How Tik Tok Trends Push Girls Into a Life of Dissociative Subjugation
‘No thoughts, just be pretty and vibe’
When I first came across a ‘stay-at-home-girlfriend’ viral trend on Tik Tok, I thought it was satire.
In most of these videos — usually showcasing a ‘day in the life’ — the girlfriend’s routine consists of drinking green beverages, doing an intensive skincare regime, going to pilates, serving her boyfriend coffee, completing light household chores like making the bed or raising the blinds, and online shopping.
And it seems like the main goal every day is essentially to do activities that help maintain their appearance while catering to their boyfriend.
It’s reminiscent of another recent viral Tik Tok trend glorifying the ‘tradwife’ lifestyle. But without the explicitly anti-feminist and ahistorical ideology that asserts ‘the 1950s were a much better time for women’ but then ‘feminism robbed us of the many joys of being domesticated.’
So true. I definitely feel robbed of the joy of developing a ‘housewife psychosis’ followed by a relaxing session of being lobotomised.
Ah, the good old days!
However, the romanticisation of the past and the ability to opt out of the labour market are just a couple of many similar…
