Continuing from the last blog entry (of surveying societal interpretations of Eudaemonia), I kept delving the depth of self-help phenomenon, moving on from self-help books/informations to the broader group of contents that fall under this umbrella. As if for a happy accident, I feel I am approaching the core / essence of Eudaemonic living in our time.
From indie animation style visual essays, to rising alternative guru’s pep talks in their pristine apartments, these contents are directly evoked by the shared desire for Eudaemonia, and circulated in public digital platforms that the mass audience will be involved and conveyed to a part of the message.
Algorithm is usually very good at identifying these contents and delivering them to users in bottomless supply, turning the home feed to a sphere of striving attempts to Eudaemonia in the current world.
That Girl – Women on Display
Amongst self-help contents I become aware of a recent tiktok trend: That Girl. This trend is about snippets in young women’s lives, which depict them rising early [bed made, yoga routine done], cooking from scratch, exercising and engaging with a myriad of activities that are conventionally deemed healthy and ‘disciplined’, all underneath a pastel filter (as they self-proclaimed ‘aesthetically pleasing’), wrapping wellness, hustle culture, self-care and performance conformation altogether.
This trend of Eudaemonic Living stands out to me, because of my intersectional experience of being a woman, raised on strict disciplines and high expectations (which is an interpretation of Eudaemonia). However these trending contents have an intensely voyeuristic sense – all That Girl does is to perform, to be gazed by us, the audience.
These trending contents have an intensely voyeuristic aspect – all That Girl does is to perform, to be gazed by the audience.
Wellness, Active Self-care, Productivity Culture and many other movements of this tier all share the trait of performance. This could potentially be attributed the mass capitalisation – complexity needs to be reduced to quantifiable to-do-lists and machine-readable, programme-compatible activities, striped off nuance. Capitalisation is both adhering to and fuelling these movements. But on the individual level, the impact of the performance nature does become profound.
Thinking of which, some of my habits are very much That Girl-esque. I rise early to work on my fiction project, savouring the morning light and clarity of mind before my fast breaks, self-restrain on entertainments, reading, journaling (more on this later), practice lucidity and clarity of mind. However I DO NOT do so to conform to trends, and the aspect of myself conducting life being put on display TERRIFIES me. To be downright honest, the research process has shaken the tranquility I solemnly guard. I feel every aspect of myself gazed and judged (if not garnered to be revered) – from building playlist to cycling instead of taking public transport. Also the documentation and curation (and the inevitable quantification) of these snippets are extremely disruptive, as vividly illustrated in As/Is’ take on That Girl.
I digress. Personal reaction put aside, what exactly is That Girl performing for? To show-off how her shits are so put together, to forge connections with like-minded people, to inspire the masses, or – as content creator Alice Capelle eloquently puts it – to evoke a secondary sense of fulfilment through the reassurance of expectations.
The gazed, inspiring That Girl echoes characters in devotional images of Early to Medieval Christian tradition – of devotion only, not martyrdom (which seems like the ultimate realisation of the saints’ devotion – anyways I digress) – are also extremely relevant to the idea of Eudaemonia.
In the devotional images, the saintly woman engaged in moments of her daily routine – reading, working, sewing and prayer. That Girl’s existence, on the other hand, is constructed by these conducted events.
Personally, I think there is an obvious distinction between That Girl contents and devotional images. The devotees conducted their days with glamour stripped, but what stands out more to me, is That Girl’s lifestyle’s lack of divinity.
OR DOES IT? Some exchange with peers led me to consider a contemporary counterpart of divinity prevailing in That Girl’s contents. May that be the devotion to Self-betterment, Wellbeing or other doctrines that attract congregations in this day. Time to take it to making as a form of thinking.
[There is] a contemporary counterpart of divinity prevailing in That Girl’s contents.
Two weeks into the term I have gone through endless research. I have observed many people of various habitus attaining Eudaemonia in a myriad of methods – from typical Instagram posts, to billionaire inspiration, to alternative self-help, to spiritual New Age gurus, to That Girl. All these quests started towards Eudaemonia, have conjured traits of what I would dare to call Dysdaemonia – bad life.