The Viral TikTok Food Trend That Boomers Still Don't Understand

Food trends come and go, but the best ones stick around, changing the ways we eat, cook, prepare, or serve our meals. A certain TikTok trend does exactly that, in ways both subtle and bold. It also comes with a catchy and somewhat controversial name: girl dinner. In its simplest form, girl dinner is a low-effort plate you throw together when you're hungry but not in the mood to cook. It's pretty subjective, but an example would be snack plates with cheese, crackers, sliced fruit, tomatoes, hummus, leftover veggies, or whatever odds and ends are in the fridge. Some people create grazing table setups, while others choose a single favorite item, like ice cream or fruit. 

The trend took off on TikTok in May 2023 after creator Olivia Maher posted a short video showing a simple spread of bread, cheese, grapes, pickles, and butter and labeled it her "girl dinner." The clip quickly drew over 1.5 million views and inspired a widely used audio that has since appeared in hundreds of thousands of videos. Even major food brands jumped in on the pop-culture phenomenon, including Popeye's, which released a limited Girl Dinner menu made entirely of side dishes.

Girl dinners altered standards of what constitutes a "proper meal." Widely embraced by Millennials and Gen Z's, they signal a change in perception from the Boomer generation when it always included a main course. The trend seems to have taken root, for a variety of reasons, starting with the strong presence of social media in meal planning. 

Since girl dinner is essentially a snack plate elevated to meal status, it's fueled by several factors, including personal preference rather than formality. It's also about convenience, especially for those juggling tight budgets and busy schedules. Menus, recipes, or ideas more likely come from social media than traditional cookbooks, which were the mainstay of meal prep for Boomer-era cooks. Newer generations have wider food exposure and more online shopping access to interesting snack — which can collectively constitute simple, affordable, no-fuss "girl dinners" with plenty of nutrition to boot.

There's even more to this less-formal dining trend, including a subtle cultural dimension. Girl dinners ring true partly because they loosen old expectations that meals be well-rounded, home-cooked, and prepared for others. Many supporters view it as an expression of autonomy: eating what you want, when you want, without performing domestic obligations or being held to standards of perfection. Though Boomer cooking habits held different standards, there have always been exceptions that look very similar to girl dinners: My own mother called this type of meal an "everything dinner" — a bit of this, a smattering of that, from leftovers to healthy snacks, nibbles, nuts, boxed mac-n-cheese, and literally anything available. It just wasn't widely accepted as a valid way of consistently feeding a family.

The concept is certainly admirable, but it has raised concerns, including amongst nutritionists. As with any trend, there are those who take things to extremes, with some videos showcasing very small portions or nutritionally deficient meals.