Remember when Megan Thee Stallion had all the girlies taking to Insta and proclaiming a hot girl summer?
Since then, we haven't stopped talking about girls.
In 2023, we were blessed with the tours of the now four-time Best Album Grammy winner Taylor Swift, as well as our unparalleled, break-the-internet queen 🐝 Beyoncé. We also can't forget about the Barbie movie—the brainchild of real-life superstars Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie.
The momentum from so much girl content was palpable. Not only did #PrettyPackaging and pink-related tags experience a surge in 2023, but a stranger told me she broke up with her boyfriend because of Taylor Swift and Barbie.
So, as I take stock of 2023 trends, what am I having? Girl dinnnnner🎶, of course.
Girl Dinner
Call it a trendy TikTok song, or a mildly worrisome trend when taken to the extreme, but girl dinner was all the rage in the latter half of 2023.
The trend originated from TikToker Olivia Maher (@liviemaher), who (while on a Hollywood strike), harked to medieval times where "peasants had to eat nothing but bread and cheese." For Olivia (and maybe me 😭), this meal was actually ideal. Thus, the concept of girl dinner was born.
What Is Girl Dinner, Exactly?
A plate of snacks or uncooked items consumed by a girl. I admit that when I first heard of this trend, I felt relief. Finally, someone was acknowledging how much energy cooking dinner several times a week actually required. Sometimes, I just wanted to eat whatever was on hand and watch the latest episode of Love Island UK in lethargic peace. Girl Dinner gave me permission to nourish my inner child, while also giving my adult version a much-needed break.
Of course, brands took advantage of the #GirlDinner dinner. Which brands did it best?
McDonald's: Girl Dinner Is a Happy Meal
Of all the food & drink brands that we track, McDonald's gained the most traction with girl dinner mentions in 2023. Accruing $236.5k EMV since the start of the trend, McDonald's’ most popular girl dinner post featured Elise Brulotte (@Eliseseats on TikTok) sharing her favorite McDonald's order in a mukbang video. Personally, I'm not sure if food delivery counts as girl dinner, but Uber Eats would beg to differ.
Cheez-Its: You Can't Have Girl Dinner Without Cheez
Nothing makes me feel more like a girl than chalky, cheese-like remains stuck in my teeth. And I'm not the only one: Karma Carr (@karmapilled) dropped different-flavored cheez-its onto a plate, her version of a girl dinner. Her ad generated $150.1k EMV, with Karma concluding that, "If @Cheez-It has 100 fans I'm one of them."
Baskin-Robbins, Oreo: Girl Dinner, but Make It Creamy
I love the cream at the center of the Oreo, and Nina Saiko (@saikofood on Instagram) does, too. Just in time for Thanksgiving, Nina dropped a creative take on girl dinner ($133.9k EMV). She shared details about Baskin-Robbins' Thanksgiving cake design: a caramelized outside to represent turkey skin (of course) plus an ice cream interior make up this turkey cake. Perfect, Nina insists, for a potluck.
Girl Math
Girl Math was the logical progression of Girl Dinner. Only girls can understand. The phrase is based on the (probably pseudo and probably terrible) idea of girl logic—justifying spending when it doesn't exactly make sense.
Example: if I buy a $200 dress from Reformation for $72 during one of their infrequent but meticulously tracked sales, since the amount I'm theoretically saving is greater than the amount I've spent, I'm not really spending money at all. In fact, I'm saving over $138 + tax. Girl math✨.
In 2023, multiple brands schooled us on the purchases that helped us look as good while we dusted off our math skills. At the helm:
Dior Beauty: Girly Things Like Advent Calendars
Dior Beauty took advantage of the Girl Math Trend, netting $488.8k EMV from August to December 2023. The brand’s most impactful pieces of girl math content took place on TikTok, where Haley Parker (@haleyparkerstyle on TikTok) highlighted Dior Beauty's advent calendar: "Girl math in full force: pay $750 for an advent calendar..." and the products are technically free.
L'Oreal Paris: 2 For the Price of 1
Monica Hamada (@mangomoniica) skillfully incorporated Girl Math into her paid partnership with global beauty brand L'Oreal Paris. She hyped the brand's infallible powder foundation, noting that wearing it gives you "2 for the price of 1." Monica collected $200.1k EMV in September using #GirlMath.
Bio Therm: Back to School Girl Math Serums
Over in skincare, Anahita (@anahitaxo) gave us a back-to-school edition of girl math. For Anahita, the stress of school brought under-the-eye bags. Never fear: girl math means if you buy two pricey serums that work wonders for the wrinkles, it's like getting back hours of sleep. In all, Anahita hyped Biotherm's plumpy, glow-y quality for $136.8k EMV.
Girl Leaders at Connect 2023
Here I'll drop the girl conceit for a brief section. We've moved beyond girlboss/bossbabe obsessions, but that doesn't mean we can't give credit to inspiring women leaders when it's due.
