Recently social media platforms have been filled with videos and how-tos to become ‘that girl.’ Being ‘that girl’ means one goes to the gym all the time, journals, is super productive, always eats healthy and basically lives the aesthetic Pinterest life that probably most teenage girls crave to live. 

Though this lifestyle may look fulfilling and productive from the outside, many have found this lifestyle in reality can be draining and leave one feeling empty no matter how much they accomplish in a day. 

This lifestyle is somewhat a recycled form of the Tumblr lifestyle that influenced a large amount of teens and adolescents in the 2010s. With prioritizing mental health having a large impact on how teens in this generation live their lives, being able to differentiate self care and being ‘that girl’ can be difficult. 

The toxicity in this lifestyle first starts with being ‘that girl’ as an attempt to have control over what can be controlled in a society that is full of surprises. By creating a hyperproductive lifestyle, it is a way to feel better about yourself and present an image to others that you have it all together. With the addition of social media, there is also an audience that can be watching one’s every move which creates a perfect way to showcase who is living the ‘that girl’ lifestyle.

At the end of the day of living the ‘that girl’ life, no amount of iced coffees or hot yoga classes can take away the real stressors and commitments in life; they are just pushed away by a full schedule of doing pointless tasks. Then, if there comes a day when one is not in a good mental state to live a day being ‘that girl’ she will feel worse about herself for not being capable of getting all of her pointless tasks done. 

“You cannot be ‘that girl’ every day. You cannot wake up early and exercise every day, you cannot feel upbeat and look effortlessly incredible every day. Real women have work, and imperfections and more feelings than just contentment. It is impossible to be ‘aesthetic’ all the time,” said Rachel Smith from SOCIOMIX. 

If you’re wanting to live a self care guided and productive life, remember there is a fine line between that and pushing yourself too hard to a point where it can damage you more than help you. If there are things in your life that you feel the need to push into the back of your mind, those things need to be dealt with first instead of trying to brush it under the rug and activate the ‘that girl’ life. 

“So, rather than try to be ‘that girl’, I’ll strive to be a mentally balanced, healthier version of myself who doesn’t punish herself for sleeping in on Sundays,” said Ruchira Sharma from Refinery29. 

Choosing to be productive and active can be considered completely healthy as long as it is done in a way that will leave you feeling better about yourself and at peace with any ideas and circumstances thrown at you.