What is the 'lucky girl syndrome' trend and does it do more harm than good? 

If you spend as much time on social media as I do, then chances are you might have come across the term ‘lucky girl syndrome’ on your feed, or at least seen videos of young women confidently proclaiming how lucky they are. Having started on TikTok (like most internet trends) and made popular on Instagram and YouTube, it is similar to the ‘that girl’ trend, which prompts women to hustle and work towards turning their life around through a healthy lifestyle, except here you are not actually doing anything. 

Still, syndrome doesn’t exactly sound like the most positive word, and the term in itself doesn’t reveal much, so what exactly is this trend? We get to the bottom of it.
 
What is lucky girl syndrome?

The concept behind the trend is simple—if you repeatedly tell the universe how fortunate you are, you will be rewarded with everything and anything your heart desires—that proposal, promotion, or pay hike, depending on what you're wishing for. All you have to do is will these things into existence, while simultaneously believing that you have all the good fortune in the world. Easy-peasy, right? 

Lucky girl syndrome v/s manifesting

Lucky girl syndrome has more in common with manifesting than you think. What this trend—and all other similar forms of thinking —stem from, is “manifesting” or affirmations, which is the practice of repeatedly writing or saying declarative statements in the hopes that they will soon become true. “Things are always working out for me no matter how it looks at any point in time” is a popular mantra for lucky girl syndrome. “This universe is transpiring to work all things in my favour” is another.  It is also built on the adage that we attract what we think—if we think we deserve only the best things, then that’s what we’ll get. 

The benefits of lucky girl syndrome

Human brains have the tendency to be naturally negative—that’s how we’re wired, and it’s been that way since the beginning. So, anything that challenges that negativity bias and helps us see things in a more hopeful light can be really helpful. After all, when has being a bit more positive ever hurt anybody? It also helps us to look at challenges and sticky situations in a less overwhelming way by making us believe that things will work out for us, no matter what. 

Should I hop onto the trend or does it do more harm than good?

While there are merits to the lucky girl syndrome, don’t hop onto the trend just yet. One, the trend ignores that some people are born with more privilege than others, and doesn’t take into account the systemic and structural biases and inequalities that exist in the world. Plus, it also makes us ignore our negative feelings, which can lead to toxic positivity. It doesn’t allow space for negative emotions or feelings, which as we know, are very much a part of life. Trying to brush these negative feelings under the carpet doesn't allow for self-compassion, and while it might seem to work temporarily, those feelings are only going to come back in the long term. A healthier way to deal with this is to know that both failures and successes are a part of life, and by wanting to experience only the good or 'lucky' things, we are missing out on the lessons and experiences that the low periods in our life teach us.