Eating disorders are defined as “any of a range of mental conditions in which there is a persistent disturbance of eating behavior and impairment of physical or mental health,” according to Oxford Languages. “Girl dinner” is defined as “a meal typically consisting of snacks, side dishes, and small portions of (often randomly assembled) foods.” according to Dictionary.com. The “girl dinner” trend surfacing on TikTok portrays women showing off their “girl dinner.” These dinners consist of hummus and crackers, nuts and fruit, cheese, and olives, and not a lot else.
What started as a cute, funny trend of women on the internet coming together instead of hating one another turned into a low-key web of fat shaming. At first, women used the platform as a way to show off their mismatched, random, thrown-together feasts. Feasts consist of mac and cheese, mangos, a random bag of organic pretzels, and a lukewarm diet Coke. Now, placing four strawberries, a cheese stick, and a hard-boiled egg on a plate is apparently satisfactory for young bodies to flourish. That’s wrong. Growth requires nutrition, protein, a varied diet, and healthy balance—not whatever “girl dinner” has grown to be.
TikTok grosses 1 billion active monthly users, 57% of whom are women. I do not have a statistic to tell you about how many young girls are on TikTok. However, from that 57%, I would assume a large portion of these women on TikTok are under 15. At 15, we’re getting our first period, some even younger than that. At 15, we’re starting high school. At 15, we’re hitting the peak of our growth spurt. At 15, we’re being exposed to content posted on public platforms with no consideration of who the viewer is. Seemingly, it is okay that the internet is insinuating early-onset eating disorders in young females because everything online does: Instagram, Snapchat, Coolmath Games, Facebook, The Washington Post, etc.
As a society, I would like to see us differentiate between what is a snack and what is dinner. Dinner is a meal that ends your day on the right note, whether that be a six-course, gold-plated, extravagant, Michelin-Star meal or McDonalds on your way home from work. A snack is a small “pick me up” eaten in between meals. Dinner is not three almonds and a piece of popcorn.
Trends can be inclusive and funny. After 41 years, you’d think that we would understand the digital footprint and how to read the room.
If you are struggling with any eating disorder, The Mav wants you to know we’re here to help. National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD): The Helpline, 888-375-7767, is open Monday through Friday. 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mountain Time; or email: [email protected]. Your fight isn’t a trend.
