Seventy years ago we had “The Power of Positive Thinking” by the American minister Norman Vincent Peale. Lucky Girl Syndrome is the latest in a long tradition of self-help, positive-thinking movements that periodically sweep society. I opened the Expedia site, clicked the discount for members of AARP, quickly modified my mantra - “I am a lucky girl of a certain age” - and awaited my Lucky Girl discount. “OK,” he said, making sarcastic eye contact with the dog. “I am a lucky girl,” I repeated robot style. “What?” one of my sons called out, thinking I was talking to him. “Expedia will find me a better deal than I got last time. “I am a lucky girl,” I said, sitting at my dining room table. I decided to try again, this time with a better attitude. I was starting to feel like a fool for missing out on this bonanza, particularly since I’d recently rented a car for a summer vacation and even the compacts were pricier than I’d expected. “I also got news that my health insurance isn’t going to be costing as much per month, and I’m also losing a bunch of weight.” But then, she gushed to her TikTok viewers, she remembered she was “doing” Lucky Girl.Īnd guess what? “Honey, I got a $100 tip,” she tells us. It helped one woman avoid an extra rental car fee at Logan, and ensured that another, a blonde in a Celtics cap, didn’t have her laser appointment canceled after all, “because everything works out for me.”Ī Massachusetts bartender who lost her Tiger’s Eye crystal at first worried it would doom her financially. Lucky girl after lucky girl testifies about how the belief system changed their lives, albeit sometimes in ways as seemingly insignificant as a noodle shop being open late at night when they thought it might be closed.Īnd the force is strong, even in Boston, as I learned on my #LGS binge. (”The universe is always conspiring in my favor.” “Miracles effortlessly flow to me.” “I am always in the right place at the right time.”) Others are by the Lucky Girls themselves - many of whom are white, young, vibrant, and conventionally attractive, and therefore already seem to be benefiting from privilege, even before the mantras. Some videos are from gurus and influencers who are already in the positive-thinking motivational space and have added a Lucky Girl TikTok or two to attract more followers. If you’re not on TikTok, it’s almost impossible to imagine the magnitude of the Lucky Girl Syndrome onslaught. Who was this imposter changing the basis of our entire relationship? “I just always expect great things to happen to me and so they do.’” I’d describe us as optimists who also enjoy a good rant about life’s disappointments. I called a woman who has been one of my best friends since eighth grade. (Though one of Lind’s videos explaining the hot-girl walk does begin with her own before-and-after photo.) Regardless of its origins and various interpretations, the hot-girl walk, at its core, is about moving your body a bit and feeling good about yourself - two things I, admittedly, need encouragement to do more.And in truth, proclaiming good luck seemed easier than, oh, I don’t know, working for it, as I’ve been doing only my entire adult life. Though the hot-girl walk is inextricable from physical exercise, Lind insists that hot-girl walks are not about physical transformations. However, TikToker Mia Lind, who takes credit for the term “hot-girl walk” and has a perfect first name, has said the hot-girl walk is as much a mental and emotional exercise as it is physical. It’s a brief respite from scrolling through Elon Musk’s Twitter. The benefits of walking, like the benefits of exercise as a whole, aren’t new or surprising. Now, as we approach summer, peak hot-girl time, we are reentering peak hot-girl-walk season. The hashtag #HotGirlWalk started popping up on TikTok early last year and it’s maintained a steady momentum ever since.
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