Is this really girlhood?

TikTokers speak up on Dylan Mulvaney’s new song
Some of the comments on Dylan Mulvaneys TikTok featuring part of his music video
Some of the comments on Dylan Mulvaney’s TikTok featuring part of his music video
Lily Johnson

Dylan Mulvaney is a popular trans-gender influencer who is commonly known on a social media platform called TikTok for posting a sequence of videos about her transition to a woman. She came out with a music video called “Days of Girlhood” on March 13. People have been bashing her for the lyrics in her song. Her lyrics and word choices make it seem that being a girl is just being a shopaholic and flirting with men. The lyrics enraged a large portion of the internet. 

In the song, one verse says, “Thursday, had a walk of shame,” this lyric portrays that women often have one night stands or hookups. 

When the song was first released, Mulvaney uploaded a TikTok with part of the music video. Comments said things like:

“Well I had a different girlhood apparently,” user @babyxlakes said.

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“so unrelatable!! Thanks!!” @jillc.1 said.

“Well…it’s sound!” @ale_jandro067 said.

While there were thousands of hate comments under her video, there were a few people encouraging her and @tai.is.phrog saying “…I actually like it guys. I think it’s fun and jumpy and silly,” which is a comment that got over 200 likes. 

The song is disrespectful towards women and femininity as it strongly relies on stereotypes and misconceptions. Instead of Mulvaney saying that her song is about “girlhood” as a whole, we think it would be more appropriate if her lyrics made it clear that she’s describing her experience as a woman. We have no hate towards Mulvaney for being a trans-gender woman but we think she should have educated herself better on women’s history with stereotypes and how to stand up against stereotypes and misconceptions about women before she made the song. The lyrics are the opposite of the ‘Barbie’ movie which represents and describes what an accurate girlhood looks like and the reality of being a woman. 

Many women are upset since Mulvaney’s portrayal of girlhood relied too heavily on women stereotypes, with lyrics referring to shopping, flirting for drinks, and one-night stands. Which is not what true girlhood is. Mulvaney clearly does not share the same experiences that the majority of women do. The influencer made a video recently addressing the song and everyone hating on it.

We have no hate towards Mulvaney for being a trans-gender woman but we think she should have educated herself better on women’s history and misconceptions

 “This was like a fun project to sort of celebrate the early days of transition,” said Mulvaney.

Even with Mulvaney claiming the song was her representation of her experience as a trans-gender woman, the lyrics do not correspond with it being her girlhood. The lyrics make it sound like that’s what girlhood is all about, which it is not. It’s sad to see women who feed into stereotypes and make it easier for women to be overlooked and shamed. Especially with a lot of children and young teens on TikTok and YouTube, the song can potentially make young girls feel as though that’s what their future holds for them.

When asked about Mulvaney and the song, many students responded with “Who is that?” or “She made a song?” Everyone is on a different side of Tiktok which makes it hard to get everybody in on something. 

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About the Contributors
Ashley Nip
Ashley Nip, Staff
Ashley Nip is new to journalism this year. She has been living in Peachtree City her whole life but she wants to travel more. So far, she has been to North Carolina, Minnesota and Chicago. She made the honor roll in 7th grade. She currently works at Chin Chin. Nip has plans to play volleyball. Nip also has an addiction to shopping and skincare.
Lily Johnson
Lily Johnson, Staff
Lily Johnson is a freshman at McIntosh High School. It is her first year on the Trail and she is looking forward to working with the other members of the staff and getting to know more about journalism. As a part of Beta Club, Johnson enjoys helping those around her and being a part of a team. She likes volunteering at PetSmart with the Fayette Humane Society. She loves being able to know that she’s helping the animals be put into good homes and will be able to live out the rest of their lives happily. She also volunteers at Clothes Less Traveled. Johnson enjoys reading, working out and cooking. She also enjoys many forms of art such as writing, painting, pottery and music. Some of her favorite musical artists are Lil Peep, The Weeknd, Arctic Monkeys, Chase Atlantic and The Neighbourhood. Outside of school, she likes to play lacrosse, read and skate. Johnson has been playing for Peachtree City Warriors for almost three years.
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  • tiredMar 30, 2024 at 12:49 pm

    Wow, another “opinion” piece that regurgitates uninformed takes from Tiktok and criticizes a piece of media for allegedly making assumptions about women’s experiences while also claiming another piece of media as “real girlhood” that should resonate with all women. Very original and intellectual!
    I find it interesting that you criticize Dylan for “stereotyping women” and singing about shopping when one of your staff bios literally says “addicted to shopping” and the other praises male artists who have made careers off of objectifying women in their lyrics.

  • anonMar 30, 2024 at 11:14 am

    “his music video”…way to let the mask slip!