After reading this controversial article in the SF Chronicle and this one online about soft-girl culture, I saw the value of embracing some of the elements of the soft-girl culture, while still being a bona fide girlboss.
I realized that being a soft-girl isn’t just about wearing pastel colored clothing, applying dewy makeup on your skin, or aspiring to be a tradwife. It is about tapping into your feminine energy, intentionally choosing a slower lifestyle versus a hustle culture and making a priority of self-care (not to be confused with skin care).
“Soft life is having time, space, and protection to heal the feminine,” one soft girl fan wrote in a TikTok video. “Soft life is romanticizing every moment of your day. Soft life is releasing the compulsion to produce and accomplish.”
I asked my virtual assistant to research activities in the Bay Area for women who want to experience what it is like to be a soft-girl for a few hours.
Here is her list of things to do:
1 There is nothing quite like “Flower therapy” to bring out your feminine side.
- Surround yourself with fresh flowers at the flower arrangement class at Bell & Trunk in San Francisco. In the class you will learn industry secrets for floral design so you can always create a professional quality flower arrangement for your home.
- Another flower therapy alternative is making a flower crown headdress using realistic looking faux flowers. Then you can wear flowers in your hair anytime, anyplace or anywhere. The Headdress Workshop offers flower crown classes at their showroom in Oakland. Or, if you have a group of 10 friends or co-workers, they can bring a mobile version to your workplace or to a public venue.
Embracing a slower life means taking the time to have meaningful conversations, carving out time in our day to see friends IRL rather than just sending a quick meme.
2 Instead of meeting your friends at a local coffee house to converse, consider going to a lovely tea room to enjoy luxurious food served on beautiful china while relaxing music plays in the background, This is also an occasion for you to wear you favorite flowing feminine dress accessorized with a fascinator or flower crown, pearls and gloves.
- A stylish tea room with two locations, one in San Francisco and the other across the bay in Ross, Marin County is Crown & Crumpet Tea Salon.
- The Garden Court features a stained glass dome, Italian marble columns, Austrian crystal chandeliers and is noted on San Francisco’s Historic Register as Landmark #18.
3 Picnic in Paradise: Pack a basket with treats and head to the park for a serene picnic. Embrace the sunshine, fresh air, and the company of loved ones or just some quiet time alone. A-picnic-for-one sounds sooo soft-girl.
- SF Luxury Picnics is fully committed to providing a perfect picnic for any occasion you can think of. They already have everything you need from the decorations to the food. https://www.sfluxurypicnics.com
- SanJose Municipal Rose Garden: Have a picnic and smell the roses at what is considered “America’s best rose garden” and one of the best picnic spots in the South Bay. Lay a blanket on the lush open grass field, walk through the endless rows of fragrant roses and other flowers, play near the pergola and enjoy the sound of the water in the fountain.
4 Have you ever thought of creating your own perfume?
- Step into a world of fragrant wonder at Opal’z Perfume Making Class as you immerse yourself in their captivating perfume making class, tailored especially for the soft-hearted souls among us. Here, creativity knows no bounds. Guided by expert perfumers who understand the subtleties of delicate scents, you’ll embark on a journey of self-discovery.
5 Then, for that natural, homemade comfort feeling, there’s just something about baking. Baking is perfect for soft-girls, and along come therapeutic benefits of baking. Baking has been proven to lift your mood, enhance creativity, relieve stress…and baking stimulates all five of our senses – touch, smell, sight, sound, and taste. The biggest bonus: something good to eat at the end or to give to a friend. Someone wise said: “Baking is love made visible.”
- The Bay Area has long been associated as the best place to eat sourdough bread, so why not start there? A 2-hour Sourdough class is offered by Josey Baker Bread at The Mill in San Francisco. I can smell that savory sourdough now.
- Chef Richard will help even the most inexperienced baker create Strawberry Roll Cake. You’ll have to find another soft-girl to bring with you, though…attendees register in pairs for his class.
For more tips on being a soft-girl in the Bay Area, follow Christina Viseu on instagram. Or, just check out the lovely photos on her instagram page, and you’ll get a spontaneous soft-girl tingle!
