Internet Trends 101: Girlhood
The term ‘girlhood’ has become the bedrock for a panoply of micro internet trends revelling in ‘girl’ behaviours – encompassing childhood nostalgia, feminist defiance and indulgent (pre-obligation) pastimes. The second in our Internet Trends 101 series, we examine where #girlhood came from, how pop-cultural audiences are responding worldwide, and the nuances beneath the hashtags brands should know before diving in.
What is #Girlhood?
The #Girlhood Evolution: Core Sub-Trends
#Girlhood’s Aesthetic Tribes: Tomato Girls, Coquettecore & Blokettes
Girl Lore: Promoting Emboldened Teens & Young Women
Re-Centring Girlhood: Gender-Swapped Storytelling & Untold Perspectives
In the US, 81% of women say they have been harassed online (Statista, 2020). With women’s behaviour still routinely policed online and off, teen girls and women are responding with #girlhood, an online trend valorising a bygone (in some countries, sadly non-existent) uninhibited time in life before societal strictures take hold. This halcyon vision of the carefree, fearless girl has unfurled as a viral expression of how women of all ages behave in their moments away from the male gaze.
In the US, 81% of women say they have been harassed online (Statista, 2020). With women’s behaviour still routinely policed online and off, teen girls and women are responding with #girlhood, an online trend valorising a bygone (in some countries, sadly non-existent) uninhibited time in life before societal strictures take hold. This halcyon vision of the carefree, fearless girl has unfurled as a viral expression of how women of all ages behave in their moments away from the male gaze.
Summary
What is #Girlhood? | In the US, 81% of women say they have been harassed online (Statista, 2020). With women’s behaviour still routinely policed online and off, teen girls and women are responding with #girlhood, an online trend valorising a bygone (in some countries, sadly non-existent) uninhibited time in life before societal strictures take hold. This halcyon vision of the carefree, fearless girl has unfurled as a viral expression of how women of all ages behave in their moments away from the male gaze. |
The #Girlhood Evolution: Core Sub-Trends | The girl-coded internet kicked off in summer 2023, chiefly on TikTok, with women and girls flocking to the platform as a space to celebrate girl-centric attitudes and aesthetics. Nostalgic montages inspired by the Barbie movie were followed by mega-viral micro trends #girldinner and #girlmath, as well as evolving discourse on the trend’s impact. |
#Girlhood’s Aesthetic Tribes: Tomato Girls, Coquettecore & Blokettes | #Girlhood has also impacted the internet’s ‘core’ corner – the proliferating menu of aesthetic trends like royalcore and cottagecore. The new wave of girl ‘cores’ create female affinity by recentring femininity as a smorgasbord of influences and lifestyles, including a ‘blokette’-core update on 90s ladettes, the hyper-femininity of ‘coquette’-core, and the aspirational romanticism of Tomato Girls. |
Girl Lore: Promoting Emboldened Teens & Young Women | Inspired by online homages to #girlhood, teen girls and twentysomethings are seizing opportunities outside of social media to bring girlhood values into their community interactions, cultural discovery and entertainment experiences. This includes revelling in the shared wisdom of teen advice blog Girlhood.org, learning about the history of girlhood in art, and triumphantly communing over girl-tastic pop music. |
Re-Centring Girlhood: Gender-Swapped Storytelling & Untold Perspectives | New gaming and film releases are also arriving in time to ride the wave of reclaimed girlhood, bestowing primed audiences with the chance to revel in the commingled challenges and joys of young womanhood. Key titles include South-Asian diasporic girlhood game Thirsty Suitors, coming-of-age surrealist movie Poor Things, and rewritten pop-culture legend Priscilla. |
Internet Trends 101: Girlhood
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Offering access to over 350 consumer and cross-industry reports annually, Stylus Membership is your window to tomorrow’s most exciting opportunities.
We already arm more than 500 of the world’s most forward-thinking brands and agencies with the creative insights they need to make transformative business decisions.
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