GIRL DINNER Words by Su Ertekin-Taner
I take a resident cheddar block out of the fridge and try my best to cut the
Dietitians and psychologists alike worry that some users might overlook the
hunk into small cubes— I am partial to the shape. I adorn a now cheddar-filled
satire of the content, instead interpreting this nicotine rich, calorie deficient
plate with pretzel crisps; I fashion hearts out of my pretzels that will frame the
diet as acceptable because it is branded under a popular trend.
cheese cubes. I am considering the category of dip now, hoping for a variety of texture. I decide on plain hummus. For a splash of something fresh and
But girl dinner backers argue that this view of girl dinner neglects the original
bright, I cut some cucumbers and tomatoes.
intent of the trend. Girl dinner encourages satiation in a playful, easy, and adjustable way. In this way, girl dinner makes eating fun. Olivia Maher said this
Both out of laziness and desire for a quick indulgence, I’ve thrown (almost
on the “Today” show, “What matters is the feeling it [girl dinner] evokes. Gid-
literally too) this plate of cravings together for the night. The items only barely
diness often goes along with it because it’s what you want. It satisfies you.”
belong together (i.e., I don’t usually see cucumber and cheddar on the same plate) and said belonging can be mostly attributed to proximity. This meal is
Much like Maher, I make girl dinner to feel giddy. I construct modified char-
nonsensical and engaging. I have made my “girl dinner.”
cuterie boards, for example, to romanticize an otherwise standard TV binging session. My various writing duties also seem more pleasurable with a bit of
“Girl dinner,” a TikTok trend started by creator Olivia Maher, invites TikTok
cheese and peanuts on the side. I feel as fashionable and as curated as the
creators to share their ideal plate of uniquely curated and, for the most part,
plate next to my computer. Other times, I make a girl dinner to just celebrate
unprepared and uncooked snacks or grub. The dinners sometimes consist of
the simple. I want to taste and understand ingredients as they are, not as a
compatible components, the plate taking on the thoughtful unity of a char-
fraction of a whole meal.
cuterie board. Other times, these creators revel in the mismatched: @elevateyourboutique, for example, arranges a girl dinner of a cheese stick,
Yet girl dinner does not only represent desire for temporary delight for me.
strawberries and boiled eggs, while @swagatronforever2.0 takes a different
It is a truth of living and eating. While girl dinner describes the mismatched
approach to mismatching, deciding on a combination of mac and cheese,
plate I’ve made today, my curating (of sorts) existed long before the trend.
pork and beans, a salad of lettuce dressed with vinegar, hot fries, a Slim Jim,
When long work nights limited dinner prepping and eating time, I turned to
a pickle and two plums for the night.
girl dinner. The mishmash of the week’s leftovers — that now constitutes girl dinner — was always a necessary truth of end-of-the-week dining.
As with most TikTok fads, the trend which has amassed hundreds of millions of views on TikTok has been cause for social media and dietician skepticism.
Of course, when this tapa-tization occurs everyday for every meal, health con-
Girl dinner adversaries argue that public posting of one’s girl dinner not only
cerns may arise especially if the chef skimps on proteins, fruits and veggies.
provides an affirmative space for content creators with disordered eating but
But implicit in the understanding of girl dinner is that the trend offers a break
also promotes a sparse style of eating for one of the largest demographics on
from the norm of cooking and the collateral dishwashing; it’s an indulgence
the app: adolescent girls.
meant for special occasions like the onset of summer — when the temperature increase discourages cooking — or the completion of an exhausting day.
These concerns are not unfounded. Indeed, by the nature of the TikTok algorithm, those plates that are more plate than food pop up every once in a
So when the cacophonous chorus of the phrase “girl dinner” pops up on your
while under the hashtag #girldinner for users that prefer and search for girl
social media, enjoy the sound that accompanies the trend. The jingle signals
dinner-related content. More common and equally as dangerous is the satiri-
a new zeitgeist: one of simplicity, lower exertion and most importantly, giddi-
cal girl dinner of a Redbull and vape or a cigarette and tea.
ness. This triad is one I can get behind.
