Date of Award

Spring 5-1-2025

Document Type

Honors Project

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Communication and Digital Studies

Department Chair or Program Director

Whalen, Zach

First Advisor

Johnson-Young, Elizabeth

Major or Concentration

Communication and Digital Studies

Abstract

This paper analyzes the use of the phrase “just a girl” on the social media platform TikTok through a feminist rhetorical lens to understand how female identity is being constructed and defined by the young women who use the phrase. By analyzing fourteen videos using the phrase “just a girl,” this paper identifies themes of incompetence, innovation, vanity, and overconsumption. The phrase functions similarly to the phrase “boys will be boys” by infantilizing the people being described while assigning specific behaviors to gender. Men are expected to be dangerous and violent, while women are expected to be incompetent and vapid. The usage of these phrases supports negative stereotypes and assumptions about gender, which then uphold hegemonic gender norms that culturally support violence against women. However, the use of the phrase “just a girl” can also be seen as a rejection of unachievable standards placed on women in contemporary society.

Download

Share

COinS