‘That Girl’
Today I will focus on how the ‘That Girl’ trend and it’s influenced by neoliberal governmentality. This blog will examine the trend through the lens of self-governance and neoliberal values.
The growing trend in health consciousness has led to the new popularity of various self-governing and body maintenance practices (Harugen, 2007). That Girl’ is an embodiment of modern self-governing practices. Thus, we can link it to the rise in popularity of the ‘That Girl’ trend. It promotes wellness as an aesthetic. A perfect and aesthetic life that one can achieve if they remain committed to a morning routine, healthy eating and a skincare routine.
Underpinning ‘That Girl’ is a journey of self-discovery and participation in self-care practices. Health management within the trend calls on citizens to manage their own body weight, stress and levels of exercise to take care of the self (Ouellette, 2016). In turn, through these neoliberal values, individuals are encouraged to govern and regulate themselves according to the trend’s standards.
However, the bodies cast in the ‘That Girl’ trend are already deemed ‘healthy’. ‘That Girl’ perpetuates the notion that to be deemed healthy, one must participate in the self-care practices of journaling, doing yoga, and drinking green juices. However, this circulated desire to reach an external portrayal of health reveals the performative nature of the trend. Furthermore, these self-care practices are a form of neoliberal labour; where self-governance and caring for the self are seen as a sign of empowerment (Harugen, 2007). Therefore, neoliberal governmentality regarding the body and health has become increasingly about personal responsibility and consumption, rather than real health (Harugen, 2007).
Hence, through neoliberal values, the trend emphasizes and reinforces personal responsibility by placing the idea of a better life on an individual’s problem and responsibility to ‘fix’ (Ouellette, 2016). At the core of the trend, one must better themselves because the you right now is not good enough. Thus, it is considered a personal failure if one is unable to adhere to norms of self-care and self-maintenance (Liwack, 2015)
Consequently, when seeing the ‘That Girl’ trend, it can be easy to look at the little changes we can make to improve our lives and become more productive. However, these trends in improving oneself through individual acts are often perpetuated by neoliberal governmentality. Neoliberal discourses aim to produce and manage a happy, productive, and governable populace.
Thus, we need to remove the ideology that to be adequate, we must be deemed useful and productive. We must ask why it is empowering to become a self-disciplined subject through self-governing and self-care practices (Harugen, 2007).
But I’m interested in your thoughts about this topic. Have you ever thought about the “That Girl” trend from a neoliberal perspective? Is it a new concept to you all together? Comment below.
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This is 𝒚⚬𝒖𝒓 sign, to go design a planet. !
Take extra good care of yourself this season <3
ʕʘ‿ʘʔ designaplanet .
References
Harjunen, H. (2017). Neoliberal bodies and the gendered fat body / Hannele Harjunen. Routledge.
Ouellette, Laurie. “Governing Citizens”. Lifestyle TV, Routledge. 2016, pp. 73-98.
Litwack, Michael. “Making Television Live: Mediating Biopolitics in Obesity Programming.” Camera Obscura, vol. 30, no. 1, 2015, pp. 41-69.