Explaining the absurdity of gatekeeping in TikTok’s viral Slavic Girl trend

By Bianca Borissova

Updated Nov 29, 2023 at 03:32 PM

Reading time: 3 minutes

51788

#Slavtok and Slavic women are having a big moment right now, and as a Slavic girl myself, I absolutely love to see it. In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, I am referring to the Slavic Girl trend on TikTok, which is a recent trend that has already been viewed more than 380 million times, and counting.

Essentially, the trend consists of people all around the world filming themselves dancing in fur coats and hats, scarves, and other winter accessories to the Russian version of the song ‘Moy marmeladniy’ (which directly translates to “my sweet” or “my gummy”) by Russian singer Katya Lel. The format attempts to pay homage to the aesthetic, beauty, and winter fashion worn by so many Slavic women from regions such as Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Baltics, Central Asia, and parts of Central Europe.

While it is unclear who initially sparked this trend, it has largely been attributed to Slavic women. Nonetheless, women all over the world started joining in. At first glance, this sounds wonderful, and like just another innocent trend—but because this is the internet, naturally, things quickly got out of control, and somehow it is now being used to pit women against each other. So what exactly is the problem here? Let’s get into it.

Well, first and foremost, a small fraction of Slavic women on the platform are saying that only Slavic girls should be allowed to partake in the trend. They argue that anybody partaking outside of these countries is causing offence.

@ssyuta

♬ оригінальний звук - musicdemm
@bruhwhat398

bimbo russe 🥰 les gens qui disent chapka pour ushanka 💀

♬ оригинальный звук - scar1exa

Some of the girls say it causes offence because it takes the spotlight away from Slavic women, while others reference the fact that they find it hurtful to see parts of their culture and aesthetic be turned into a trend, while previously being mocked for it.

@kinga_ludwin

#fyp #easterneuropean #polishgirl #foryoupage #london

♬ оригинальный звук - scar1exa
@kamimagdalena

So now its fun huh?

♬ Мой мармеладный (Я не права) - Катя Лель

It is true that a huge amount of Slavic people have endured xenophobia and suffered bullying due to the stereotypes surrounding these countries, their accents, their foods, cultures, and so on. However, this trend is doing the complete opposite of that—it is not mocking Slavic people or their culture, but rather, appreciating a small fraction of it.

If you look at how Slavic women have been represented on a wider scale in the media and on the internet so far, you will find many problematic tropes. Women from these regions are often falsely perceived and presented as either extremely conservative, traditional, and ‘prude-like’, or desperate, ‘slutty’, ‘fake’, and so on. Then you have the stereotype of the ‘Russian mail order bride’ often attributed to many Slavic women who relocate to Western countries, subjecting them to scrutiny about how and why they moved.

Then, there are also the false xenophobic stereotypes of Slavic people of all genders being poor, uneducated, unskilled, or alcoholics. There are trends on TikTok like #gopnik, which essentially humour the Eastern European equivalent to the British ‘chav’. But the Slavic Girl trend does not play into any harmful or xenophobic tropes. It is not offensive or crass. It is, of course, not representative of all Slavic people—not everyone chooses to wear fur or indulge in this specific aesthetic—but you also can not represent the entirety of a culture through a 10-second TikTok video.

@charlie.dior1

The British have Roadmens the Russians have Gopniks :)

♬ Money so big instrumental - loumy

Other critics of non-Slavic people participating are doing it purely for gatekeeping reasons. They purposely exclude others by stating that “only Slavic girls can do this,” that fur or a specific song is for “Slavic girls only,” or that only Slavic girls can pull it off or “look good” while participating. This inevitably ends up pitting women of different nationalities against each other.

@angelika_lazuta

this song>> #foryoupage #fypシ #xyzbca #slavic #trendin #viral #рек #рекомендации

♬ оригінальний звук - musicdemm
@fhlouwn

#foryou

♬ оригінальний звук - musicdemm

The Slavic women complaining about women of other nationalities taking part in this need to acknowledge that they too may have partaken in trends that were created by and for people from other cultures. There is no need to put other women down—everyone looks great while participating in this celebration of Slavic aesthetics.

@president_noora

“This song is only for slavic girls, its our spotlight now”😂😂😂💀💀💀 girl pls its a Romanian song and we fw romanians #arabtiktok #fyp #latina #slavic

♬ оригінальний звук - спотіфай🫶🏼

The song featured in the trend is Russian, although sampled from a Romanian song, and Russian is the predominant language only in one Slavic country out of them all, which is Russia. Therefore, assesting that only Slavic women are allowed to listen to, dance to, or appreciate the song would be wrong.

There is nothing in this trend that would make it offensive for others to partake in. Fur coats, fur hats (many of which that we see worn in this trend are, thankfully, faux fur), or winter accessories do not exclusively belong to Slavic cultures. Historically, fur was used as a necessity in many colder Slavic climates where the temperature reached lows such as -62°C. But it has also been worn in countless other countries and regions in the world—both as a necessity to keep warm or as a status symbol.

@candybomb_0206

I’ve seen so many slavic girls trying to gatekeep this trend 🙄 not all of us share the same opinion, many of us don‘t mind🫰 ・ ・ ・ #slavicgirl #slavic #ukranian #russian #slavicgirltrend #stopgatekeepingeverything

♬ оригінальний звук - musicdemm

At the end of the day, it’s just an innocent TikTok trend, and in this case, anyone should be able to participate, without the fear of gatekeepers going after them.

Keep On Reading

By Charlie Sawyer

TikToker exposes exclusive celebrity dating app Raya as a hub for toxic men

By Abby Amoakuh

VICE’s attempt to call that viral London pub culture TikTok art is giving high-key millennial cringe

By Abby Amoakuh

Meta’s Kendall Jenner AI avatar roasts 818 Tequila and endorses other celebrity alcohol brands

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Can rejection therapy really heal your social anxiety? TikTok suggests so

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Apple’s iOS 18 update dubbed cheater’s paradise by worried iPhone users. Why is everyone panicking?

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

What is Rebecca Syndrome? The toxic dating trend jeopardising relationships everywhere

By Abby Amoakuh

Influencer Sophie Guidolin slammed for Miranda Priestly-style job ad for personal assistant

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Gen Z in Kenya is reshaping politics by taking a stand against the Tax Bill on social media

By Abby Amoakuh

Watch gun-toting Republican politician Valentina Gomez rap about Trump’s criminal conviction

By Charlie Sawyer

Unpacking the Chappell Roan drama, from toxic fandoms to political missteps

By Abby Amoakuh

Rift between Black and Palestinian progressives deepens ahead of Democratic National Convention

By Abby Amoakuh

McDonald’s ditches the happy in Happy Meals in an attempt to raise awareness for mental health

By Abby Amoakuh

German woman receives harsher sentence than convicted rapist for calling him a pig over WhatsApp

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Internet erupts over deepfake porn video of Saltburn star Jacob Elordi

By Charlie Sawyer

New York Attorney General sues some of the US’ biggest pro-life groups for unsafe Abortion Pill Reversal treatment

By Charlie Sawyer

TikTok creator posts viral video revealing controversial history connected to James Charles’ new song

By Charlie Sawyer

Reality TV show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives addresses #momtok phenomenon and uncovers shocking swinging scandal

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Strava mule reveals shocking reason why Strava users are paying him to run for them

By Abby Amoakuh

Lyle and Erik Menendez’s 90s old money aesthetic is inspiring TikTok’s latest fashion craze

By Charlie Sawyer

From Page 3 to Gen Z icon: Why Katie Price captured our hearts