Is the 'pick me' label empowering women or shaming them?

Is the ‘pick me’ label empowering women or shaming them? (Photo: iStock)

Spend a little time on TikTok, X, or Instagram reels and one word is bound to pop up: “pick me.” It’s often used with a sneer, contempt, a knowing laugh, or as a caption on a viral clip of a woman declaring, “I’m not like other girls.”

What started as slang has become a cultural shorthand; sometimes a joke, sometimes an insult and sometimes a genuine critique. But what does it actually mean, and what does its rise tell us about women, men, and the complicated dance of approval?