How To Actually Have A Hot Girl Summer

The majority of us spend a lot of time on the internet, consuming all kinds of content at the risk of our mental health. Many trends that circulate online have been designed and curated specifically to tear down the self-esteem of women, and/or mold us to act and look a certain way. These trends always increase around this time of year, and the idea of “hot girl summer” has wormed its way into the psyche of every teenage girl and young adult woman. 

It’s common during the spring season for an influx of content about how to get a “bikini body fast” to hit everyone’s TikTok and Instagram feeds. However, I think the key to a hot girl summer is not grounded in how we look, but instead how we feel. 

It is time to reframe the way we think about the “perfect” summer:

1. Be patient with yourself. Improve your health to feel good instead of look good. 

This spring and summer, you should take advantage of sunny days: go for walks, swim, and try new workout classes. Make fun recipes, journal each day, and listen to more podcasts. Moving your body and taking care of your brain are great ways to spend your time over summer break, but there’s no need to force yourself to do a “75 hard” challenge to chase after an unrealistic beauty standard. A bikini body is your body but in a bikini. 

2. Prioritize time with your friends.

Make a summer bucket list! Include places you want to visit and crafts you want to make together. Plan beach and lake days, buy concert tickets and look into fun experiences around where you live. The best part of summer is not what you looked like in your Instagram photos, but rather the memories you captured in them.  

3. Live in the moment! 

Try your best to spend some intentional time each day off of social media. Toxicity on the internet is rampant and can make us feel like our bodies aren’t good enough, our relationships aren’t healthy enough, and our summers aren’t exciting enough. Look at the world around you and focus on the things you love about your life, instead of the things social media is trying to convince you to hate. 

While all of these things may seem simple or self-explanatory, it truly is very important to get back to the basics this summer. A “hot girl summer” has absolutely nothing to do with how you look and everything to do with the mindset you choose to embody. 

• mental health