2 days ago
Has the 'It Girl' Era Killed Real Individuality?
There's no denying that 'It Girl' energy is magnetic. It's confidence in motion and it's incredibly empowering to have role models who radiate that presence. For a lot of women, that energy becomes a source of inspiration, a reminder that we're allowed to take up space, to glow, to be unapologetically ourselves. Whether it's Amal Clooney in the courtroom or Tara Emad walking the red carpet in effortless glam, that energy inspires. But here's the thing: when that same energy turns into an online trend, it stops being empowering and starts being performative.
In Egypt's pop culture, we've seen versions of the 'It Girl' before social media gave it a name. Remember Nelly in Nelly with Sherihan? With the loud outfits, chaotic confidence, and sharp comebacks, she didn't walk, she stormed. Or Lana in Bimbo, the mysterious cool girl energy wrapped in edge and eyeliner. Even Donia Samir Ghanem in Lahfa gave us a comedic spin on the girl trying to 'make it' but still wanting to be that girl while doing it.
Social media didn't just give us 'It Girls,' it gave us a checklist. The outfit. The skincare routine. The almond-shaped nails. The lifestyle looks effortlessly aesthetic. The pressure to keep up doesn't feel like pressure anymore, it feels like survival, and if you don't keep pace with every new trend, you're invisible. Outdated. Left out. And in trying to stay relevant, we end up shape-shifting so much that we forget what we even liked before the algorithm told us who to be.
The 'It Girl' was supposed to be aspirational. But when every feed starts looking the same when every personality becomes a remix of the same few templates, where does individuality go? This isn't a call to cancel the 'It Girl.' It's a reminder that being inspired is great until it starts erasing you. And in the end, we all know the most unforgettable people, they never followed the script.
