“Girl Dinner”, “Girl Math”, Bows, and Barbie: How Girlhood Social Media Trends have United Women from all Walks of Life and Given Men a Look into a Woman’s World

April 21, 2024

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0

Introduction

Welcome to my syllabus! Throughout this syllabus, I will be addressing the impact of “girlhood” trends that have taken social media by storm and the impact they have had in redefining feminism while uniting women by giving men a look into a woman’s world for the first time. Throughout this syllabus, I will be highlighting the various topics that these social media trends have brought us. Everything pink, bows, Taylor Swift and the Barbie movie are all unifying subjects that fall under the umbrella of relatability between women created from these trends. Girl dinner, girl math, hot-girl walks, and many more topics have given the world a glimpse into a woman’s life for the first time. The goals of this paper are to show how feminism has been redefined, the acceptance of the ultra-feminist stereotype and typical, feminism has also been redefined, now accepting the norms typically related to what it means to be a girl along with explaining the impact of this new wave of social media. This wave of social media has impacted the music industry, dominated the box office, and exponentially boosted the economy all of which stemmed from women’s common interests across the world. For feminism to continue to grow, all women have to learn to stand together to fight the patriarchy and these trends have allowed for that to be a possibility. While these topics have had their aforementioned impacts, the relatability amongst women of all kinds has united females in general and for the first time in a while allowed for the word “Feminist” to accept ultrafeminism, and shown us that at our core, we as women are simple and a woman’s-world looks a lot more similar across all walks of life, despite what we may have previously believed. 

Learning Outcomes

1. Explore the Girl Hood Trends of 2023: Gain a comprehensive understanding of what these “girl trends” are and the meaning behind them.
2. Pupculture Surges in the Past Year: Understand which pop culture topics have become prevalent in the past year and draw conclusions on how they have universally connected women
3. PopCulture Impacts: How these surges in feminist pop culture movements have impacted the economy
4. Evaluate the Impact: Describe the effect that these surges in feminist pop culture movements have impacted the economy
5. Analyze the insight that these social media trends and pop culture give to a woman’s world: develop a new perspective of a women’s world that these trends are introducing to counter the man’s world perspective we have been exposed to throughout history
6. Establish a Unifying Conclusion: Explain how women have become unified over these social media trends and pop culture movements this past year
7. Explain New Feminist Standard: Describe how the the feminist standard has changed as a result of these trends, becoming more accepting

Module 1: Exploring the Rise of “Girl Trends” and Their Influence in Social Media

Welcome to the first module! This module is designed to introduce and explain the recent “girl trend” themes found in social media today. You will learn about a variety trends and understand how they have united women universally. With that, you will also learn how these trends have for the first time given men a look into a women’s world. By the end of this module you should gain an understanding of what these social media trends are and how they have been so unifying amongst women and produced a new perspective into a women’s world.

As you navigate through this module reflect upon the following:

1. What are these social media trends?
2. How have they united women from all walks of life?
3. How have these trends introduced the idea of a women’s world to men?

Reading Assignments:

“Girl Dinner” and “Girl Math” are the New Feminist Theories of Today

• This article by Pranjal Jain comes from GUAP’s site. GUAP commonly discusses pop culture, art, fashion, music, and more on its site. This piece specifically addresses the new feminist theories of today including terms like “girl dinner”, “girl math” and many more. She explains how these common topics on social media are uniting women regardless of their backgrounds. With this, she explores how the popularity of this trend on social media has given men a look into “a woman’s life” for once, showing them girlhood in its finest form through language, habits, and more. The piece seems to be written for a primarily female audience, going off of the site it was published on.

Are we Living in a Man’s World?

• This presentation comes from Emma Leonard Boyle PhD, a professor at La Salle University. This presentation is targeted towards all audiences, exploring the concept of a man’s world and how the idea of it has been presented over the years. This article adds background to the “man’s world” that women have been living in and conforming to for so long and why this new trend of girlhood in social media giving men a glance into a “woman’s world” is such an important event. She looks into date biases throughout time and details the patriarchy’s impact on the topic of “a man’s world” and men having power for far too long.

