Disclaimer: This article discusses topics related to eating disorders. This content is to offer commentary and raise awareness and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis, treatment, or advice.
If you have a TikTok account, it’s unlikely the phrase ‘girl dinner’ has escaped you. At the time of writing, the main TikTok sound associated with this trend has been used in 400.4k videos. If you somehow have not come across this term, Dictionary.com describes it as, “popularly used on social media to refer to meals made of snacks, sides, or small amounts of random foods”.
In May 2023, TikTok creator Olivia Maher (@liviemaher) posted a video in which she claimed medieval peasant dinners that consisted of bread would be her ideal meal, calling it ‘girl dinner’. The concept of ‘girl dinner’ quickly took off, with many of the takes on it being extremely relatable. Sometimes we just don’t want to cook, and so frozen pizza with a side of popcorn seems like the perfect option.
The trend began as many internet fads do, as simply light-hearted and fun. By categorising it as ‘girl’ dinner, it could be seen as act of defiance against gender norms placed onto women, who historically were expected to prepare a large, nutritious meal for their families every evening. Girl dinner embraced simplicity and ease and focused on meals that were for the consumption of the solo diner.
Some good examples of girl dinner included pasta with olive oil and cheese, mac and cheese eaten out of a wine glass with dinosaur nuggets, instant noodles, and cheese, bread and wine — all typical things that most of us have had for dinner on more than one occasion.
Nonetheless, girl dinners soon spiralled into something more sinister and what was originally a harmless display of chaotic eating turned into yet another way for girls to show off how little they were eating. Examples of girl dinners became increasingly more unhinged, including things such as coffee and a cigarette, a tin of corn, gum, and at its very worst, sleep.
Girl dinner, at its conception, encouraged people to eat, showing that dinner doesn’t always need to be an extravagant meal that you have spent hours preparing. Sometimes we just can’t be bothered, and instead of skipping dinner completely, girl dinners proved that anything can be a meal. However, the problem occurs when people feel as though it is necessary to post that they’re barely eating. By only posting videos and images of small, low-calorie meals and glorifying them, this leads women to believe there is something wrong with them when their eating habits differ.
Also, girl dinner is not a new concept. Most of us who have grown up in the UK know, the minute the sun comes out, our mums did not want to cook and dinner became a ‘fend for yourself, grab whatever you can’ moment often referred to as ‘picky bits’. This style of eating isn’t just exclusive to the UK either. Spanish tapas — which legend says originated in Andalusia, where drinks would be covered with a piece of cheese or sausage to protect them from dust or flies during the hot summer weather — is just another example of this.
The problem with girl dinners also lies in where we are at in terms of women’s body trends today. I’m sure most of us are aware of the 90’s ‘heroin chic’ trend, and the early 2000s obsession with supermodel skinny. Unfortunately, it seems as though people have forgotten the damage these trends caused to young women. EBSCO found that “media portrayals of unrealistic body standards and the marketing of diet products collectively contribute to low self-esteem and body dissatisfaction among individuals, particularly women and teenagers”. Furthermore, the NHS found that in 2023, the rate of possible eating disorders for young people aged 17 to 19 years was 77.5% in young women, compared to 42.3% in young men. For young people aged 20 to 25 years, the rate was 72.3% in young women, compared to 43% in young men.
Clementine Vaughan, a registered dietitian who specialises in women’s health, acknowledges the circular nature of these trends, saying “I think it’s quite worrisome to see the resurgence of the skinny trend — it’s giving 90’s déjà vu if I’m honest.” Addressing the consequences of this, she says, “As a women’s health dietitian, it particularly saddens me as these trends disproportionately impact women. Extreme weight loss in women can lead to nutritional deficiencies which result in physical health implications, such as amenorrhea (loss of your menstrual cycle) and psychological ones, like disordered eating habits.”
TikTok creator Jac Couch (@jaccouchh), who has made content addressing negative social media trends, also weighed in on this, saying, “I believe we are in one of those times where people have ‘forgotten’ the harm behind eating disorders and are normalising it because of social media, the rise of unhealthy eating patterns, and Ozempic.”
Now, while the girl dinner trend might have died down, and Ozempic is no longer considered a taboo, a new trend has been taking over social media — “SkinnyTok”. SkinnyTok is reminiscent of ED Tumblr, with creators giving ‘advice’ on how to lose weight, with quotes such as “you’re not a dog, don’t treat yourself with food”, and the classic Kate Moss saying, “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”.
Liv Schmidt, a creator who is one of the frontrunners behind this ‘movement’, was banned from TikTok due to her controversial videos which people criticised her for promoting pro-anorexia, or ‘pro-ana’ concepts. Despite this, it has not slowed down the movement, with many self-acclaimed ‘SkinnyTok members’ claiming they don’t understand the problem behind this type of content and insisting that the community is just encouraging people to take control of their health.
Vaughan disagreed with this, saying, “Yet again, huge emphasis is being placed on looks vs health. Healthy looks different in different people, but when you’re advocating for a specific ‘look’ then you are more likely to push someone into disordered eating and habits.”
It really feels as though we have all jumped in a time machine and gone back to the days where Anne Hathaway was considered disgustingly fat in The Devil Wears Prada. In recent years this kind of toxic diet culture was seemingly becoming a thing of the past, but as Vaughan said, “it’s giving déjà vu”. Our bodies are not trends and should not be treated as such. Instead, we should be more concerned about nourishing ourselves and not just eating as little as possible to be as small as possible. As we enter into the summer months, and women become obsessed with achieving their perfect ‘bikini body’, it is important to remember that the most perfect body is the healthiest one.
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, help is available:
The UK’s Eating Disorder Charity – Beat | Eating disorders – The NHS | Advice for parents – The NHS | Eating disorders – Health For Teens
Words by Aimee Wilson
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.