

What Does 'Lucky Girl Syndrome' Mean To Black Women?
If you’ve found yourself getting lost in a routine TikTok scroll recently, chances are it wasn’t long before you found yourself on the side of the app where manifestations and delusional mindsets flourish. From mantras to bring forth financial gain to affirmations that promise to have your greatest desires fall into your lap, Gen Z’s latest spin on the Law of Attraction has taken on a new form known as “Lucky Girl Syndrome.”
The term ‘Lucky Girl Syndrome’ was first popularized by creator Laura Galebe, who in a viral video, shared how one simple mindset shift allowed most things to work out effortlessly in her favor. "I just always expect great things to happen to me, and so they do," Galebe explained. As she continued in her video, repeatedly saying, “good things happen to me unexpectedly” for as long as she can remember, was the key to unlocking a life where opportunities were unceasing.
But what exactly is ‘Lucky Girl Syndrome’ and can you truly just think your way into getting everything your heart desires?
According to wellness and life coach Faith Hunter, Lucky Girl Syndrome is essentially the mental, emotional, and spiritual state of ultimate gratitude.
“Lucky Girl Syndrome is all about having a positive mindset, but more than just thinking positive, it’s also feeling it,” Hunter says. “It’s feeling that sensation in your heart and then intentionally moving through your day with that feeling of, ‘I am a blessed person’ and being open to seeing all the different ways the universe can bless you.”
Over the years, the theory behind the Law of Attraction has offered varying interpretations based on which generation is perceiving it. Whether you were raised with the influence of the prosperity gospel or found your way to the popular self-help book, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, the Law of Attraction/Assumption has a way of evolving from generation to generation.
So when it comes to the Law of Attraction, Lucky Girl Syndrome is to Gen Z as vision boards are to millennials.
“It is definitely the Law of Attraction because it's all about positive thinking,” Hunter explains. “If you're thinking negatively, in most cases, it's going to continue to ripple and happen to you. The same thing goes for thinking positively — the universe will naturally start to deliver opportunities and allow you to see creative ways that things can come into your life.”
Since growing in its popularity, Lucky Girl Syndrome has become as catchy as it is contagious. Women from all sides of TikTok attribute their positive thinking to receiving job offers, brand deals, free food, random heaps of money, and even love. However, when you take a closer look at the faces that make up the trend’s TikTok hashtag with nearly 600 million views, you may notice the faces of Black women missing from the feed.
“When I found out what Lucky Girl Syndrome was, I was very confused, to be honest,” says Diamon Hawkins, a creative futurist and the founder/CEO of Pothos Beauty, who was raised on the notion that if you ask, you shall receive.
“There's this whole delusional mindset right now, so I'm very cautious of how we use literary terms and practices and how the world does that differently now,” she says. When the trend began to surface on her For You page, it initially took the 29-year-old a week to delve into the research behind what it actually meant, only to find that it was a similar mindset to what she grew up with. “I was like, oh, this is just a Law of Assumption and that is how I live my life. That is how I've been raised,” she recalls. “If you believe it and if you can see it, then you can do it. I live my life through that lens.”
Having grown up in the inner city of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Hawkins’ parents instilled in her the practice of not only speaking things into existence but putting the action behind her words. What some could argue is the very thing this latest take on the Law of Attraction via the Lucky Girl Syndrome fails to mention: privilege.
When trends like Lucky Girl Syndrome and “Being Delusional” ignore the systematic and structural inequalities that exist in communities of color and people who don’t come from wealth or means, it can lead to the perpetuation of toxic positivity. What starts off as an innocent trend can easily turn exclusionary when you don’t consider the mental hurdles it takes to overcome one’s daily circumstances. Life doesn’t always deal us a fair card, and to conflate luck with inherited privilege is dismissive. And sometimes, it takes a lot more than simply “thinking” your way out of adversity.
That’s why when it comes down to the trends that we consume via social media, it’s important to have people who look like us sharing their experiences. “I'm really excited to see this trend come to the mainstream. But I would honestly say, I've lived my life in the perspective of manifesting before I even knew the word manifestation.”
For Hawkins, Lucky Girl Syndrome coupled with the support of her communities was vital to helping her get out of a recent depression from balancing the loneliness of being an entrepreneur. “I was in a mental space of lack. Negativity is a parasite to my own mind. And once I started applying Lucky Girl Syndrome or Law of Assumption back into my life things have changed,” she says.
