By: Alexis Stallard, Editor-In-Chief
Over the past few weeks, I have written several columns talking about things like the “Barbie” movie and Taylor Swift. Some of you may be begging for something that’s a little less surface level, and I hear you.
Unfortunately for you, I make the rules here, and I will once again be talking about something shallow. You want something different on the opinion page? Join the Vantage and write your own column. I will, though, be trying to go a little deeper regarding today’s topic. But only a little.
“Girl dinner” recently became a trending topic after several posts of girls showing the random assortment of food they call dinner went viral. What makes these dinners special is that they consist of a total cacophony of dishes that have no business being put together. And it is something so intrinsic to womanhood that most men I’ve spoken to about it cannot wrap their heads around the phenomenon.
A typical girl dinner looks like this: chicken taquitos, carrots with Ranch, some Greek yogurt, some dill pickle slices, a snack size Twix (for dessert of course) and apple juice to drink. Gordon Ramsey and every nutritionist would probably weep at such a sight.
But there are some people who think girl dinner is an excuse to flaunt how little they can eat. Girl dinner is not three almonds and a bottle of Liquid I.V. That is an eating disorder, and it is incredibly harmful to pretend that such eating habits are “trendy.” I’m not sure when the whole craze of broadcasting to everyone that you’ve only had an iced coffee by 6 p.m. became cool, but it’s actually gross.
To all the girls: Think about your younger self and ask yourself if you’d want her to be partaking in such a destructive diet. Do you want her to think that the only way for her to be pretty or included is to starve herself? And that doing so is funny and trendy? Just in case I wasn’t clear, it’s not.
I love that girls are getting to have so much fun being girls lately. We are more unapologetically ourselves and we don’t care if not everyone finds the jokes funny. We relish that, actually. We are unique in the ways we think, the ways we act and even the ways we eat.
That is what I find funny and trendy.
PHOTO: Courtesy photo, Unsplash
