Hot Girl Summer Syndrome
It’s that time of year. The time of year when girls everywhere will be posting fresh bikini pics, the best workouts to get that dump truck, and promo codes to your favorite online stores.
That’s right friends. It’s officially Hot Girl Summer.
I want to premise this article by saying that at its core, the idea of having a hot girl summer is something I think everyone should experience. A “hot girl summer” encompasses empowerment, healthy habits, and prioritizing yourself. It is supposed to represent a period of freedom, a period of growth, and a period dedicated solely to oneself.
However, I think sometimes that idea of having a hot girl summer is completely misconstrued. What is supposed to be a time period for oneself becomes a time period for someone else. Typically, I would say the idea of having a hot girl summer is activated post-breakup. It is when a girl is expected to glow up immediately after her breakup and prove to everyone (specifically her ex) that she is doing well, so well that she now has washboard abs and a roster full of new partners. Hot girl summer has turned into a summer full of revenge.
The principle of hot girl summer is under this guise of empowerment, but in reality, it is rooted in toxicity. A personal example of this would be when I explained to people I had recently gotten out of a relationship. A very common response I would hear is, “Just in time for hot girl summer.”
To me, this is reinforcing that toxicity. It’s creating habits, not for me, but to prove to someone else that I’m fine, I’m hot, I’m thriving, etc. The habits are rooted in revenge, not in wanting to grow for me. I think most women I know suffer from what I have coined, “Hot Girl Summer Syndrome.” This type of behavior is what encourages that toxicity. It’s not understanding that someone can still be grieving over a relationship, even though it has been some time since they’ve broken up. It’s putting pressure on someone to start eating a certain way, to post more, to be going out, meeting new people, to prove something.
In case no one has explicitly said this to you, or you’re down with a case of Hot Girl Summer Syndrome, you don’t have to prove anything to anyone. You can have a summer to yourself, and this is still very much a hot girl one. You can work on grieving an old relationship while still moving on. You control the pace of your healing and growth.
As we get closer to summer, be mindful of Hot Girl Summer Syndrome. Although someone may be motivating your Hot Girl Summer, make sure it’s all for you at the end of the day. You’re the person who matters the most.