#LuckyGirlSyndrome: The viral TikTok trend empowering students to “manifest luck” through positivity
A new viral TikTok trend called #LuckyGirlSyndrome is empowering students on the internet to envision positive outcomes to manifest them in real life. How does this trend work? Easy. According to TikTok, you simply tell yourself “I am a lucky girl!” or “I am the luckiest person.”
Whether you’re starting a new semester, moving to a new city, or going about a regular day, the trend is to speak your desires into existence and wholeheartedly believe that they will happen.
The key? Handling the pressure by keeping a positive mindset, while staying grateful for the things you already have.
Positivity vs. Privilege
Many popular TikTok influencers adopted this trend, including content creator Tam Kaur, who swears by the lifestyle. Her daily schedule consists of speaking and writing down positive affirmations for short- and long-term goals, while also identifying what she is grateful for. Kaur and many others online found that by staying positive and writing down your goals, you can “speak them into existence.”
While maintaining a positive outlook is great advice for students, the trend tends to overlook those with disabilities, mental health issues, or those experiencing oppression by a larger system. It’s important to keep in mind that many influencers participating in the trend may have more or different privileges than others and to not blame yourself when things that are out of your control go wrong.
Practicing positivity and reciting reaffirmations doesn’t guarantee success. Students shouldn’t be discouraged if their lives aren’t going as planned, because, at the end of the day, it’s called lucky girl syndrome for a reason. The biggest takeaway from this TikTok trend is that positivity, self-affirmations, and mindfulness can be extremely helpful in achieving goals. But when all is said and done, all we can do is try our best, because some things are out of our control.
TSI’s Take: Keep a positive mindset despite failures
We love to see trends on social media promote positivity, despite the trend’s limitations. While a positive outlook is not a magic fix for the problems we experience, it allows students to feel more in control of their life by changing their perceptions. Lucky Girl Syndrome enables students to handle the pressure by acknowledging their failures and using affirmations to help them work towards their goals, despite possible setbacks.
One way we can empower our students to overcome their hurdles is by encouraging them to share their failures and talk with others about what they can do. We all experience failure, and sometimes sharing and hearing others’ mistakes can help us feel less alone and work towards making positive changes.
Educators can also use this as an opportunity to remind students not to compare themselves to others on social media. Social media is a reel of peoples’ highlights. With #LuckyGirlSyndrome, we are only seeing how the trend is helping others thrive or be successful. And while we love that for them, the reality is we aren’t seeing each other’s failures or struggles.
We know, keeping your head high is easier said than done, especially for students who are dealing with many different stressors. To help students stay positive, help them prioritize short- and long-term goal focus. Encourage them to write out their goals, no matter how small or big they are. If you want to be even more on-brand with the #LuckyGirlSyndrome trend, you can have your students write “I am” statements and affirmations, too. Whichever way you decide to help your students reach their goals, remind them that even with missteps, their goals are still achievable, and the struggles to get there will help them grow.
Learn more ways students can handle the pressure and overcome stress through goal setting with our #WinAtSocial Handle the Pressure Lesson: Harnessing your latest failures to fuel future success. Not a partner but want to access this lesson? Contact us to find out how to bring this lesson and more to your school.
Always stay up-to-date with the latest and greatest trends online by subscribing to our newsletter where we talk about trending tech and social media news weekly! In the meantime, check out our Instagram and TikTok @thesocialinst for tips and highlights on all the well-being, social media, and tech trends impacting students.
The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in understanding student experiences and creator of #WinAtSocial, a gamified, online learning platform that equips students, educators, and families to navigate social experiences — online and offline — in healthy ways. Our unique, student-respected approach incorporates topics like social media, technology use, and current events that have a significant impact on student well-being. Lessons teach life skills for the modern day to inspire high-character decisions that support the health, happiness, and future success of students, while capturing data that provides insights to school leaders to inform school policy and communications, and enable high-impact teaching and a healthy learning environment. For schools, our turnkey technology allows for easy implementation and a comprehensive game plan to support the well-being of school communities. For schools, our turnkey technology allows for easy implementation and a comprehensive game plan to support the well-being of school communities.