Who Is ‘That Girl’? How TikTok’s Wellness Trend Became Another Impossible Beauty Standard

Who Is ‘That Girl’?

With over 3 million posts, #thatgirl has been defining wellness since the trend gained popularity back in 2021.

“POV: she is That girl,” writes a TikToker as the caption of her video, which showcases a sequence of wellness inspiration pictures: multiple 5 am alarms, a skinny girl shopping at the supermarket vegetable aisle, a skinny girl resting two wet tea bags on her dark circles, a skinny girl running on a treadmill, two Ralph Lauren polo sweaters, a skinny girl doing an ice face bath, someone working on their laptop until late night, a skinny girl taking selfies at the gym, a skinny girl drinking matcha while doing a sheet face mask, a skinny girl browsing the library, a Youtube video of Hailey Bieber doing her skincare, a skinny girl drinking her lemon water.

She is productive, an overachiever, routine-driven, self-oriented, confident, well-read, fit, pretty, poised, eats well, has an immaculate skincare routine, dresses in old-money style; she is anything but a slacker. Inspiring, thriving in her skin, touching the ultimate state of self-care. And she looks like this in each one of those 3 million posts.

But What is Wellness, Really?

According to the Global Wellness Institute, a prominent authority in the expansive wellness industry, wellness should be understood as an active, ongoing process rather than a fixed or passive state. True wellness requires individuals to make conscious, intentional decisions and take deliberate actions to pursue their optimal health and well-being. Rather than being limited to physical fitness or the absence of illness, wellness encompasses a holistic approach that integrates multiple aspects of life that must work in harmony.

While personal responsibility plays a crucial role in shaping one’s wellness journey, individual choices and behaviours are deeply affected by the broader physical, social, and cultural environments in which we exist. Wellness is not to be confused with terms like health, happiness, or well-being, which often imply a static condition. Instead, wellness is best described as a dynamic process of ongoing self-awareness and decision-making, aimed at achieving the highest possible state of holistic health.

This multidimensional perspective includes several interrelated components.

Physical wellness involves maintaining a healthy body through regular exercise, balanced nutrition, and adequate sleep.

Mental wellness is fostered by engaging in continuous learning, creative pursuits, and effective problem-solving.

Emotional wellness calls for recognising, accepting, and expressing one’s feelings, while also understanding others’ emotions.

Spiritual wellness reflects the search for meaning and purpose in life.

Social wellness is cultivated through forming meaningful relationships and connecting with the community.

Finally, environmental wellness emphasises the importance of nurturing a positive relationship between human actions and the health of the planet, recognising that our choices have far-reaching effects.

‘That Girl’: a Trustworthy Model of Wellness?

Although promising an ideal of ‘girlboss’ wellness — the self-sufficient, confident, and self-loving woman — the darker truth is that That Girl exists in a liminal space dangerously too close to that of the homogenised “skinny girl” of #SkinnyTok. She wants to do — wants to be productive, wants to eat healthy, wants to be in control — but instead of actively fostering wellness, she passively remains yet another TikTok aesthetic bound to have a limited shelf life.

This over-the-top, perfectly packaged ideal of wellness, encouraged by the That Girl trend, does not help women in the long run because it offers only a narrow view of what a healthy, confident woman should look like, without encouraging any soul-searching on her part. If wellness really is shaped by the everyday choices we intimately make with ourselves, how could it possibly look the same for all of us?

‘That Girl’ Weighs Heavily on Women’s Minds

Recent research from the Institute of Human-Computer-Media at Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg shines a light on the real impact of social media trends like #ThatGirl. While platforms such as TikTok can be a source of entertainment and a place to find community, they also come with a hidden cost: they fuel constant comparison, impact how women feel about their bodies, and can harm mental health.

The study builds on earlier findings, showing that watching countless videos of seemingly flawless lives does not just reduce how satisfied women feel in their own skin, but it also stirs up negative emotions and a desire to restrict food intake. When women are exposed to content featuring highly productive and disciplined women portrayed as the gold standard, it often leads to disappointment with their own routines and sense of discipline.

What stands out is that it is not the platform itself — whether TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube — that causes these effects, but the nature of the videos. The #ThatGirl trend does not simply showcase unattainable bodies, glamorous wardrobes, or expensive lifestyles. Instead, it goes further: it sells the idea that with enough self-discipline and the right routine, anyone can achieve perfection. These videos outline the steps to success, making it seem easy for anyone to replicate. The reality is quite different. The standards set by these videos are so high that most people end up feeling like failures or even lazy when they cannot keep up with the early mornings and daily workouts. This kind of comparison can be especially damaging to women’s self-worth.

The science confirms these worries. Meta-analyses show that striving for perfection is closely linked to higher rates of anxiety, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and depression, not just in clinical settings but in everyday life as well. Self-criticism, too, has been tied to disordered eating. In trying to push women toward constant self-optimisation, the #ThatGirl trend may unintentionally be fuelling a cycle of self-doubt and mental health struggles.