In a former life, I had to make charcuterie plates professionally. Despite the fact that I’ve made a thousand of them, I’ve never gotten tired of doing it. It’s fun to creatively arrange the different cheeses and meats next to condiments, fruit, nuts, etc. Whenever I go to a party I always bring a cheese plate–people are always happy about it and they don’t take too much work. It turns out that the latest TikTok trend is something called “girl dinner,” which is just another name for a charcuterie plate or snacking plate. (Maybe I should become a “girl dinner” influencer now?) But, like most things that blow up on TikTok, it’s not without its controversy. Some people think that “girl dinner” is just another way to encourage women to cut calories by eating smaller amounts.
What is “girl dinner”: A new trend showing aesthetically pleasing, easy-to-prepare food has taken over TikTok. It’s called the “girl dinner,” and it involves essentially putting a bunch of food you might have in your refrigerator together to make a meal. Popular snacks featured in a typical “girl dinner” include cheese, salami, olives, pickles, fruit, vegetables, bread, and eggs. They are typically arranged nicely on a plate, so it feels like a special treat.
The origins of the phrase “girl dinner”: The trend even has its own catchy jingle — a woman singing “girl dinner” over and over again to the sound of upbeat music. So far, the sound has been used in over 2,300 videos. The term “girl dinner” was coined by Olivia Maher, 28, who lives in Los Angeles, when she posted a video of her dinner of bread, cheese, grapes, and wine on May 12. In the video, which now has over 1.2 million views, she said, “I cannot find the TikTok right now but a girl just came on here and said how in medieval times peasants had to eat nothing but bread and cheese and how awful that was, and she was like, ‘that’s my ideal meal’. This is my dinner. I call this ‘girl dinner’ or ‘medieval peasant.’”
The inevitable backlash: As the trend has blown up, it also attracted negative attention. Some of it is lighthearted, with users creating parodies of a “girl dinner,” but others have questioned whether there may be negative aspects to these types of posts, expressing concern that some of the meals aren’t balanced enough, and questioning whether many of the plates contain enough food to count as a full meal.
“OK I am pro girl dinner I understand girl dinner I get it girl dinner heals your soul BUT some of these ‘girl dinners’ look a little suspiciously low cal to me,” TikTok user @siennabeluga said in a video which has over 720,000 views. The video’s top comment, written by TikTok user @alonia92, currently has over 23,500 likes. It said, “Literally. Some of them look really balanced with veggies/fruit/multiple proteins (cheese and meat). Some are olives and a piece of salami. Scary.”
I go on TikTok just occasionally because I have a sneaking suspicion it’s only a matter of time before The All-Knowing Algorithm senses that I have struggled with disordered eating. I do not want it to show me diet content, but I know that stuff is all over the place on TikTok, so I avoid getting sucked into the app for too long. The YouTube and Instagram algorithms know this about me and it’s a constant battle clicking the “I’m Not Interested” button below weight loss tip videos. So I get why people are concerned by this trend and how it could be used to camouflage disordered habits. I think that says less about the trend of “girl dinner” and more about the way that diet culture seems to impose itself on many different food trends. But I like the format of “girl dinner”. Making a snacking plate is usually easy to prepare and clean up which is always a plus. And a cheese plate done well is pretty well-balanced with carbs, protein, and fat. It’s satisfying to have so many different textures and flavors, and sometimes it’s nice to prioritize the sensory experience of a meal. I am going to go grocery shopping tomorrow and get some charcuterie fixings now.
@alanalavv Replying to @María GM thank you to everyone who commented ‘girl dinner’ on my snack plates and introduced me to the best concept / phrase ever ???????? #girldinner #snackplate #snackplates ♬ original sound – hanana
