Everyone online has seen the trend. A girl, recording on TikTok, starts doing her makeup while talking about her life. Whether it be her weekend plans, a breakup or a pimple on her chin, we are all obsessed with the gossip. It’s not about just getting ready, it’s the whole process of sharing yourself. When I hear a video start with an infamous “Get Ready With Me,” I know I’m in for a good watch.
GRWM (Get Ready With Me) videos are nothing like beauty tutorials. It’s less about the application and more about the ritual – it’s a space where people narrate their lives. And, it holds more power than just that. We are so used to seeing the finished product of glam, but rarely got to see the process. These videos show us just that, transforming beauty from a goal to an experience. GRWM videos have reframed this process to be about connection, not presentation.
GRWM videos are so loved because they are deeply human. You only need to learn how to apply mascara once, and creators know that. This trend puts a spin on watching someone do makeup by making it vulnerable. They’re often filmed in poor lighting with breakouts and morning faces. They happen when someone is nervously rambling before a date or on the verge of tears after losing their job. They’re vulnerable, and there’s a sort of comfort in that. Bearing witness to someone else’s chaos, like a cluttered vanity of imperfect eyeliner, feels deeper than just a tutorial.
Their power is how they are able to shift what we define as beautiful. Instead of a polished well-edited clip, they offer something looser and more honest. In a time when we are so saturated with everyone perfectly curating their online personas, they offer a moment of normalcy. A place to connect. Room to stop pretending nothing is wrong.
GRWM videos aren’t about the transformation, they are about the presence. When you watch others accept their imperfect life, you feel invited to do the same. In those videos beauty becomes less about the final look and more about the honest, messy ride.
