GRWM

How do social media affect your self-image? What does it feel like to be boxed in based on your gender or ethnicity? And how do you find your own voice in a society that constantly tells you who you should be?

“GRWM” (Get Ready With Me) is a raw, poetic, and intimate performance that tackles some of the most pressing issues of our time: racism, structural discrimination, the influence of social media on beauty and body ideals, and our sense of self. Alone on stage, Helin Erdem delivers personal anecdotes and sharp observations about navigating a world that constantly imposes expectations on who we are — and who we ought to be.

“GRWM” is inspired by the popular TikTok format “Get Ready With Me”, in which influencers share their everyday routines with followers. In this fictional story, we meet Helin, a media personality from Albertslund, who, in her pursuit of followers and likes, gradually loses herself and becomes trapped in a one-dimensional, performative version of her identity.

She capitalises on aspects of her background — as a Kurd, a woman, and a minority — staging them in a search for recognition on digital platforms. As her online success grows, her complexity fades away. The performance raises the question: what are social media really doing to us?

“GRWM” is both a critical reflection on digitalised youth culture and a personal story about the consequences of allowing oneself to be shaped by likes, algorithms, and the extreme beauty ideals promoted by social media.