Is the "Pick Me Girl" Trend on TikTok Actually Controversial?

Aside from social media creators posting food hacks, beauty tips and tricks, dance videos, and more on their TikTok accounts, users also share relatable content that is purely for entertainment purposes. You know, the funny clips that you love to share with your besties.

But, while you may be LOL-ing about the "inside joke" that only you and your inner circle can relate to, are these videos actually doing more harm than good?

A new trend that has gone viral on the popular Gen Z app is the "pick me girl" trend. Though this female trope has long existed, TikTokers are now posting videos talking about this figure.

So, who is she?

She's not like a "regular" girl, she's a cool girl.

According to Urban Dictionary, the "pick me girl" is someone who "goes out of their way to impress boys and make them seem [like] they're 'not like other girls.'"

"She will embarrass or throw other women under the bus to achieve this goal," the website continues.

Some examples on Urban Dictionary of a "pick me girl" is an individual who may tell her fellow female friend that she has so many guy friends because she is not like other girls who are only interested in being catty.

This type of girl is not into traditionally feminine tropes and makes it known that she likes sports, beer, and overall just being "one of the guys."

TikTok users have taken notice of this stereotype and have created comedic spoof videos acting as a "pick me girl" and poking fun of the female character.

"When the 'pick me girl' wants attention," one TikTok user wrote on their video. The TikToker acts as if she's talking to her guy friends, saying that she has to wear a knee brace and got hurt playing basketball, football, soccer, and volleyball. Therefore, the girl is making it known that she plays sports and is into athletics.

In another video, the TikToker acts as a "pick me girl" who hates wearing dresses and traded her high heels for converse sneakers, which she has to announce to the friend group.

Now, #PickMeGirl has almost 700 million views on TikTok. But, are the comedic videos actually damaging?

"The Pick Me Girl phenomenon has unfortunately been turned on its head since its inception, evolving from a means to call out internalized misogyny into yet another way to bully and monitor female behavior," Amy Rosenbluth, a fourth-year student of Political Science and International Development at McGill University, wrote in an essay about the trend.

"Pick Me Girls attack and criticize women in an effort to increase their appeal, while those calling them out shame them and needlessly target others for seeking male attention," the author continued.

Overall, "pick me girls" tend to criticize other women for their feminine behaviors, but content creators are now poking fun at this trending female trope.

Basically, it's still pitting women against other women. So, who really is winning in this scenario?