What is the ‘girl dinner’ trend and why is there controversy over it?

Two of the main components in these dinners are bread and cheese

As the “girl dinner” trend has now gone viral on social media, it’s sparked controversy, with some people claiming that the portions of food in the meals are too small.

The concept behind “girl dinner” was first shared on TikTok in May by Olivia Maher. In her video, which has more than 1.2m views, she recalled how she noticed someone on the app describe their go-to dinner as bread and cheese.

“I cannot find the TikTok right now but a girl just came on here and said how in mediaeval times peasants had to eat nothing but bread and cheese and how awful that was, and she was like, ‘That’s my ideal meal,” Maher said.

From there, she went on to showcase the meal that she was having, which consisted of bread, cheese, wine, grapes, and pickles. She went on to describe the foods, saying: “This is my dinner, I call this ‘girl dinner’ or ‘mediaeval peasant dinner.’”

Since then, multiple people on TikTok have shared footage of their “girl dinners,” which include bread or cheese in some way. For example, TikTok user @avocadale used the #girldinner tag in a video of the strawberries, bread chips, guacamole, salami slice, and pickles that she was having for dinner. In the caption of the footage, which has more than 1m views, they described themselves as a “die hard snacker”.

Some TikTok users made their “girl dinners” a bit more elaborate. In one video posted by @alanalavv, she shared footage of multiple food plates that she thought would fit the trend.

For one plate, she had green olives, salami slices, pieces of cheese, and bread on it, while another plate included: prosciutto, cheese, peach slices, mini tomatoes, and olives. In the video, which has more that 2.3m views, she paired one of her “girl dinners” plates with a glass of rosé.

While many people have hopped onto the viral trend, others have begun to question it. In a video posted by @siennabeluga, which has more than 800,000 views, she claimed that while she “understands” the appeal behind “girl dinners,” some people don’t appear to be putting a lot of food on these plates.

“Okay I am pro girl dinner, I understand girl dinner, I get it, girl dinner healing your soul,” she wrote in the text over the footage. “BUT some of these ‘girl dinners’ look a little suspiciously low cal[orie] to me hmmmmm??”

Meanwhile, a TikTok user named Lexies, who goes by the username @missfirment, also criticised the small portions of food showcased in the “girl dinner” trend videos. As she shared a clip of a can of tuna, some chips, spinach, and a few olives, she noted that this would “not fill [her] up for more than half an hour”.

As she shared more photos of meals from the “girl dinner” trend, she went on to claim these these were either “appetisers” or a plate of snacks. “I can’t believe that people are out here promoting this,” she said.

Amid the controversy, nutritionist Katherine Kofoed went on to share a TikTok video about why she thought the “girl dinner” trend is “so satisfying”. She claimed that when people make their dinners, they rarely think about their “senses of taste”, which impacts the flavour and texture of food. However, according to Kofoed, people are thinking about the foods they crave, while also having sustainable meals, when making their “girl dinners”.

“[The trend] is basically a smorgasbord of all of your favourite things,” she said. “It’s also a really great way to satisfy all those needs and feel satiated and nourished after eating.”

According to The National Institutes of Health the recommended daily calorie intake for a man with an active lifestyle is 2,400-2,600. Meanwhile, the recommended daily calorie intake for a woman with an active lifestyle is 2,000-2,200 The organisation also notes that how much food you eat for every meal can vary.

Last year,  Dr Emily Manoogian, clinical researcher at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California, also told  BBC Future that eating two to three meals a day is the best, with the most calories being consumed in the morning or afternoon. “If you eat most of your food earlier on, your body can use the energy you feed it throughout the day, rather than it being stored in your system as fat.” she said.