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Category: Project

Description: The self-optimization trend 'That Girl' on TikTok, promoting beauty and productivity, had over 17.4 billion views by August 2024. 'That Girl'-video clips showcase perfectly organized daily routines, fitness activities, and healthy eating – allegedly to inspire other users to aspire similar flawlessness. Based on social comparison theory, the archetype 'That Girl' serves as an upward comparison target. We expected detrimental effects of viewing 'That Girl' content on young women in terms of positive and negative affect and body satisfaction. Expanding other research in this area, possible effects on self-discipline and dieting intentions were explored. Focusing on immediate intraindividual changes, a preregistered two-group online experiment using a pre-post measurement design was conducted. Female participants (N = 76) watched four minutes of either 16 video clips showing 'That Girl' content or nature videos (control condition). Most participants (66%) rated the girls in the videos as more perfect compared to themselves, indicating upward comparison processes. Mixed ANOVAs provide evidence of a significant adverse influence of watching 'That Girl' videos on female recipients regarding all dependent variables with medium or large effect sizes. Based on these results, the positive impact on self-improvement – as proclaimed by contributors of the 'That Girl' trend – is critically questioned.