What is the ‘Girl Dinner’ trend on TikTok?

Foodie TikTok is a glorious place to be, but its latest trend isn’t always positive in the eyes of viewers.

“Girl Dinners” are the relatable new rage on the social media site, as non-snacky users gain a glimpse into the unique culinary tendencies of the other side. As it turns out, many of us — myself included — were long part of the Girl Dinner club, despite our ignorance. We just needed a good TikTok trend to clue us in.

What is a Girl Dinner?

The concept behind a Girl Dinner is actually quite simple.

As it turns out, quite a few women enjoy a straightforward, uncomplicated but tasty, dinner option. When we’re dining on our own, in particular, TikTok is revealing that a large number of women will ditch cooking for the far more alluring option of leveled-up snacking.

What you see before you, my good people, isn’t a cobbled-together charcuterie board — despite appearances. Its actually a Girl Dinner (also known as Adult Lunchables) composed of various snackable elements, typically including at least one cheese, one cheese vessel (also known as crackers or chips), a fruit or green, and some kind of dip, whether it be seasoned tuna, tzatziki, or hummus.

Yes, I realize I just described a charcuterie board, but these are Girl Dinners, okay? They come in the simple (a handful of chips alongside a few grapes, a pickle spear, and some apple sauce) or the elegant, complete with an array of meats, several cheese options, and a drizzle of olive oil. No matter how they’re put together, however, all Girl Dinner’s have on thing in common: they’re simple, require no cooking, and might not appeal to the rest of the world.

How did it become a trend?

Girl Dinners largely became a trend after user @liviemaher shared a clip explaining that her “ideal dinner” is just an array of cheese, maybe a meat option, and bread. She also refers to Girl Dinner as “medieval peasant,” and her admission soon sparked a song, which blossomed into an all-out trend, and now everyone is learning what a Girl Dinner consists of.

There’s a mild amount of controversy surrounding the concept of Girl Dinners, largely in instances in which the shared meal is particularly small. While many of the women enjoying their simplified snacking are tackling relatively expected portions, some are nibbling on a few crackers, a single pickle, and maybe an apple and calling it a night. This lack of proper sustenance led some people to worry that a typical Girl Dinner doesn’t contain the necessary nutrients (which is almost certainly true across the board) and that they are another tool in society’s pocket, as it works to keep women skinny and hungry.

Most people are likely only enjoying Girl Dinners on a rare basis, but I’ll be honest with you. In my early 20s, when life was simply rushing past and my metabolism was still in full swing, you could catch me enjoying a Girl Dinner five nights out of seven. I’m a big fan of the easy process behind a Girl Dinner, and I always love a good selection of cheese and snacks. It seems likely that this is the case for many enjoyers of Girl Dinners, who’ll lean heavily on the trend through their younger years, enjoying the ease of the approach, only to switch things up and consume a bit more nutrients as they get older.

At the end of the day, those portions might look small, but you’re all forgetting a vital element. Girl Dinners are not a one and done deal. That’s half the point, after all. There’s more meats and cheeses in the fridge, and — with no one around to tell us how to eat — we medieval peasants can go through plate after plate of our weird, cobbled-together meals once the camera stops rolling.