Her revenue streams have increased, career opportunities have come into her life, and she’s seen an overall improvement in her mental and physical health.
“Productivity is a medicine. I had to get back to the mindset of, ‘it will work out for me.’”
When starting on your path to positive thinking through Lucky Girl Syndrome, Faith Hunter says that starting with small doses of gratitude is the best approach. “In order for that mind shift to happen, you have to start small. The easiest and smallest step to take is to wake up every morning and feel a sense of gratitude. Say, ‘I am grateful that I awoke this morning. I am grateful that I have my body. I am grateful for the breath that I am breathing. I am grateful for the roof over my head,” she shares.
“What then begins to happen is that once you start to recognize and acknowledge those simple, basic things, over time you're going to think yourself into greater things.”
While reading the book, The Mastery of Self, Hawkins was drawn to a quote that read, “Negative thoughts are parasites. You need to be an ally to your brain.” This note, in turn, became a reminder that in order to truly embrace a positive inner voice that brings good into your life, you must first be a friend to yourself at every stage of your life.
“If you are someone who is hesitant about the Law of Assumption or Lucky Girl Syndrome, speak to yourself the same way you would speak to your younger self. Meet her in the middle. Pour into her. And tell her, ‘it's going to work out for us.'”
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Aley Arion is a writer and digital storyteller from the South, currently living in sunny Los Angeles. Her site, yagirlaley.com, serves as a digital diary to document personal essays, cultural commentary, and her insights into the Black Millennial experience. Follow her at @yagirlaley on all platforms!
Exclusive: Gabrielle Union On Radical Transparency, Being Diagnosed With Perimenopause And Embracing What’s Next
Whenever Gabrielle Union graces the movie screen, she immediately commands attention. From her unforgettable scenes in films like Bring It On and Two Can Play That Game to her most recent film, in which she stars and produces Netflix’s The Perfect Find, there’s no denying that she is that girl.
Off-screen, she uses that power for good by sharing her trials and tribulations with other women in hopes of helping those who may be going through the same things or preventing them from experiencing them altogether. Recently, the Flawless by Gabrielle Union founder partnered with Clearblue to speak at the launch of their Menopause Stage Indicator, where she also shared her experience with being perimenopausal.
In a xoNecoleexclusive, the iconic actress opens up about embracing this season of her life, new projects, and overall being a “bad motherfucker.” Gabrielle reveals that she was 37 years old when she was diagnosed with perimenopause and is still going through it at 51 years old. Mayo Clinic says perimenopause “refers to the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years.”
“I haven't crossed over the next phase just yet, but I think part of it is when you hear any form of menopause, you automatically think of your mother or grandmother. It feels like an old-person thing, but for me, I was 37 and like not understanding what that really meant for me. And I don't think we focus so much on the word menopause without understanding that perimenopause is just the time before menopause,” she tells us.
Gabrielle Union
Photo by Brian Thomas
"But you can experience a lot of the same things during that period that people talk about, that they experienced during menopause. So you could get a hot flash, you could get the weight gain, the hair loss, depression, anxiety, like all of it, mental health challenges, all of that can come, you know, at any stage of the menopausal journey and like for me, I've been in perimenopause like 13, 14 years. When you know, most doctors are like, ‘Oh, but it's usually about ten years, and I'm like, ‘Uhh, I’m still going (laughs).’”
Conversations about perimenopause, fibroids, and all the things that are associated with women’s bodies have often been considered taboo and thus not discussed publicly. However, times are changing, and thanks to the Gabrielle’s and the Tia Mowry’s, more women are having an authentic discourse about women’s health. These open discussions lead to the creation of more safe spaces and support for one another.
“I want to be in community with folks. I don't ever want to feel like I'm on an island about anything. So, if I can help create community where we are lacking, I want to be a part of that,” she says. “So, it's like there's no harm in talking about it. You know what I mean? Like, I was a bad motherfucker before perimenopause. I’m a bad motherfucker now, and I'll be a bad motherfucker after menopause. Know what I’m saying? None of that has to change. How I’m a bad motherfucker, I welcome that part of the change. I'm just getting better and stronger and more intelligent, more wise, more patient, more compassionate, more empathetic. All of that is very, very welcomed, and none of it should be scary.”
