A Day in the Life: Notes and Excerpts
- May 6, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: May 12, 2022
I've included a few more notes and reflections that I thought would be important in creating the full picture of my day being "that girl". Completed on Friday, May 6th, 2022.
Inspiration for the Assignment
The inspiration for this assignment was a Vice article that attempted to be "that girl" for a day.
I wanted to focus on a few aspects of the "that girl" lifestyle and emulate them throughout the day:
Waking up early and having a "slow morning" routine
Healthy eating and working out
Being productive
Maintaining a picture-perfect "aesthetic"
Part of the reason of why I am so fascinated by this trend is because of how successfully large and small influencers can market their lifestyle into one that millions of people desire and try to emulate. I wanted to see what it was like living this lifestyle "behind the scenes" and see if it was as desirable as it seems.
Setting Up for the Day
In order to prepare for this assignment, I found that I had to do a lot of behind-the-scenes preparation before I could even begin being "that girl". The days leading up to it, I did my laundry so I had enough outfits to wear, deep-cleaned my room, and found an online "clock" that matched the "that girl" aesthetic. I also had to choose a day where I had a lot of stuff planned (i.e. meetings, lunch with friends, etc.) but not anything extremely time sensitive (i.e. a due assignment).
Creating a Blog
I also had to compare different website designers before choosing Wix.
Blogger
PROS: Simple, minimal functions. Free to use.
CONS: Less website designs/themes to choose from
For some reason, creating a website through Blogger was blocked when I used my school email to sign up. I had to use my personal email to create an account and test out the website.
Wix
PROS: I had used Wix before for a student organization that I am a part of. Lots of choice in terms of website designs/themes
CONS: Complex, more features provided than I needed for a simple blog/project.
I ended up choosing Wix because I believed that its modern website design tools would help me better achieve the "that girl" aesthetic.
Designing the Blog
I chose a blog style that I liked from the available website themes (I stuck with the light pink color scheme as well) and mostly followed the given format to create my blog. On the main page, I replaced the generic photos with pictures of myself/my dorm room. However, I did add a biography page to give a bit of information about myself as well as the assignment.
Making the Tiktok
I really wanted to create a Tiktok in addition to the blog because the "that girl" trend was originally a Tiktok trend. However, I didn't have much video footage from the day and much of the actual Tiktok was a slideshow of pictures. I definitely tried to emphasize the "routine" aspect of the day (i.e. the first 1/3 of the video was devoted towards a "slow morning routine" and getting ready for the day). However, an aspect of my Tiktok that was emphasized more than most other "that girl" Tiktoks was the amount of social interactions that I had. The vast majority of my Tiktok focused on my interactions with my friends. And even when I was being productive, I usually had company. Most "that girl" Tiktoks focus on tasks completed throughout the day that are usually accomplished alone, with only a couple of frames showing accompaniment.
Technical Difficulties of Being "That Girl"
One aspect of "That Girl" that is constantly repeated is healthy eating, with an emphasis on cooking. However, because I live in the dorms, I don't really have access to a kitchen or regularly have ingredients on hand. To get around this, I tried to choose healthy eating options in the dining hall/when eating out and I picked up a mango smoothie.
Another difficulty that I had in completing this assignment is that the majority of my day would be documented in a blog format. However, I have personally only seen Tiktok videos where people follow this trend. But with a blog, that would mean that I would have to take pictures throughout the day, not videos (I ended up deciding to take videos as well for a supplemental Tiktok, but I originally had not intended this). As someone who personally considers herself as not photogenic and doesn't really have an eye for photography, I found the photography aspect of this assignment challenging. I found myself constantly retaking photos and videos to make sure that the angles and lighting were right. At times, I would have to rely on my friends for footage of the day (especially pictures of food or videos of myself). I also found myself being more than a bit embarrassed to be constantly taking pictures in public places.
152 pictures, 25 videos: total footage for the assignment
Because I was so busy throughout the day, I didn't have as much time to be productive in terms of my schoolwork as I would have liked to be. However, I was a lot more productive socially and in terms of my lifestyle (eating healthy and working out) than I usually am. Furthermore, because I was so busy, I skipped the reflection-based activities like daily affirmations and bullet journaling that are common in the "that girl" lifestyle. Although the "that girl" trend highlights a self-paced routine focused on wellness, I was only really able to incorporate the "slow morning routine" into my day as I was way too tired after my last few duty shifts to do a proper winding down routine and incorporate the reflective activities. Furthermore, due to the nature of the assignment , I was not able to establish a routine. The "that girl" lifestyle focuses on a measured, disciplined daily routine that is followed and timed. Because this project was only for a day, I was never able to establish a routine, which could play a role in drawing an inaccurate conclusion.
However, ultimately, I believe that I was able to follow the "that girl" trend (and the goals I set for myself) pretty well. There definitely were more than a few limitations but the deviations from my regular routine were noticeable within my day and made a difference in my overall productivity and social levels.
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