The first month after New Year’s Day, many people abandon their resolutions, with women especially feeling compelled to make them. As the tradition inflates, it becomes difficult for many to ring in the new year.
This January do not succumb to social media’s unreachable ideals. Women should not be subject to the idealistic pressures of social media’s branding of New Year’s resolutions.
Avoid the consumerist and appearance-driven trends that TikTok is pushing for 2025. Instead, allow yourself the freedom to embrace this period of change in a mindful and individualistic way.
New Year’s Beginnings
New Year’s was originally created to welcome change during the spring equinox and celebrate rebirth and blooming. Originating in 2000 B.C. the tradition upholding New Year’s resolutions is rooted in celebrating the upcoming farming season. It symbolizes new beginnings.
The holiday we know today welcomes new beginnings in the form of gym routines, skincare and consumerist ideals. In the modern day, these new beginnings can feel more like a cold start than a fresh start.
Social Media’s Influence
Social media creates toxic resolutions for women which makes it hard to adhere to ever-growing standards. New Year’s has been marketed on social media as a rebranding of oneself to fit into a polished aesthetic.
The most popular trend this year has consumed TikTok and its viewers: a tutorial on how to be “that girl.” This trend entails waking up at sunrise, making your bed, going to the gym, meal-prepping and completing a full self-care routine before even starting the day.
While this seems harmless at first glance, it is yet another rigid narrative for women to adhere.
The standards of this trend make it harder for women to be societally satisfactory. It also pushes the idea that a woman must fulfill a laundry list of tasks in her self-care routine and around the home to feel intrinsically good enough.
Most videos pushing this trend promote expensive Pilates schedules, double-cleansing skincare routines, Dyson airwrap hair tutorials and digital planning tutorials for iPads. The constraints of becoming “that girl” in 2025 are harmful and unattainable for the average person.
The Truth Behind This Trend
This trend is masked as self-serving wellness. It implies that you won’t need external validation if you just follow the steps created in these videos. By waking up early, not eating out, working out, having superb personal hygiene and saving money social media implies that this translates to a freedom and self-validation that you did not have otherwise.
Each of these habits on its own is difficult to label as toxic. But, the issue is that this trend is too rigidly enforcing these habits. TikTok videos show compilations of skinny white women with glassy skin dressed in Lululemon workout sets.
These are snapshots of moments in time for these girls being presented as an appearance that should be a constant. This is simply unrealistic. Women cannot be expected to maintain these habits so consistently that an off-day is not woven into the framework.
Holiday Consumerism
These ideals being pushed are heavily based upon a skinny appearance or traits such as “pilates arms,” all of which are wrapped into a health and wellness angle.
This standard comes with a massive list of acclaimed life-changing products that you should “not walk but run” to purchase. Social platforms push the products and simultaneously profit from them. Affluent influencers portray themselves as being “that girl” and then market products that they have brand deals with. By doing this, they equate the products that they profit from as the key to being attractive, in shape and successful.
Self-care does not need to have a price tag on it. Neither does ringing in the new year. This trend on social media strips women of the opportunity to have a holistic and individualistic New Year celebration.
The pressure from social media tells women that a curated and idealized version of themself is more desirable. This is not true.
If a Pilates routine, skincare, haircare or digital planning are a part of your resolutions that is great. If they are not, that’s also great. New Year’s is a time for reflection and personal goal-setting that makes you feel good. It is not for social media to tell you what will make you good enough.
Ring in Your Resolutions
The year is not ruined simply because you have not appeased your list of resolutions during this last month or so. Your ability to create positive change is not dictated by this holiday or social media.
What is most important is discovering what works best for you to make the most of your time. Whether your idealistic new year fits into an aesthetic or not, find paths to explore that will extend beyond forced consumerist ideals.
New Year’s resolutions are not a pass or fail assignment but rather an exercise of reflection. So, if you are craving change in the new year and want to embrace this tradition, find things that matter to you.