The Being Mary Jane star hasn’t been shy about her stance on therapy. If you don’t know, here’s a hint: she’s all for it, and she encourages others to try it as well. She likens therapy to dating by suggesting that you keep looking for the right therapist to match your needs. Two other essential keys to her growth are radical transparency and radical acceptance (though she admits she is still working on the latter).
"I was a bad motherfucker before perimenopause. I’m a bad motherfucker now, and I'll be a bad motherfucker after menopause. Know what I’m saying? None of that has to change. How I’m a bad motherfucker, I welcome that part of the change."
Gabrielle Union and Kaavia Union-Wade
Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images
“I hope that a.) you recognize that you're not alone. Seek out help and know that it's okay to be honest about what the hell is happening in your life. That's the only way that you know you can get help, and that's also the only other way that people know that you are in need if there's something going on,” she says, “because we have all these big, very wild, high expectations of people, but if they don't know what they're actually dealing with, they're always going to be failing, and you will always be disappointed. So how about just tell the truth, be transparent, and let people know where you are. So they can be of service, they can be compassionate.”
Gabrielle’s transparency is what makes her so relatable, and has so many people root for her. Whether through her TV and film projects, her memoirs, or her social media, the actress has a knack for making you feel like she’s your homegirl. Scrolling through her Instagram, you see the special moments with her family, exciting new business ventures, and jaw-dropping fashion moments. Throughout her life and career, we’ve seen her evolve in a multitude of ways. From producing films to starting a haircare line to marriage and motherhood, her journey is a story of courage and triumph. And right now, in this season, she’s asking, “What’s next?”
“This is a season of discovery and change. In a billion ways,” says the NAACP Image Award winner. “The notion of like, ‘Oh, so and so changed. They got brand new.’ I want you to be brand new. I want me to be brand new. I want us to be always constantly growing, evolving. Having more clarity, moving with different purpose, like, and all of that is for me very, very welcomed."
"I want you to be brand new. I want me to be brand new. I want us to be always constantly growing, evolving. Having more clarity, moving with different purpose, like, and all of that is for me very, very welcomed."
She continues, “So I'm just trying to figure out what's next. You know what I mean? I'm jumping into what's next. I'm excited going into what's next and new. I'm just sort of embracing all of what life has to offer.”
Look out for Gabrielle in the upcoming indie film Riff Raff, which is a crime comedy starring her and Jennifer Coolidge, and she will also produce The Idea of You, which stars Anne Hathaway.
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Whoopi Goldberg Shares How An Untreated UTI Led To An Early Stage Endometriosis Diagnosis
Whoopi Goldberg discussed her experience with endometriosis on The View.
During the segment on November 8, the co-hosts were joined by Hillary Clinton, who is an executive producer for the documentary Below the Belt, to raise awareness about endometriosis.
Goldberg expressed her grievances with the health care system to properly diagnose women with the condition after an untreated urinary tract infection led her to discover that she had the condition.
“It drives me berserk that we are still constantly having to beg for health care,” she shared candidly.
“We pay taxes. Women pay taxes. I don’t understand why, when doctors go to school forever, they’re not taught about a woman’s body. And then you have all of these people making these comments, and you know [they] have no idea how this works,” she added.
Endometriosis is a common and often painful condition that occurs when the tissue similar to the lining inside the uterus, called the endometrium, grows outside the uterus. It often affects the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and the tissue lining the pelvis.
The Sister Act star went on to share that she considers herself to be “lucky” to have caught her endometriosis at an early stage, emphasizing the importance of addressing such health issues promptly.
“I was lucky enough because I had a urinary tract infection that I did not take care of. Note to people: don’t let that stuff go. Because stuff happens in your body, and I ended up with what looked like - and I don’t mean to gross you out - but suddenly there was a smell, and it looked like cottage cheese, and I didn’t know what was going on,” she said.
“And I was lucky enough to get to somebody who said: ‘This is called endometriosis,’” Goldberg continued. “They were able to treat me with antibiotics, but that’s because somebody knew what they were looking at.”
As the conversation around endometriosis begins to grow, it is important for women to continue to share their symptoms and educate others about the diagnosis. Goldberg is just one of many celebrities who have used their platform to discuss the condition. Chrissy Teigen, Tia Mowry, and Monica are among those spreading awareness that can empower other women to seek early diagnosis and potentially prevent more severe, long-term pain.
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