As the spring semester kicked off, WashU students found themselves juggling the usual stressors: starting new classes, joining clubs and organizations, and securing that elusive summer internship. However, this year brought an unexpected source of anxiety — the impending TikTok ban, which was set to take effect on Jan. 19, just one day before President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

TikTok dancer Addison Rae? Former member of the short-lived Hype House Addison Rae? Failed actress Addison Rae?  Yes, yes, and yes — it’s that Addison Rae. She’s here for pop domination.

The tendency for popular comments to form an individual’s opinion in this manner is largely rooted in generational insecurity. They can be accredited to the social frameworks that permit unmitigated opinions and standards, ultimately leading to groupthink.

By choosing this lifestyle on their own terms, some ‘trad wives’ serve as valuable examples of young women freely selecting a profession that aligns with their chosen way of life.

The “trad wife” trend brings our society backward in time and dismisses today’s cultural strides. The way this power dynamic can resurface long after feminist legislation and protests worked to dismantle female inferiority showcases how male desires and patriarchal practices continue to oppress those with less power.

As long as our bodies continue to be subject to trending beauty standards, eating disorders will continue to be a deadly issue. The solution should be simple, right? Stop treating our bodies as a fad, as something that can be changed as easily as the shift to low-rise jeans. 

It’s not about the ketchup; it’s about the gendered performance of ineptitude and the harms we perpetuate if we leave weaponized incompetence unchallenged and unquestioned.

Regulating TikTok should be encouraged. The current state of social media should not.

The pick-me phenomenon is spreading as the definition grows more and more ambiguous. In turn, we are all becoming implicated in a greater misogynistic culture.

Whether it’s due to a semi-hypocritical distaste for large influencers or something deeper, I find that social media users like myself share a feeling of some subterranean problem causing us anxiety and discomfort, no matter how much community we find in these online spaces.