Why the Lucky Girl Syndrome Scares Me

Featured Image: Pinterest

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to write for myself as I’ve been swamped with essays, work and school. This topic has been on my mind for awhile, thus I’ve decided to just cover it right now before more news outlets start talking about me and the trend officially dies down.

The Lucky Girl Syndrome

Essentially, having a Lucky Girl mindset would entail manifesting positive outcomes of situations with affirmations like “things are always working out for me” or “I’m so lucky, everything my heart desires will come to me”. The concept of being a Lucky Girl would be manifesting such affirmations into real life, like a good grade for an exam or a crush liking you back. These good outcomes are the Lucky Girl syndrome.

@soulcialbohemia Claim it! Lucky girl syndrome for 2023! 💖 #luckygirlsyndrome #luckygirlsyndromechallenge #affirmations #luckygirlaffirmations ♬ original sound - affirmations for women

This theory works on the assumption that if you act as if what you desire is already coming your way, it will indeed come your way. It believes that the power of your brain is so strong that mere thoughts can become true.

The idea of getting whatever you want by just manifesting it into existence is extremely enticing. It also appears that the Lucky Girl Syndrome is backed up by evidence of its success, with countless TikTok videos detailing dreams coming true for girls who used these positive affirmations. Whether or not you believe in manifestations, the idea seems relatively harmless. I’ve also saved some draft videos to these affirmative sounds before to ‘claim’ them not because I necessarily believe in them, but there isn’t anything to lose.

Criticisms

However, there lies a danger of Lucky Girl Syndrome encouraging toxic positivity. 

The theory these TikToks base the effectiveness of the syndrome on is entirely centred on mindset. I believe that while having a positive mindset can be helpful, it will only work if action is taken to fulfil said goals. It’s nice to think that all your woes will go away if you just think about success hard enough.

What about those success stories plaguing your FYP?

No matter how much you affirm yourself or stay optimistic in the face of adversity, Lucky Girl Syndrome ignores the fact that life is simply… not fair. In a way, that makes the trend a little problematic: Even though some girls seem to be getting everything they want with just these manifestations alone, it's undeniable that some of them are in a privileged position which allows such good vibes to come their way.

For example, a girl who used the Lucky Girl theory right before an exam she didn’t study for managed to get an A for the exam. She is now preaching to the internet that she managed to do it because of Lucky Girl Syndrome. While it really could have been based off luck, I’m thinking that those with tuition probably get regular practice, so whether or not they feel like they studied, they would still do relatively well during the exam.

Another problem with Lucky Girl Syndrome is also how demoralising it can get to see so many people ‘manifest’ their dreams into reality but if it doesn’t work for you, you may start thinking something’s wrong with you when that’s just how life works. I guess that’s the inherent problem of social media, whose positivity and obsession with good vibes neglects the very real, darker sides of life.

Concluding Thoughts

Despite everything I’ve said about the Lucky Girl Syndrome, I don’t think too much about it. For the most part, I believe it has good intentions. Personally, I choose not to take manifestation trends too seriously: Sure, I’ll probably upload a draft video to ‘claim’ a positive affirmation from time to time, but I don’t really believe in it. It’s just the tiny possibility that the affirmation will come true just based on manifestation that prompts me to do it. I wouldn’t lose much except around 15 seconds of my time anyway.

Ultimately, trends are fun and having an optimistic mindset is good in moderation. If you believe in the Lucky Girl Syndrome, go for it! Just remember to treat it with discretion and that ultimately, actions are more reliable than manifesting a positive outcome into existence. 

***

Disclaimer: I use my platform to write whatever is on my mind and my opinions may differ from yours. Whether you agree or disagree with me, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. However, I would encourage civil discussions so that we can all learn from one another. Thank you!

If you enjoy my work, consider joining my Telegram channel to read short snippets of future works and bonus thoughts on the world around me. Thanks for stopping by!