PICK of the BUNCH

Here's the problem with the pick-me girl trope...

- By Madison Bogisch

When Sabrina Carpenter dropped the cover for her album Man's Best Friend back in June, the internet went into a frenzy.

It showed the singer on all fours while a faceless male tugged her by the hair.

And while some applauded Carpenter for her satirical work – even suggesting that the figure was her in a suit – others were quick to judge.

Over on TikTok, the artwork was called anti-feminist and the two-time Grammy winner was described as a pick-me girl. Although the backlash was enough to get Carpenter to release a new, alternate album cover – one she jokes was “approved by God” – a bigger question about how we discuss women’s sexuality remains...

WHERE DID THE PICK-ME GIRL COME FROM?

Ah yes, the pick-me girl. The type of girl who drinks beer – and judges you if you don’t – will make fun of other girls or tell you she “gets along better with guys, because girls are too much drama”.

While the term has been around for years, it shot to popularity on Twitter in 2016, calling out women who would try to gain male attention by ridiculing other women.

In 2022, it resurfaced when Meredith Grey’s “pick me, choose me, love me” line from a 2005 episode of Grey’s Anatomy enjoyed a new virality on TikTok.