彼女は食べたいみたいです。 looks like she wants to eat. (It is 70% true. but It could turn out that she actually does not want to eat ) 彼女はたべたがっています She is showing her eagerness to eat. (It is 99% true that she wants to eat). >In my 10 years of experience in Japan, ～みたい　is common. Why is it more common? It is because it hardly happens that you can be 99% sure about other people's eagerness, or because you don't show your eagerness to others so often. ※ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pqNl-xLz4I OK：ネイマールが痛がっています。 NG?：ネイマールは痛いみたいです。 ※ ～みたいです。What you guess about someone ～がっています。Someone's action

You can say when expressing objective properties, states and features. 〇わたしは 元気です。I am fine. 〇彼は元気です。 He is fine. But you can not say feelings and wants. "~みたい" is the same as "~ようだ". "～みたい" is colloquial than "～ようだ". There are several ways to use this word, but for your question can use it when you are guessing. Your example is correct. 〇彼女は食べたいみたいです。 〇彼女はアイスクリームが欲しいみたいです。 "たがる" can say other person emotions and demands. 〇わたしはかなしい。I'm Sad. ×かれはかなしい。 He is sad. But, if you use "たがる" you can say that. 〇かれは さみしがっています。 〇かれは本をほしがっています。 〇かれはレストランへいきたがっています。

In my 10 years of experience in Japan, ～みたい　is common.