Ever since late May of 2023, the TikTok trend “Girl Dinner” has taken the internet by storm. Girl Dinner is a TikTok trend where girls find whatever food they have lying around the house and just put them on a plate, kind of like a charcuterie board. A Girl Dinner can consist of any type of food. For example, it could be a scoop of pasta, a slice of meat or a cookie. But no matter what type of food it is, the pictures never really capture a complete, balanced meal.
So,like many viral TikTok things do, “Girl Dinner” caused many people to think critically about themselves and question their own diets. And this is dangerous. The trend feeds a dangerous stereotype that girls’ waist lines are more important than eating nutritious meals.
I hope that in the future people will pay more attention to the trends that they participate in, and think about the video that they are making to see if it would make anyone feel bad about themself.
— Catherine Campagnino ’26
Another issue with Girl Dinner is the gender barrier it creates. It is called “GIRL Dinner,” after all. No one ever labels food as girl food or boy food, so why are we now making gender labels on meals? A boy can eat the same exact thing that a girl eats and vice versa.I think that the “Girl Dinner” trend is very hard on teen girls, as it seems to pressure girls to not eat a full meal.
According to Vanessa Risseto, CEO of Culina Health, Girl Dinner “can fall into disordered eating territory, especially when it comes to people promoting and applauding it. It’s all about the messaging and who’s delivering it,” Risseto said.”
I hope that in the future people will pay more attention to the trends that they participate in, and think about the video that they are making to see if it would make anyone feel bad about themself.
