the Taco Bell drive-thru. It perpetuates perfectionistic ideals that are not realistic or achievable, even for the creators. 

The creators are literally making this content for a living. They have dedicated their wealth and livelihood to show girls what they should be trying to get to, even if the blueprint does not work for everyone. 

Guaranteed: these creators have inconsistencies as well, but they would never show it. Social media is a highlight reel. 

Not to mention, this type of commitment literally cannot be achieved by anyone with a real life. If you are a student, you are obviously not going to be attending a pilates class in your Lululemon set at 12 p.m, and that is OK. You have other priorities that you must attend to, but that does not make you less of a person. 

It is true, we could all use little self improvement. We could all be doing something different in order to commit to a better lifestyle. However, trends like this make people think that change happens overnight. 

“If they can do it then why can’t I” is a thought commonly experienced after taking in content. It is then easy to try and become unsuccessful very quickly. When you are not successful you begin to feel inferior, but in reality you are probably perfectly average. 

Just because you enjoy Chick-Fil-A does not mean you are not “that girl.”