I love to eat. I’m like the rat fromRatatouille,except much hairier. From laughing over the baked cherry tart my grandma makes for family birthdays,to the half-pissed 2am McNuggets runs I’ve made with my friends on grand final eve,some of my fondest memories surround food.
I’ll never be able to afford a house and I have zero financial security,but food is how I fake the life of luxury. When I’m left to my own devices in the lolly aisle,I’m a regular Bill Gates (in that I’m a billionaire. Not in the sense that I’m putting microchips into vaccines. Wake up,sheeple). I’ll treat myself to a jar of pickles,splurge on that good olive oil and drizzle it over overpriced sourdough. I’ll stuff my little gob with choccie treats until I’m delightfully round because my goal in this life and the next is to become the Toad of Toad Hall.
TikTok’s latest trend is the #girldinner.Aresna Villanueva
There is a new TikTok trend that puts women’s eating habits front and centre. The most overwhelming app on the internet is full of. The trend started when a woman shared a video of her meal for the night,a plate of mostly bread and cheese,calling it her “girl dinner” or her “medieval dinner”.
Women ate the trend up,and have filled the internet with plates of goodies prepared for one. There’s even a corresponding “girl dinner” jingle. This I like,because I am a firm believer that you should only eat foods that have a matching jingle. That’s why I subsist on a diet of,predominantly,Birds Eye Fish Fingers. I am very unwell.
On the one hand,I think this trend is fun. I’m a huge fan of a platter feast. My drag name would be Aunty Pasto. There’s something satisfying about preparing a personal charcuterie board. And many have rightfully pointed out that “girl dinner” is giving women the chance to enjoy food on their own terms.
Who says that pickles and potato chips aren’t part of a sensible,grown-up dinner? This is women preparing their meals with only their own pleasure in mind. No longer are they shackled by the patriarchy’s meat and two veg. Frankly,I’m just thrilled to see women-eating-bread representation. There’s a reason Jesus turned his body into bread;the dude knew baked rye and thick thighs are the secret to eternal life.
But,of course,as it is with all things online,there’s a dark side to this digital mischief. It’s the classic scenario:one person posts a silly video of their day,innocently blogging about their life,and quickly it’s twisted and turned into a toxic trend by the content machine. Like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory,but in this version way more kids are killed.
Critics have been quick to point out that “girl dinner” encourages calorie-restrictive eating. The internet has given rise to a whole new wave of body-shaming. The shape of the female body has always been treated as a fashion trend,like a flesh romper you can pop on and off as you head for a cheeky wee. Kardashian butts were in one day,and the next day bums were off the table and those same Kardashians had the waif-like figures of malnourished nymphs.
With the ceaseless pace of social media,we’re fed the idea that our body can,nay must,change to fit with the trends at an instant. I can’t go one swipe of my thumb without a pop-up ad for tummy flattening workouts and fat-burning meal plans. Leave my tummy alone. I like it. I won’t be happy until it freely jiggles at a moment’s notice like an uncooked panini.
Perhaps linking tiny plates of food with inherent girlhood is encouraging women to eat less substantial meals. Beyond the dainty personal platters,some of the girl dinners I’ve seen online are worrying. These include a single can of creamed corn,a bag of popcorn,a stick of cheese wrapped in a single sheet of bologna,and half a cup of watermelon slices. And no,those aren’t four dinners,but four individual “meals”.
The gendered nature of “girl dinner” reinforces the idea that women should tend to their bodily functions in a way that’s funny-sexy-cool and sweet. Don’t have hair on your body,here’s a tube of strawberry-scented chemical goo that will burn the hair off your flesh. Mmm,burning. Don’t look sick when you’re unwell,here’s some full-coverage concealer for your green skin. Ooh,contagious. Don’t look grubby while you’re exercising,here’s a pair of butt-bra leggings so that your fabulous glutes can distract from your hideous face. Aah,crack-tackular. These girl dinners are just modest scraps of long-lost meals that prioritise aesthetics over nutrients.
Why must our pleasure be miniaturised? Why is it that for women to enjoy the foods they crave,they still have to be presented with this sense of whimsy?
I’m dying for the day when we see a women’s health trend that’s eatingwhen you are hungry.And not worrying if it’s cute or not. Don’t assemble your meal with the idea of racking up internet comments. You are allowed to listen to your body and not treat the very things that keep you alive as a vehicle for content.
I’m not saying that women should stop eating bread and cheese with every meal. As a matter of fact,I encourage it. I’m saying that we should be able to eat in an ugly way and feel the same sense of satisfaction. Give me a girl dinner that is downright hideous. Give me beige beans,a whole jar of peanut butter,steamed freezer vegetables and a tin of Milo. Give me a dinner that would make grown men recoil in fear. I am woman. I am hungry. Give me the bread and leave me to my devices.
So enjoy your girl dinner,but I’ll be over at the big lady buffet.
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