GRWM’s are here to stay, sorry.
Image Courtesy: Graphic Design
Pick from these two options: a fluffy headband with a bow in the middle or two pink, alligator hair clips. After pulling your hair back, the influencer then proceeds to pump a drop of retinol or drunk elephant moisturizer onto their fingertips. “Hey guys, get ready with me to…”
You’ve officially fallen down the rabbit hole of last-minute brunch outfits and back-to-school makeup looks. Welcome to the world of get ready with me’s or as they call it GRWMs.
If you haven’t come across these all too addicting videos yet, GRWM’s feature a TikTok creator taking viewers through some kind of story as they put together their day-to-day makeup, style their hair, go through outfit choices and at the end, giving the viewer the much anticipated overall look.
Well, what exactly are they getting ready for? Literally, anything you could imagine. From going out with a mystery man from Tinder that’s probably already shown one too many red flags, to just explaining some of the things they hate most (yes, we are talking about @.evelyn..grwm,). These videos are an inside look into someone’s personal life in just 3 minutes.
Image Courtesy: @.evelyn..grwm
TikTok trends come and go, but GRWM’s seem to be the kind of video you just can’t get rid of. This combination of 2016 YouTube makeup tutorials and storytime videos is too good to pass up. There's a sense of comfort that’s created through these videos— like you’re having a debriefing session with your roommates or sitting on Facetime with your closest friend. The framework of setting up your phone and talking to it is something girls will do behind closed doors, even when the camera isn’t rolling. This kind of intimacy that’s formed virtually not only makes our own situations feel more relatable, but also allows women to express themselves, and be celebrated by others for doing so.
Celebrating sisterhood doesn’t seem to be something that everyone believes comes from these light-hearted TikToks. It’s no secret social media platforms send hate mostly to women and girls for being themselves. Unfortunately, GRWM’s are no exception. In fact, some people will recreate these videos in a way that makes fun of girls. While some creators will do it as a joke, captioning their videos with “POV: spoiled rich girl GRWM” just for entertainment, others have issues with feeling like creators are “showing off,” or that their stories are too “crazy.”
Whatever excuses may be used, it’s hard not to trace this back to internalized misogyny, and hating on things that are often associated with femininity. It’s no shocker that when you look in the comment sections, it’s usually a man with a cringey username, and some serious spelling errors thinking they have a platform big enough to have an opinion (newsflash, they don’t). Luckily, the half-thought-out hateful comments are drowned out by empowering women— leaving comments asking creators where they got their products, sharing their own similar situations and even just little compliments that mean much more than meets the eye.
Image Courtesy: TikTok
Image Courtesy: TikTok
On social media, it’s “cool” to hate on just about anything, but at the end of the day, GRWM’s have sparked a new era of girlhood. They allow us to breach the standards of so-called TMI and relate to other women living across the globe. Even though we will never meet these people in real life, dissecting their interactions with their crush or listening to them rant about their ex-boyfriends makes us feel connected. So, it’s safe to say these videos aren’t going anywhere and for now we’re commenting to stay on #GRWMtok.
Strike Out,
Writer: Annika Chaves
Editor: Kaninika Dey
Graphic Design: Sophia Groen
Boston
