"Girl Dinner" Rejects the Housewife Ideology

There is a long and complex history between women and food. From belonging “in the kitchen” to counting calories, women have constantly been subjected to different standards concerning nutrition. In the current age of food blogging and health trends, many individuals have taken to social media to confront societal norms surrounding nutrition and food. 

One recent trend on TikTok is called “girl dinner.” Coined by Olivia Maher, the trend shows an assortment of random food items that, when compiled, resemble something like a meal. The most crucial aspect of “girl dinner” is that it lacks structure; it exists as an alternative to preparing a full meal.

The historical expectations of women are that women must do the brunt of domestic work, such as cooking, while also caring for themselves. But women also tend to self-sacrifice, making others’ food and leaving themselves scraps because they don’t have enough time to properly care for themselves. Girl Dinner rejects this tendency; instead, it focuses on intuitive eating, rather than preparing an entire meal and being too drained to even eat it.

A study conducted on college students found that women eat less when with men than with other women. When alone or with those we feel comfortable with, they feel less obligated to conform to societal pressures, and so, with “girl dinner,” the stress of possible judgment is released. 

“Girl dinner,” while seemingly innocent in its own right, symbolizes something much bigger than a charcuterie-board-style dinner. It gives women relief from the historical notions we desperately cling to. As art historian Seema Rao stated, “You go from a position where the production of the food is what makes it good and makes you a valid woman, to the idea that having food is what makes you a valid woman.” “Girl dinner” creates a space where food can be nonsensical and unpalatable to others. The concept removes the idea that cooking is the woman’s burden, even just for a moment; it reclaims the idea of food not as an obligation, but as an inherently personal joy.