Breaking news! There’s a new trend on TikTok. Except for that’s not a surprise, because there’s always new trends on TikTok. It’s actually also not a new trend at all. You may not have heard of ‘lucky girl syndrome’, but doesn’t telling yourself that you’re lucky so you will be ring a bell? If you were on pandemic-era TikTok you might have known it as manifesting. In fact, if you’re a 19th century philosopher you might call it Law of Attraction or Assumption. The concept of telling yourself things to make them reality is not new at all.
It's long-established, but is it effective? Its ‘founder’ certainly thinks so, since in her videos she raves about opportunities being “thrown in her face” now that she’s decided she’s lucky. For sure, there’s a place in life for optimistic thinking. If you’re feeling positive you’ll be more likely to work harder or be nicer, which might in turn bring you advantages in life. Think of it as a psychological mind hack; if you start looking for yellow cars, you’ll see them everywhere. It even shares ideas like positive visualisation, with cognitive behavioural therapy and gratitude journalling, which are proven to help cope with challenges.
It’s alluring to think you have the power to shape reality
Despite this, something about putting my fortune down to the power of the universe makes me feel uneasy. Obviously, it has no basis in scientific fact. But more than that, hidden under the flowery buzzwords like ‘raising your vibration’ is the implication that the people who aren’t lucky simply don’t want it hard enough. It provides comfort for the privileged that they deserve their positions, whilst shaming those who aren’t. Suffering from inequality, or poverty, or systematic racism? The answer's easy, just get lucky! How about another name for this nefarious concept: victim blaming.
Lucky girl syndrome also sends the message that you don’t need to put in effort to achieve your goals – which in our society to some extent you do, and it probably is healthy to. The gendered aspect is problematic as well; why no lucky guy syndrome? To me it perpetuates the patriarchal notion that only men put in true work hard to succeed.
Of course, it’s understandable why it’s so popular (#luckygirlsyndrome has more than 100m views on TikTok) – it’s alluring to think you have the power to shape reality. You do, to some extent. Changing your mindset can impact your work ethic and your interactions with people, which can improve your life. But remember that your reality is also shaped by so many other people, societal forces, government policies, the environment, everything. These are out of your control, so please don't fall for lucky girl syndrome’s toxic trap. Good luck.