CreatorIQ: Women in Leadership
For CreatorIQ’s Connect 2023, we were blessed to connect with Beauty CEO Amanda Baldwin, Gregg Renfrew, founder of Beautycounter, and Christiane Pendarvis, Co-CEO of Pattern Beauty, all of whom spoke with CIQ President Max Powers on Women in Leadership. This topic is near and dear to my heart, since women are often absent from executive leadership, even in a woman-dominated industry like beauty.
The session covered competencies crucial in leadership, such as humility, agility, and transparency. Our panelists also discussed the role of empathy and safety when mentoring future women leaders. Check out the session replay here for tips on how to level-up your leadership.
Girl Tours
Musicians Taylor Swift and Beyonce have single-handedly boosted economies across the globe, and it shows! Both fueled Super Bowl talk, while every marketing meeting at CreatorIQ inevitably transitioned into Taylor Swift talk. To my dismay, many articles that talked about the blondes boosting the economy left out the greatest blonde of all time: Beyoncé. But we won't make the same mistake here. Here are some brands riding the coattails of our girl icons:
Eras Tour
As a non-Swiftie, it feels almost blasphemous for me to contribute to this section. We'll keep it short—can't give my teammates another opportunity to chat about their favorite girl. Here we go:
Versace
Taking the crown for the most-branded Taylor Swift Eras Tour buzz, YouTuber Jordan Matters surprised his daughter with tickets, all while taking her on a back to school shopping spree and challenge that featured Hollister, Zara, Nike. Jordan garnered $210.0k EMV on YouTube with over 9.1M views. Overall, #ErasTour sparked $550.7k EMV for Versace throughout the year.
Renaissance Tour
Jay-Z isn't the only person who thinks Beyoncé is "strangely" forgotten by the music industry. I suppose if you're a billionaire, a Golden Globe slight is minor.
I didn't make it to the Renaissance Tour, which I mournfully admit. I did, however, watch her documentary in the theater and felt such intense FOMO that I vowed to work Beyoncé into a blog post. So here it is:
Ivy Park
Naturally, Beyoncé's athleisure company Ivy Park would benefit from the icon's tour. If I had gone to the Renaissance tour, it would have been the first place I searched for a killer outfit, provided items were still in stock. In 2023, #RenaissanceWorldTour inspired $1.1M EMV for Ivy Park.
Tiffany & Co
We’ve written previously about Beyoncé's iconic partnership with Tiffany & Co, featuring insights directly from the brand on her campaign. Beyoncé's Renaissance Tour was a significant driver for Tiffany & Co in 2023: #RenaissanceWorldTour fueled $1.1M EMV.
Balmain
Fashion house Balmain was another beneficiary of Beyoncé's shine: #Renaissance drove $608.3k EMV in 2023, while #Beyonce contributed $1.7M.
Girl Rugs
I moved to a new apartment in January, and since I've been getting infinite Ruggable ads, I noticed that my feed was looking kind of pink. Indeed, Barbiecore and pink interiors were major trends in 2023 (and still going). While pink isn't inherently a girl color, the following stats do take mentions of #PinkInteriors into consideration:
Apartment Therapy
Apartment Therapy accrued $3.8M EMV from pink and barbie-themed decor content. Interior design enthusiast Sophia Ferrari-Wills (@thiscolourfulnest on Instagram) decked out her maximalist house in lilac, using #BarbieCore and #PinkInteriors ($170.0k EMV).
Ruggable
Washable rug brand Ruggable generated $2.9M EMV via pink interiors in 2023. The brand benefited from an official Barbie Movie collection, offering rugs that might belong in a Barbie Dream house. Sophia Ferrari-Wills also posted about Ruggable, highlighting her BarbieCore stairwell—finished with a pink cherry rug from Ruggable, of course.
Takeaway
I wrote part of this blog post while clicking away at a Capital One Cafe, only a chocolate muffin in sight. This doesn't exactly meet girl dinner criteria, in part because it was lunch time.
One reason why these girl-based themes are trending is a reflection of growing scrutiny on gender-based norms and practices. While these trends might seem silly, or even backward, at first glance, it's important to note their origins. The point of girl dinner isn't to eat smaller portions, or to delay your meal just to consume the best girl content out there in 2023. Instead, it's acknowledging that it can be hard to be a girl, and there’s power in celebrating girlhood.
Brands that missed out on the girl trend might consider the following:
- Stay in lockstep with consumers. While the girl trends were notable enough to merit a blog post, there’s a lot more room for brands to make the most of it.
- Consider relevance. Girl dinner, for example, isn't the perfect match for all brands out there. While there were some creative mash-ups like Delta Airlines x Girl Dinner, it is important to consider whether your brand has the capacity to participate in a one-off trend, and if it's relevant to your perceived audience. Still, it's a good rule of thumb to set aside budget to "play" and turn around trendy campaigns as they emerge.
- Give employees creative space. Chances are, the folks on your marketing team know what's up. Let them know they can bring trends to the table, and see what happens.
