Shortly after its release on Aug. 9, 2019, Megan Thee Stallion’s hit song, “Hot Girl Summer,” featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign, quickly became an anthem for women everywhere. A manifesto for a generation of women owning their sexuality and radiating confidence.
As I’m sure many of you remember, the term “hot girl summer” originates from Twitter and is attributed to a line in Megan Thee Stallion’s song, “Cash Shit.” The internet took it and ran, and hot girl summer was soon the meme of the season. People were posting their best selfies and joking about their sex lives, but the punchline was always positivity. Hot girl summer is most importantly about owning who you are and being unapologetically yourself. It’s about women supporting each other, and most importantly, themselves. It may have started with memes about a season of hooking up and wilding out, but the overall message of the idea is self-confidence. Defined by the woman herself, it’s all about women “just having a good-ass time, hyping up your friends, doing you, not giving a damn” about what anyone has to say about it. It’s about achieving your goals, no matter what they may be, and taking charge of your own happiness.
For so long, women have been shamed for any open expressions of sexuality. Society has constructed women as sex objects, but the moment any one of those women displays her sexual agency, she is called a slut or a whore, condemned for taking ownership of the one thing these men want from her by the same men who want it. But hot girl summer marked the beginning of an era where women are allowed to be sexual. They’re allowed to be confident in any and every way. If someone (*cough* a man) has anything to say about it, ignore them! The only opinion of you that truly matters at the end of the day is yours, and if you like who you are that is what’s most important. I know it’s easy to tell yourself not to care about the opinions of haters and internet trolls; brushing off hateful comments can be really difficult. But this era is also about kindness. To yourself and others. Self-love is a learning process, and if you hit a few bumps along the way, you can’t beat yourself up over it.
The fact of the matter is, women are amazing. Sometimes I sit down and think about all the incredible sh*t women do every day and it’s so crazy. Women are intelligent and resourceful and ambitious, so much more than just a sex object. And not only that, but women do all the same things men can (and more) while simultaneously existing in a society built to tear them down. And have you ever thought about periods? Women on their periods go to work, they work out, they take care of children, they get sh*t done, all the while enduring painful cramps and bloating and the overall icky feelings that accompany menstruation. Have you ever seen a man do anything productive while in pain? Because I haven’t. Women do it for a week every single month. That never ceases to amaze me.
And now the question must be asked: is hot girl summer exclusive to women? Not at all. Anyone can have a hot girl summer, no matter their gender, sexual identity, sexuality, etc. And having a hot girl summer doesn’t necessarily mean having sex or even being single. If you want to have sex, then do it! But if not, your hot girl summer doesn’t have to include it! What’s most important is making the best choices for your own happiness. Hot girl summer is what you make of it. Harness its power for anything you determine is important.
As the great Nicki Minaj once said, “when we said it’s Hot Girl Summer we ain’t talkin’ ‘bout degrees.” Hot Girl Summer is not a just season. It’s an era. And I live by that.
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