Performing as a girl online can be a powerful way to subvert the algorithm. And thanks to the whiplash of the girlboss epidemic, a meeker and cute self-image is now taking hold. Trends like girl math, babygirl, and girl dinner reflect a tendency across genders to self-infantilise, a growing resistance to industrialized understandings of adulthood, often tied to economic strains and shifting life expectations, particularly amongst younger generations.

At the same time, the notion of girlhood itself is being questioned, reframed, and adopted in online spaces. As AI isolates our feeds even more by sorting us into predetermined categories, labels influence how we’re seen—and how we see ourselves. With machine learning gradually influencing more of our daily lives, how will our online actions and self-understandings change as a whole?

Afternoon programme — 14:00 – 17:30

Today, we often make ourselves small online. Where the girlboss of yesteryear was on her grind to “have it all”, we now see a trend of flippantly shirking gendered responsibilities: we’re just girls, don’t expect us to cook a full meal every night (girl dinner). This trend of self-infantilisation is being embraced by men as well, who are posting about their boy apartments instead of man caves, well into their thirties. In a series of short talks and a panel discussion, we’ll explore online self-infantilisation. What is at the root of this phenomenon? And what are the benefits of this tactic?

With Maya B. Kronic, Mela Miekus and Mita Medri, and more…

• 14.00 – 15.30, Workshop — Ink your Online Identity (few spots left!)
  • Explore the history of online identity and investigate digital self-presentation. Then design and apply temporary tattoos, reflecting critically on the digital self.
• 14.00 – 15.30, Reading group (sold out)
  • Collective reading session delving into selected passages of Tiqqun’s text “Preliminary Materials for a Theory of the Young-Girl”. No prep needed!
• 16.00 – 17.30, Panel — Self-infantilisation, with Maya B. Kronic, Mela Miekus, Mita Medri, and Jernej Markelj

౨ৎ Break ౨ৎ

Evening programme — 19.00 – 21.30

Online, ‘girl’ is less a gender than a strategy—playful, ironic, and vulnerable behavior performs well under the algorithm. For this part of the program, we’ll explore ‘girl’ as a marketing tool, a power move, a form of desire, and a proven formula for online success. But is this strictly a product of today’s media environment, or does it echo earlier representations of girlhood? And what does the future of the girl look like in a world shaped by neural media?

• Performance — Good Girl by Mireille Tap
• Interview — Artist Martine Neddam about the Girl in 20th century media
• Keynote lecture — K Allado-McDowell on the performance of girlhood and identity
• Performance — djjustgirlythings

📅 Date: Friday 16 May 2025
🕗 Time: 14.00 – 21.30 CEST
📍 Location: SPUI25, Spui 25-27, Amsterdam, and online.