The weather is scorching, Covid-19 rules are relaxing, and it is time. We are officially in the midst of hot girl summer.
Now the phrase has been a hot topic ever since the trend started on the social media platform TikTok. But where did it come from? Well, none other than absolute Savage rapper Megan Thee Stallion, the original Hot Girl in all her fierce glory.
Although it was Megan’s loyal fans, accurately named “The Hotties”, who brought the trend to life. There are many misconceptions of what ‘hot girl summer’ really is. Your run of the mill misogynist swill assume that it’s women’s excuse to be ‘hoes’.
However, this does not pass the vibe check.
If you want an in-depth explanation of what Hot Girl Summer is, look no further. Hot girl summer is all about confidence and happiness. No, it’s not about looking good for men or flexing for them. Also, women don’t need an excuse to be sexually active.
In the iconic words of Salt-N-Pepper: “It’s none of your business.”
Now, if you want to get factual, even the Urban Dictionary, otherwise known as the millennial bible, quotes that hot girl summer is: “A summer where you are in charge of your own happiness.”
People, hot girl summer is all about you.
It’s about feeling yourself, looking in the mirror and liking what you see. It’s for everyone. The best part about hot girl summer is that it’s inclusive and invites everyone to fall in love with themselves.
It’s living in the moment and hyping up your friends, even the Stallion herself said in an interview with Root that the piping hot trend is:
“It’s just basically about women — and men — just being unapologetically them, just having a good-ass time, hyping up your friends, doing you, not giving a damn about what nobody got to say about it. You definitely have to be a person that can be the life of the party, and, y’know, just a bad bitch.”
Megan Thee Stallion
Now tell me, who gets to define this? Obviously, the iconic woman who wrote the lyrics. Megan Thee Stallion is here and better than ever, inspiring a whole self-fulfilling movement. Trust me, it’s a global one too. If you haven’t seen the ‘hotgirlsummer’ in an Instagram caption or hashtagged in a Tweet, then the rock you’re living under must be pretty snug.
The main mission is to normalise women, and everyone else, enjoying their bodies. To be allowed to feel pride in what they’ve grown. Self-love has become more accepted as of recent, but there will always be holdbacks. This is why hot girl summer is important because we need to eradicate this fear of openly admiring ourselves.
Because women have been pushed into stereotypes since the dawn of time. One of the most lasting ones is the idea of a “proper woman”. Yes, we all know her. She sits on the patriarchies shelf, right next to “The Girl Next Door” and the old as time “Wife Material”.
This often means women have to behave in a way that caters to men’s sense of security. To dress modestly, to be respectful to a laughable extent and only be a savage in the kitchen. Whilst this might work for some women, we’re not an all type fits all kind.
We celebrate the bachelor lifestyle, now we chant for hot girl summer. Don’t like it? Sorry, we don’t care.
Society is being whipped into the twenty-first century. Where women are empowered and empowering each other. Feminism has never been so relevant. We actively march for women’s rights and if that isn’t hot girl sh*t, I don’t know what is.
Megan Thee Stallion has inspired a whole generation of women to live their truth. That’s what Hot Girl Summer is all about. Being inspired by yourself, accepting who you are, and having fun whilst doing it.
So, if you’re going to use hot girl summer as an excuse to slut-shame: do better. It’s not impressive or original. It doesn’t make you any less decent to brave the world bra-less or to post a selfie for no reason other than feeling yourself.
Now go make the most of hot girl summer, after all, the fun has just begun.
Featured image credit: Dazeddigital.com
Deputy Editor of Brig Newspaper. Fourth year journalism and English student at the University of Stirling. Lover of covering social issues and creator of 'The Talk' column for everyone who needs to hear it.
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