“Girl Math”, “Girl Dinner” Trends Explode on Social Media – and Draw Plenty of Critics

• Forbes published this article by Conor Moray on the “Girl” trends exploding on social media and the criticism that some have received. This article is intended for a general audience as most Forbes articles cater to. The article explains specific trends such as “girl math” and criticizes the validity of the videos. However, this shocked male perspective perfectly exemplifies the aspect of the “girl world” that men don’t understand, many of these controversies furthering the idea that men can’t relate to the subject because they’ve yet to get a glimpse into a “woman’s world” until now.

To Find Freedom Gen Z Women are Looking Back to Girlhood

• This piece was published in the New York Times and is intended for all audiences. It contains an audio excerpt from Anna Marks. She touches on the trends helping women relate to one another across the internet. She describes the spectrum of content derived from the trend across social media and the relatability factors that grow throughout it. She explains that women tend to refer to themselves as “girls” when completing activities that do not involve the male gaze. Marks questions if a viral TikTok trend could start a political movement. The term “girls” is reffering and relating to women less by age and more through the themes of the stories that they tell. She explains that there is a large difference between being called a girl vs calling yourself a girl and the diminishing vs empowering factor that varies between the two. These common trends and topics are relatable and happen outside of the male gaze and show us acting outside of what the patriarchy typically expects of us.

Visuals

Take a look at these TikTok’s to gain an understanding for these Girlhood trend

• Girl Dinner TikTok
  • This TikTok shows how a “Girl Dinner” combines a variety of unique snacks or small bites to replace or serve as a meal
• Girl Math Explained TikTok
  • This video is showing a girl explaining to her father how girls rationalize and think about their spending habits
• Pink Bows Trend Example
  • This video exemplifies the pink bow trend as commentary on the coquette aesthetic serving as a function to express femininity in a very self-aware matter

Module 2: Introducing Pop Culture Topics that have Dominated Social Media this Past Year and Their Impact on the Economy

In this second module we will be discussing the impact of 2023 pop culture topics that social media girlhood trends united over. When hearing the year 2023, The Barbie Movie is a standout event. The Barbie Movie was revolutionary and gave the world a glance at the struggles of being a woman on a day to basis. Blonde hair, the color pink, coordinated outfits, and many more were all themes seen throughout the film, but they all served a purpose. The Barbie Movie was highly impactful in terms of showing how ultra feminist stereotypes should not be rejected in the scope of feminism. Furthermore, the Barbie Movie explains how the idea of having a career, being a mom, and having perfect hair on a day to day basis is a reality that can only exist in a dream world such as Barbie Land. Outside of showing how this film redefined feminism, this module is intended to show you how Barbie Land, just like social media is fake. The Barbie Movie showed how being a woman in the real-world is not perfect and the same goes for the exhibition of these girlhood trends showing the not so aesthetic reality of their day to day lives.

As you Navigate through this module reflect upon the following:

1. How have recent topics in pop culture redefined feminism?
2. How does Barbie Land compare to social media?
3. How has the girlhood theme of the past year impacted the world from a numbers perspective?

Reading Assignments:

Students Discuss Pop Culture Redefining Feminism

• This State News article from Ridhimi Kodali summarizes the perspective of Michigan State University students discussing pop culture subjects from the past summer and their impact on feminism. She focuses on 3 topics, in particular, Barbie, Taylor Swift, and Beyonce’s Renaissance tour, dissecting the impact each had in terms of feminism today. The article seems to be written for a general audience even outside of the university’s campus based on the topics she touches on. She explores the impact that all of these topics have had on different realms of society ranging from record-breaking headlines and economic impact.

#Barbie – An Introduction to Feminism, Patriarchy, and Gender Wars

• This write-up comes from a blog post by Michaela Jordan. Jordan analyzes the underlying themes of the Barbie Movie. Her analysis of feminism, patriarchy and gender wars in the movie is phenomenal, but the real standout of her write-up was her perspective on the Barbie Movie’s take on beauty standards. She explains how Barbie, when in BarbieLand can be President of the United States, a mom and a trophy-wife all while having a perfect hair-do and a smile. Now this reality is possible in BarbieLand, but in the real-world, this is an unrealistic expectation so commonly pushed on women. The Barbie Movie explained this concept and emphasized the idea that women need to stand together and support one another. We have each other’s backs at the end of the day, and the Barbie Movie highlighted the importance of this mutual support particularly when it comes to beauty standards. This reflects in the real worlds as well. Social media, just like Barbie Land, is fake. This past year of girlhood trends much like the Barbie Movie, is showing the reality of being a woman in the real world and creating a community where women can unite together to support one another.

