Have you ever experienced this “girl dinner” trend? Raise your hands! (*raises two hands)
It started off as something light-hearted, a way to bond over the various ways of making pasta, mini charcuterie boards, and the most random snack ideas like nuggets and ice cream side-by-side. Like all trends, there’s an underlying message AND a realm of social media that takes these fun trends too far.
Below are some recommended videos and an article explaining what the “girl dinner” phenomenon has presented in terms of our social climate, even political climate.
GENDER OPPRESSION IN THE PATRIARCHY
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8NsSSST/
HUSTLE CULTURE (with undertones of cultural appropriation)
EATING DISORDERS
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8NGNMQS/
My overall thoughts:
None of what was iterated above was false. I know, it’s a grim reality, in spite of how many folks will claim “please! It’s not that deep!!” in comments on these videos. Personally, it’s not a trend I plan to linger in around anytime soon. Indeed do I like making time to prepare a fabulous meal for myself or anything that elevates my well-being; the “girl dinner” trend indirectly exemplifies a capitalist and gender-normative discrepancy. Many girls and women do not have the privilege to buy a time-full Michelin-star worthy dinner nor the bandwidth to cook it themselves (not that everyone desires that). Once more, it conveys that preparing the food for others are on the lady…unfortunately, leaving her almost no energy to feed herself as sufficiently.
Truth is, the “girl dinner” likely did not intend to produce such a complex discussion. It’s never fun to discover that the positioning of various trends that people want to participate in for fun could be more destructive than not–yes, it’s a comedic way of trauma bonding. On the other hand, “girl dinner” could just be a means of recipe sharing. Some of these dinners were well-balanced, adequate in calories, and appetizing. It really depends on how you want to go about it, but yes, it is true that “girl dinner”, to a certain extent, laughs at our problems with the patriarchy, burnout, and diet culture.
My first contribution to the “girl dinner” trend wouldn’t be approved as a sufficient dinner by a dietitian. Snack plate? Absolutely, and I intended it to be that way. As for the second video, I tend to consume those protein bars every week, but they contain nothing but oats, chia seeds, pea protein, raspberries, peanut butter, aka a wide array of macronutrients and micronutrients. Granted, I could afford to add some vegetables in either platter, but that’s for my REAL girl dinner.
superfitbabe 
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