In a quiet corner of TikTok and Instagram, a new wellness trend is taking root: “girl mossing.” Instead of striving for unattainable success or rushing through daily life, people—mostly young women—are lying on forest floors, gazing at the canopy above, or gently caressing moss. This simple, meditative act has become a symbol of resistance against the relentless pressure of modern life.
The United States National Forest Foundation even adopted the term to promote its 2024 Instagram campaign, a testament to the growing recognition of the need to step away from the frenetic pace of urban existence. Girl mossing is more than just a whimsical fad—it reflects a deep yearning for rest, a reconnection with nature, and an antidote to the pressures of neoliberal capitalism, which have taken a toll not only on individual well-being but on society and the planet.
These pressures are most acutely felt by women, whose labor remains undervalued and often underpaid, and by young people, who face unstable work and a housing market that is increasingly out of reach. Social media, with its barrage of images depicting flawless success, only adds to the strain. In contrast, the trend of “moss selfies” presents a quieter, more grounded alternative.
The cultural shift from “girlbossing” to “girl mossing” highlights a growing recognition of the harmful effects of constant hustle culture. The pressure to be the perfect employee, partner, or parent has taken a toll on women’s physical and mental health. Now, young women are rejecting the myth of endless productivity, embracing instead the slow, restorative rhythms of nature. A related trend, “girl rotting,” embraces intentional rest and unproductivity at home.
Though its exact origins are difficult to trace, “girl mossing” and its sister trends began gaining traction in mid-2022. The movement is credited to journalist and influencer Daisy Alioto, who tweeted: “The girl boss is dead, long live the girl moss (lying on the floor of the forest and being absorbed back into nature).” Since then, the phrase has spread across social media, inspiring wellness blogs and mainstream outlets alike.
Girl mossing is part of a broader global fascination with moss. In Japan, moss appreciation has long been a national craze, thanks in part to a bestselling 2011 book, Mosses, My Dear Friends. Japanese “Moss girls” (#苔ガール or #苔ガールズ) have shared thousands of Instagram posts dedicated to their love of moss, while groups like the Moss Appreciation Society on Facebook boast hundreds of thousands of members. Even celebrities like Oprah Winfrey have embraced the trend, with Winfrey visiting the moss gardens of Japan’s Saihoji Temple and exploring the restorative practice of “forest bathing.”
Moss, after all, embodies qualities that run counter to the demands of modern life. It grows slowly, nurtures the soil, and thrives through decay. It provides an ideal metaphor for those seeking to resist the pressures of capitalism by embracing rest and renewal.
The rise of girl mossing reflects a broader cultural shift toward what scholars are calling Dark Green Religion, a worldview that emphasizes the interconnectedness of all living things. Whether spiritual or secular, this perspective underscores the need for a deeper relationship with the natural world. The desire to slow down, rest, and restore is growing, especially in contrast to the unyielding pace of contemporary work life.
These movements, from girl mossing to “quiet quitting” and the Dutch concept of niksen (the art of doing nothing), echo similar trends abroad. In China, young people have embraced “tangping” or “lying flat,” a rejection of high-pressure jobs in favor of a simpler, lower-pressure lifestyle. Another Chinese term, “bai lan,” translates to “letting things rot”—a conscious retreat from the pursuit of difficult or unattainable goals.
These trends, which gained momentum as the world emerged from the lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic, suggest that we have learned something vital from the enforced slowdown: the value of rest, and the wisdom of allowing things to decay and regenerate. As Buddhist nun and bestselling author Pema Chödrön has written, life is a cycle of things “coming together and falling apart.” This cycle is as natural as growth and decay, and resisting it only leads to further exhaustion.
In a world shaped by Western, capitalist values—where success is defined by hard work, material rewards, and constant achievement—the embrace of rest and decay offers a radical alternative. The hustle culture of productivity may celebrate the wins, the promotions, the acquisitions, and the milestones, but it falters when faced with life’s inevitable losses: old age, sickness, and death.
Movements like girl mossing and girl rotting are not the first to challenge these values. The counterculture of the 1960s, led by figures like Timothy Leary, urged a generation to “tune in, turn on, drop out.” But these new trends, led largely by young women, are distinctive in their celebration of nature’s slower rhythms. They remind us that human life, too, is subject to cycles of growth and decay—and that, sometimes, rest and renewal are the most productive acts of all.
As the natural death and home funeral movement has shown, even decomposition can be a generative process, one that transforms decay into new life. In a world that never stops, perhaps the greatest wisdom lies in learning when to slow down, to rest, and to let things rot.
Source: The Conversation