“Girl” Trends and the Repackaging of Womanhood

• This piece was published by Vox is intended for the general public. Rebecca Jennings is a senior correspondent for the company, covering social media platforms and the creator economy. She argues the perspective that these trends aren’t just silly, but rather a marketing campaign, offering a different perspective on the girl trends topic from other sources. With that, she touches on how the highest-grossing movie and the highest-grossing musical tour in history center around the conundrum of women in their 30s experiencing their own versions of girlhood. This source helps tie in all of the topics for this paper that I plan to include, such as the Eras Tour and the Barbie movie, with the girlhood theme and its impact.

Module 3: Introducing Pop Culture Topics that have Dominated Social Media this Past Year and Their Impact on the Economy

In this third module you will be introduced to some of the pop culture impacts that range outside of the girlhood trends that have dominated the internet this past year. WHile the girlhood trends have served as unifying tool for women across the world, feminist pop cultur esubjects have done the same. People Magazine’s Person of the Year is the center for this module…that’s, right, we’re talking Taylor Swift! Swift’s economic impact this past year has been exponential, but why is that? This module is intended to show how women unifying behind Swift has served as such a catalyst for her success and impact upon the economy as a whole.

As you Navigate through this module reflect upon the following:

1. How has pop culture serving as a central topic in social media impacted the economy?
2. What is the “girl economy” and how has it made a positive impact on the world?
3. How has Taylor Swift impacted the economy this past year and what about her career is leading to such drastic and evident changes?

Reading Assignments

The Comparative Advantage of the “Girl Economy”

• This article was published in The Michigan Daily by Sarah Zhang. She dials in on the topic of “Girl Economy”. The article seems to be targeted at a mainly female audience within the student body based on the graphics but also attracts those interested in business, finance, and economics because of the topic it discusses. She explains the term “girl economy” and gives multiple examples and explanations of how pop culture and social media this past year have positively impacted the economy. However, she juxtaposes these opinions with some negative ramifications of the “girl economy” establishing a solid counterclaim for this new wave of pop culture and social media’s worldly impact in hand with feminism.

Swiftonomics: The Economic Influence of Taylor Swift

• This article navigated the term “Swiftonomics” a term that comes from Taylor’s team to describe the economic impact of her music and brand. It highlights how Swift;s influence extends beyond the music industry, and into carious sectors such as tourism, fashion, and merchandise sales. The term refers to the significant economic boost generated by Swift’s activities, estimated to be around $5 billion. As Swift’s career has evolved, this past year expecially she has helped unify women of all types with her Eras Tour, but even more than that her impact on the economy can not go unoticed. By putting Swift’s year and career into numbers, it’s possible to see the impact just one women can make when the rest of us gather around her with support. The numbers don’t lie and Swift is just one example of what women can do when we work together and relate to a common cause.

Module 4: The Unifying Impact of Social Media Trends and Pop Culture Topics

Welcome to the last module! This module is intended to connect each of the module’s to one another. The past modules were intended to help you gain an understanding of what is trending in social media. This one is sepcifically explaining the unifying factor that each of these topics have had on women as whole. With that it explains the power that women hold when they stand together. Not only have they had the ability to let women relate to one another and shown the significant economic impact they can have when doing so, but they have also allowed us to show the rest of the world a glimpse into a woman’s life. Socail media has showed us what women enjoy this past year. It had given women the chance to redefine their world from their own persepective, not from a man’s as we have seen in the past. With that women have recalimed the term “girl” this past year and have found their own identity behind that.

