Routine My Ass, Pact Zollverein, Essen, 2025

Routiny My Ass is an interdisciplinary performance that combines physical theatre with digital media. It critically engages with the viral social media trend #thatgirl, which in recent years has popularized a specific form of self-optimization. Represented by a white, cisgender woman with “pretty privilege,” #thatgirl embodies disciplined routines such as early rising, journaling, healthy eating, exercise and extensive skincare. While these activities initially appear as forms of self-care, upon closer inspection they reveal capitalist logics of productivity.

The performance deconstructs these ideals and creates a counter-space emphasizing collective care, rest and connection. The project was developed through two residencies (Pact Zollverein, Essen; Het Bos, Antwerp, 2024) and a performative installation (Atelier No. 70, Essen, 2025).

Artistic Direction: Rebecca de Toro
Concept : Rebecca de Toro, Melli Geldner, Maria Kobylenko
Multimedia: Maria Kobylenko
Voice Over: Josi Trapp
Music: Aphex Twin
Research: Cecile Taylor

Routine My Ass positions itself as an artistic intervention in the current discourse on feminist empowerment and societal norms. The performance invites audiences to reflect on the mechanisms of self-optimization and to imagine alternative forms of coexistence, models of community and care where failure also has a place.

Routine My Ass is an artistic performance project with two performers and a multimedia artist. It focuses on a critical examination of the #thatgirl social media trend, which stands for seemingly perfect self-optimisation: Getting up early, meditating, writing a diary, exercising, eating healthily - all under the guise of self-care, but actually driven by capitalist ideals.

The piece combines dance, physical theatre and digital media: large screens show mobile phone views, filters, 3D scans and videos and add a digital layer to the stage - like cyborg versions of the #thatgirl character. With a feminist perspective, the performance scrutinises the connection between productivity, relaxation and social expectations. Instead of self-optimisation, the piece focuses on collective care and invites reflection on real needs.

Concept:

On stage are two performers and a multimedia artist. Digital extensions in the form of oversized smartphone screens create a hybrid reality: live streams, 3D scans, animations, avatars and filters merge with the performers bodies. These digital bodies can be read as independent actors, both a mirror and an exaggeration of the #thatgirl aesthetic. As in social media, a hybrid form emerges on stage blurring the lines between digital and physical.

The performance critically addresses social norms, self-optimization and digital culture. Key thematic focuses include:

Critique of capitalist self-optimization
The #thatgirl routine represents a hyper-perfect, productivity-driven lifestyle. Routine My Ass interrogates how and why “self-care” becomes a product.
Tension between productivity and rest
Not only do the performative movements play with tension and relaxation, but the performance counters the constant “faster, higher, further” logic with experiences of genuine deceleration. The staging opens a chill-out zone where the audience can sit on soft rugs and relax, accompanied by fresh cucumber water, a playful nod to wellness and lifestyle influencer aesthetics.
Digitalization and identity
Through avatars and social media elements, the performance makes visible how technology shapes our perceptions of the body.
Collectivity and community care
In contrast to the isolation promoted by the #thatgirl ideal, the performance emphasizes collective practice. The concept itself emerged from ongoing collaborative exchange: maintaining set working hours, exercising together, and sharing emotions, daily routines and working habits to foster mutual support and balance during the rehearsal process. Further consideration is given to involving the audience, through participatory moments or subsequent workshops.