Why It’s Okay To Not Be a TikTok Girly

It was April of 2020, and I was sitting at the dinner table with my family. My 17-year-old sister was talking about the different sides of TikTok, which sounded like an entirely different language to me. But as quarantine began to unravel, and I ran out of banana bread supplies, I went ahead and downloaded it. Suddenly, I was absorbed in “Day in the Life,” “OOTD” and “Clean Tok.” I wanted every item of clothing and handy cleaning gadget I saw while scrolling. 

TikTok slowly became an addiction for me; suddenly, I was buying makeup product dupes, trying organizers for my bedroom and experimenting with Starbucks hacks. I felt this pressure to hop on each trend.

TikTok also has this funny way of fueling envy by showing you glimpses of other people’s perfectly curated lives, similar to Instagram. While none of this is particularly bad, it can start to become a mental — and financial — strain. 

We live in a society that’s constantly plugged in, following the lead of others. Recently, I was traveling in Canada, and as I looked around, I realized every other woman I saw had a Lululemon belt bag combined with high-waisted jeans and some version of a crop top. Knowing the belt bag trended on TikTok, it was hard not to see us all as carbon copies of each other. Granted, I have one — but they are very useful for long walks. 

While the pressure to become a “TikTok girly” can be strong as you are scrolling and seeing how others are living their lives — and the material items that are part of those lives — you have to remind yourself it is just a glimpse into one life. There is no use in forcing yourself to choose items due to their trend-factor and popularity. Content creators have to make their lives look appealing and approachable on purpose, partnering with brands to continuously entice you to purchase or engage in the particular product. If we all followed every single trend to a T, we’d lose individuality. 

As with any social media, it is always a good idea to take a break when the content and continuous enticement of material items becomes too much. TikTok can provide a welcomed distraction, but it does not need to absorb one’s entire life. Living outside the phone can be good for the soul, both mentally and physically. Getting too absorbed within the social sphere is incredibly draining.

So the question is: to be or not to be a TikTok girly?

And my answer for you? The decision is completely yours to make. Make the choice that will positively impact your life. 

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Sophie Gharai