‘Nun girl summer’ takes unexpected turn as 'normal girl summer' sweeps over Gen Z
You may have heard of 'Euro summer' and maybe even 'nun girl summer', but 'normal girl summer' is the latest TikTok term you need to add to your social media lingo dictionaries.
While the internet has spent the summer embracing celibacy, dating breaks and putting yourself first with what has been dubbed 'nun girl summer', spearheaded by celebs like Khloé Kardashian and Maura Higgins, the latest lifestyle trend is all about romanticising a life that is, frankly, pretty normal.
It sees young women sharing the reality of their summer rather than trying to make every day look like a montage from a coming-of-age film.
Think working your job, staying in sometimes, not drinking every weekend, cooking at home, going to bed early and generally accepting that life does not need to involve six weeks of endless holidays and 'Insta-worthy' moments.
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It's actually quite refreshing, if you ask us.
Instead of carefully curated 'summer diaries' filled with rooftop bars, beach clubs and expensive iced coffees, TikTok is now being flooded with videos celebrating packed lunches, supermarket trips, evening walks and watching TV on the sofa.
The trend also taps into a very specific but nonetheless all-too-familiar feeling that comes with being young in 2026.
Much of Gen Z feels a pressure to make the most of summer, particularly when social media makes it seem as though everyone else is travelling, going out, falling in love and having the time of their lives.
In a way, 'normal girl summer' is a direct pushback against that as it romanticises the bits of adulthood that nobody usually puts on Instagram, while also feeling like a natural progression from the recent popularity of 'nun girl summer', which encourages women to step away from dating, sex and romantic drama in favour of focusing on themselves.
Both trends share a similar message: you do not have to live your life according to the version of it that looks best online.
"Yesss I love this! especially as working people," penned one TikTok user.
A second chimed in: "This is my new favourite video because sometimes I hate feeling like I'm missing out because I'm having such a ‘normal’ summer!"
And a third echoed: "As much as social media promotes positivity, it also makes it so easy to forget that influencers/wealthy people's European summer is not necessary to enjoy summer."
While there are no dating apps to delete or men to swear off with 'normal girl summer', you can hop on the trend by simply going to work on Monday, making pasta for dinner and watching three episodes of the same show before bed.
It's more about finding something oddly comforting in the supposedly mundane.
And with our For You pages throwing up an endless conveyor belt of content showing people constantly doing something, which usually involves spending a lot of money, there is definitely a certain freedom in admitting that your summer might just be... normal.
Topics: Life, Sex and Relationships, Social Media, TikTok
Rhiannon Ingle