The emergence of that girl culture is one of the internet's best-kept secrets. As the poster child of wellness and productivity, that girl will never be spotted without a matcha latte or some plant-based drink in her hand. Apart from said drink, her other trustworthy companions might include her $65 yoga mat and a black Moleskine journal for morning reflections.

If your internet browsing dwells within the realms of productivity or the subculture of studyblr, chances are you've stumbled across some form of content relating to that girl culture. It might be a fast-paced TikTok or even literal "How to Become That Girl" guides on YouTube.

That girl culture can be fun. Premised on being the easy and enjoyable track to becoming your ideal self, the culture dresses up life's mundane tasks in tulle ribbons and frilly brows. It seeks to romanticise the dreary bits so that the grit needed to live your best life and stay motivated is easily acquired. Working out at 8 am is no longer dreadful when you have a perfectly curated Spotify playlist and a matching workout set to exercise in. Diving into that stack of unwashed dishes seems less revolting when it has become part of your Sunday Reset routine.

The culture's popularity can be attributed to various "casual Instagram" creators and their carefully curated content that lures people in. For instance, 22-year-old Youtuber Moya Mawhinney showcases the ideal life of a university student who is organised, content, and most importantly, aesthetically pleasing in her popular university vlog series "Dublin Diaries". It's not uncommon for the comment sections of such creators to be filled with supportive messages from fellow influencers or followers. The messages usually hint at their admiration towards how put together these creators are, how amazing they look, and the reverberating waves of motivation to channel similar energy.

Hence, at its best, that girl energy has nurtured an encouraging community who uplift each other to live their best lives and achieve their goals. At its worst, however, that girl culture teeters dangerously close to reinforcing the belief that self-growth is only real if it comes in a kit alongside extensive morning routines, FitBits, and reading in a bathtub. 

The problem with that girl culture is its intrinsic ties to specific aesthetics. What was intended to be the manifestation of one's best life has become a desire to permanently reside on the highlight reel. Are salad bowls and barre classes the only way of living a fulfilling life that prioritises wellness? When wellness becomes glamourised and condensed into 15-second clips, it creates a false notion that wellness is monolithic when it can take different forms.

From gym-ing to waking at 6 am, that girl culture conflates an endless journey to cultivate good habits with nurturing one's well-being. As Sadhbh O'Sullivan notes in her Refinery29 article, that girl culture can often backfire, as it can reinforce unhelpful notions of productivity through a supposed lens of bettering ourselves. "Your perfectionism, enabled by the wellness industry, becomes another personal failing," she writes. In turn, a culture that started out with intentions of promoting self-growth has unknowingly discouraged people from practising self-compassion and self-forgiveness, two important aspects of protecting our mental health.

After all, there will be moments where working towards a healthy mindset just can't be captured on camera. Recognising unhealthy thought patterns isn't something a quick snap for the 'gram can showcase – nor should it be synonymous with low exposure clips of the aforementioned Moleskine journal next to candles. Putting in the work to foster a healthy mind can look like persistence despite the ostensible never-ending loop of failure. These efforts should be acknowledged. Resilience, for instance, reigns in the powerhouse of self-love. On the days when your Lululemon leggings lose their appeal and the usual soy latte doesn't beat sleeping in, how do you treat yourself? Do you take it easy and remind yourself of the effort you've been mustering?

How about days where you feel like a loose thread that will unravel if anyone tugs? Do you treat yourself gently, sit yourself down on your bed to process your emotions instead of scrolling through endless TikToks, the supposed "Crack Cocaine" of the internet? This other side of the coin isn't reflected in the constant stream of videos and posts because they don't fit into the set aesthetic of that girl.

When we equate achieving an aesthetic with personal development, we often forget about the work we did to get there. For some, it might be signing up for that Pilates class they were anxious about; for others, it might be something as seemingly trivial as getting out of bed before noon.

Wellness is dynamic; that girl culture should only be a possible reflection of it, not its sole representation.