TikTok Feminism: Are You ‘Just a Girl’ or a ‘Trad Wife’?
Reported By: Benny Schorie
Photo From: trendradars.com
As Gen Z spreads its wings, it’s developing its own generational trademarks. Some of the more obvious markers of this generation are its heavy use of the Internet and social media and its hankering for social justice. These factors have, however, helped construct this generation’s political identity. One facet of Gen Z’s politics is in its support of feminism, but these feminist trends of the 2020s are still being counteracted by misogyny.
According to a survey by the Survey Center on American Life, a majority of Gen Z women identify as feminists–a higher share than older generations of women. Gen Z women are also more likely to report gender-based discrimination and self-identify as liberals.
The current generation of young women is noticeably different from previous generations, and it’s a widely accepted notion that the Internet and the rise of social media, specifically TikTok, have played a role in this difference.
In the past four years, numerous trends have overtaken TikTok. For example, the “men written by women” and bimbofication trends have forced women to reevaluate the feminism of their predecessors. Conversations about internalized misogyny and the male gaze have created a new wave of passionate feminists seeking liberation.
The hashtag trend “just a girl” took off in 2023 and has amassed over a hundred thousand posts on TikTok. The videos typically include the song “Just a Girl” by No Doubt and consist of the user blaming their inability to do adult tasks on their being “just a girl.” It’s part of a larger umbrella of content where women are reclaiming their “girlhood.”
Ultimately, this trend is about emphasizing the user’s innocence. You can’t possibly be expected to remember to get an oil change or lift heavy objects when you’re just a girl! But, this is not innocence; it’s infantilization. Blaming all personal shortcomings on one’s gender communicates to the world that women are insufficient and incapable of independence. It perpetuates the age-old belief that women are comparable to children in their abilities.
Ironically, the trend opposes the lyrics of the song that it's based on. The No Doubt hit criticizes how men paint women as “just girls” to restrict their autonomy, rights, and opportunities. It demands respect for women as independent adults with complex ideas and identities, not just as the caretakers of men.
Another new trend that is similarly feeding into negative, misogynistic stereotypes of the past is the Trad Wife. The Trad Wife is a woman who willingly stays at home to support her husband and (sometimes) children while looking effortlessly elegant. These women only show themselves cooking, cleaning, and grocery shopping and portray no other interests. The Trad Wife movement romanticizes housewifery by making it a life goal, and TikTok users cannot get enough.
Some users acknowledge the insanity of these content creators; they are always wealthy, straight, and their lives only revolve around catering to another person's needs. Morbid curiosity and fascination with this unattainable lifestyle keep everyone coming back for more, but others see this life of no responsibilities and a vacant schedule as idyllic. While being a stay-at-home parent is a great choice for many people, the homemaker role has been isolating and oppressing women for centuries. By supporting and validating this content as the dream life, we are feeding into the hand of the patriarchy and affirming misogyny.
Hardship is an inevitable part of life and so is wanting to alleviate life’s sufferings, but if Gen Z women want to evolve feminism for the contemporary age, they need to leave behind notions of naivety and helpless inability and become empowered individuals who relentlessly seek change. Retreating into the past is regression, not feminism.