By: Sara Khiri
TW:Eating Disorder
1: Love your body, be born naturally with the ever changing trendy body type or starve yourself.
2: Drink more water, even though you can barely get out of bed in the morning.
3: Find your style and do your hair and nails, spend endless hours on fast fashion websites, $500 on a dyson air wrap that doesn’t work on your hair type and fight to death to get an appointment with an instagram nail tech.
4: Keep your grades up, even when teachers are less motivated than students and post assignments at the speed of light.
5: Be you; If I wanted to be me do you think I’d be watching this video?
Vanessa Tiiu (Youtuber) with over 3 million views on her The Ultimate Guide to Being "THAT Girl" Youtube video defines being That Girl as “Growing into the best version of yourself.” Although the video post was made on June 11,2021 being That Girl is a similar term used throughout several generations. Phrases such as the “It Girl” have been around for years a simple Google search defines it as “An "it girl” is an attractive young woman, generally a celebrity, who is perceived to have both sex appeal and a personality that is especially engaging. The expression it girl originated in British upper-class society around the turn of the 20th century.” (Wikipedia) The shift from “...sex appeal and a personality that is especially engaging.” to “... best version of yourself” is one very drastic of a phrase that has simply changed the first word. 2021 has proven to be a year of reclaiming what was stolen from us in 2020, our health, wealth, mental stability, financial and academic goals, and much more. The That Girl movement focuses on taking back such.
“It seems that That Girl has become 2021’s largest compliment and trend, but people don’t understand that we spend several hours on Pinterest or Tiktok, picking outfits, taking pictures, studying, working out. We say it's for ourselves but over time you like the attention and start to give in and it gets tiring,” shares Dickinson student athlete with 4.0 GPA along with over 1 thousand instagram followers.
One of the most popular comments on Tiius’ video with 4.4 thousand likes made by user K K states “I used to be "that girl" and then I got burnt out. Now I am fighting depression. Please remind yourself that you are worthy in spite of your failures.” Dickinson High School is home to over 2,000 students, all of different races, ethnicities, styles, interests but a niche can be seen through the halls, hair clips, tote bags, Pinterest inspired outfits. High School is the land of clicks, and although cliche it is very true, and the That Girl community is seen. Although never spoken of there is a radiance of the confident, beautiful, smart, fit pretty girl, one that catches the attention of guys and girls in the halls that has eyes locked and turning in awh. What is never spoken of is the beast behind the beauty, the dark viscous comments on social media, endless hours spent on curitating said look and aura, women's beauty comes in trends but how long can young women be expected to abide by such.
That Girl movement has been curated to say no to the male gaze (...a way of portraying and looking at women that empowers men while sexualizing and diminishing women.), to the sexualization of teenage girls, to mean girls, and to the world, yet it has become more dangerous than its past predecessors. The It Girl knew what she was getting herself into the attention she was set to receive but the That Girl signed up for more than what she expected.