As you navigate through this module reflect upon the following:

1. How this year of Girlhood has taken over social media
2. The unifying impact of these massive trends upon all women
3. The underlying power of women calling themselves girls

Reading Assignments:

The Year of Girlhood

• This piece was published by Fashion Magazine and is titled “The Year of Girlhood” by Natalie Mitchie. The piece is mainly catered to Fashion Magazine’s primarily female audience. She explains that claiming the “girl” label for oneself is extremely empowering. She exemplifies how certain trends give deeper meaning to what meets the eye and how women relate to that amongst one another. These girlhood trends have given women the chance to reconnect with their past selves and relate upon the joy and empowerment that is emulated throught that.

What Does it Mean When we Call Women Girls?

• Robert Wasserman’s piece “What Does it Mean when we Call Women Girls?” is directed towards a particularly feminine audience. This piece dives into the question posed in the title of what it means when we call women girls. With that, she explains the power that comes from the word. Additionally, she dives into various case studies uncovering the meaning of the word “girl” and its significance. The word “girl” helps serve as a reminder of our fight to redefine the word “woman” and “womanhood” that comes with it.

The Revolutionary Power of Girl Dinner

• Liz Plank dives into the “power” of these trends in her piece, “The Revolutionary Power of Girld Dinner”. Plank is a feminist journalist and this piece is catered towards an audience of subscribers to her platform Airplane Mode, but can be accessed by the general public. She highlights the positives of these girl trends and their impact as being revolutionary. She argues that these trends help women relate to one another, celebrate girlhood by allowing women to be free, and render the patriarchy powerless in its ability to control them.

Conclusion

Sources

Jain, Pranjal, and Guap. “‘Girl Dinner’ & ‘Girl Math’ Are the New Feminist Theories of Today.” GUAP, 30 Nov. 2023, guap.co/girl-dinner-girl-math-are-the-new-feminist-theories-of-today/.

Jennings, Rebecca. “‘Girl’ Trends and the Repackaging of Womanhood.” Vox, 16 Aug. 2023, http://www.vox.com/culture/23831903/girl-dinner-tiktok-trends-hot-girl-walk.

Hordan, Michaela. “#BARBIE - an Introduction to Feminism, Patriarchy, and Gender Wars.” Medium, Medium, 22 Aug. 2023, musingsofmj.medium.com/barbie-an-introduction-to-feminism-patriarchy-and-gender-wars-9eab1286accb. 

Kodali, Ridhima. “Students Discuss Summer of Pop Culture, Redefining Feminism.” The State News, 15 Sept. 2023, statenews.com/article/2023/09/students-discuss-summer-of-pop-culture-redefining-feminism

Leonard Boyle, Emma PhD, “Are We Living in a Man’s World?” (2019). Explorer Café. 86. https://digitalcommons.lasalle.edu/explorercafe/86

Marks, Anna, and Vishakha Darbha. “To Find Freedom, Gen Z Women Are Looking Back to Girlhood.” The New York Times, 10 Sept. 2023, http://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/10/opinion/girl-dinner-girlhood-tiktok.html.

Michie, Natalie. “2023 Was about the Beauty of Girlhood.” FASHION Magazine, 19 Dec. 2023, fashionmagazine.com/style/the-beauty-of-girlhood-2023/.

Mitra, Mallika. “Swiftonomics: The Economic Influence of Taylor Swift.” Investopedia, Investopedia, http://www.investopedia.com/swiftonomics-definition/ 

Murray, Conor. “‘Girl Math,’ ‘Girl Dinner’ Trends Explode on Social Media-and Draw Plenty of Critics.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 12 Sept. 2023, http://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2023/09/08/girl-math-girl-dinner-trends-explode-on-social-media-and-draw-plenty-of-critics/

Plank, Liz. “The Revolutionary Power of Girl Dinner.” Airplane Mode with Liz Plank, 6 Sept. 2023, lizplank.substack.com/p/the-revolutionary-power-of-girl-dinner?

Wasserman, Robin Wasserman. “What Does It Mean When We Call Women Girls?” Literary Hub, 26 Mar. 2019, lithub.com/what-does-it-mean-when-we-call-women-girls/. 

Zhang, Sarah. “The Comparative Advantage of the ‘Girl Economy.’” The Michigan Daily, 2 Nov. 2023, http://www.michigandaily.com/opinion/the-comparative-advantage-of-the-girl-economy/