It's Hot Girl Summer Time ☄️
Welcome to Hot Girl Summer 2019.
You may have started to see this around — meme-ing its way around instagram and twitter, inspiring a roller coaster of think pieces. What is Hot Girl Summer and could I — should I — be having one?
In the words of its creator rapper Megan Thee Stallion (inspired by her track "Cash Shit"), here is Hot Girl Summer explained:
"It's about women — and men — being unapologetically them, having a good ass time, hyping up your friends, doing you, and not giving a damn what nobody has to say about it."
It's Megan Rapinoe's speech at the World Cup parade calling for all of us to do our best in this world, celebrating this team of women who achieves everything with power and a sense of humor and kisses who they want to kiss, and apologizing for some (but certainly not all) of the fires she's stoked...while still holding feet to those fires. It's this energy always. TBH, it's every moment and every woman on the USWNT (#nationaltreasures).
It's allowing female desire to be something we discuss instead of ignore, no matter how uncomfortable or messy or imperfect or sympathetic or unsympathetic it makes us feel. It's the tidal wave of reactions being caused by Three Women, a book that does just that through storytelling. We are excited to host its author, Lisa Taddeo, at The Assembly next week.
It's Serena Williams standing proud, untouched and honest, speaking truth about what she faces as a black woman in sports and hyping up another young black woman who already sees the power and necessity in standing up for yourself.
It's Mindy Kaling's 🗣 reminder for anyone who needs to hear it (it me): "WEAR A BIKINI IF YOU WANT TO WEAR A BIKINI."
It's five female presidential candidates.
It's AOC and Greta Thunberg spreading hope together.
It's reading incredible elite athletes like Amelia Boone talking about eating disorder treatment and recovery in her 30s, reestablishing trust with herself and her body after decades of shame.
It's Lizzo saying "if you can love me, you can love your goddamn self."
Not all of this is quite what Megan Thee Stallion had in mind (probably), but Hot Girl Summer is a mindset. It's finding ways to be in charge of your own happiness. It's bringing your friends along for the ride. It's allowing challenges and struggles to be part of the process. It's fully embracing the opportunities to have a good ass time when they arise, even if they're fleeting.
Hot Girl Summer is also feeling cute and not deleting later. Permission granted to simply feel cute.
It's all of these women hyping up other women. It's all of us hyping up each other. Who do you want to hype up (other than yourself, hyping up yourself is mandatory) this summer? Whoever she is, make sure she knows.
So here's to your Hot Girl Summer and the Hot Girl Summers of those you love. Hope to see you soon.
xo,
Molly