A viral TikTok is drawing attention to the pressures young girls face on social media. User @gemma.moro posted the video, which has received more than 286,000 views and 389 comments.
In the video, Gemma said she recently saw two girls who appeared to be around 14 or 15 on Snapchat. According to Gemma, one of the girls wrote a joke that made them both laugh, and the other suggested posting it to her private story.
The other girl declined. According to Gemma, she said, “No, I can't post that on my story. I don't really post things with words on my story. People will think I'm weird.”
Gemma said she does not blame young girls for feeling that way, but rather the societal expectations that can make them insecure about how they present themselves.
"It sucks that we live in a world where girls are too afraid to come off as funny or loud or too much because there's this stigma that if girls say something a little too out of pocket they're automatically deemed as weird or less feminine."
She goes on to say that this stigma is why comedy is male-dominated, and why any comedy-adjacent media also rarely features women. She argued that women are often criticized for making jokes while men can make offensive jokes publicly without facing the same scrutiny.
Her comments focused on what she described as a double standard for women and men. Gemma argued that women may feel pressure to avoid behavior that is more readily accepted from men because they fear being judged.
“There isn't a single famous female comedian in any media space right now that I haven't seen people online either criticize for her looks or hyper-sexualize.”
@gemma.moro I didn’t know what to title this video, thus the question mark. I know you all only follow me for my server rants, but if anything I post blows up I pray it’s this, because it’s one of the few things I’m actually passionate about #rant #comedy #feminism #femalecomedian #lifeadvice #teengirl #girladvice
♬ original sound - Gemma
Commenters debated whether social media is contributing to new pressures on young girls
One commenter wrote, “That’s crazy. We’re really in the next stage of anti-intellectualism, and it’s taken its full form through misogyny.”
The story also prompted discussion about the pressures young people can face when posting on social media. Insecurities are common during adolescence, but Gemma's video focuses on a specific concern about how young people present themselves online.
"I hate that people think they can't do what they want just because someone who's not you said so. if what you're doing isn't directly harmful to anyone else or yourself it shouldn't matter what you do," said another commenter.
Another user offered a different perspective, writing, "Ok counter point, what if she thinks people who put words on stories are weird no matter the gender? Like she sees that in other people so are afraid others will see it in herself. Idk just what came to mind."
There is no way to verify which interpretation is correct, but the interaction has prompted conversations about the double standard young women can face online.
Another commenter wrote, “Out of pocket girls are the best. I don’t care what anyone says.”
The Daily Dot could not independently verify the circumstances described by @gemma.moro or the identities and ages of the girls mentioned in her video. The account of the interaction is based solely on @gemma.moro’s description shared on TikTok, and the broader discussion surrounding it reflects the opinions and experiences of commenters.
