New trends, memes, and slogans appear each season. Some are funny, while others feel greatly unnecessary. When taken out of context, the phrase, "hot girl summer" poses negative connotations to anyone who feels anything but hot in the warmer months. Summer, for many people, can mean high insecurity in terms of body image. The tag has over 43,000 posts on Instagram and is spreading to other social platforms.
However taken in context, "hot girl summer" stands for those very individuals. The phrase invites everyone to partake in their own version of being "hot." Knowing this, the phrase can be for the ones who feel pressured to look a certain way, encouraging them to result in being their own, real self on social platforms. This could be why the coined phrase by Megan Thee Stallion has been initiated and praised by many celebrities and others online; to support those who are deciding to be themselves on social media, amid all the other summer body expectations.
The phrase is not something I supported first hand. To me, It sounded more unsupportive of body image encouragement, seeming strictly for the use of people who have model-like physiques. Yet, after looking into its background, my feelings changed. Megan Thee Stallion describes the phrase in her song as empowerment meant to encourage all bodies to embrace their inner confidence and live their summers to the fullest.
Without knowing this, the phrase seems like another trendy and unoriginal Instagram caption to be paired with a simplistic bikini photo at the beach. Yet it can be universal, used by all bodies of all shapes and sizes, to promote the beauty and importance of body confidence in the summertime.
The caption can be used on numerous photos; sitting at the beach with friends, posing in front of a building, a natural selfie. It all plays a role in creating an individual's version of a "hot girl summer." The beauty is that it can look different for everyone.
So why has it bothered me so much? Maybe because the messages and trends spread around on social media are not always the best. It could also be that reading Instagram captions telling me its the summer to be "hot" sound more degrading than they do inspiring. It can be a confusing term, but when digging deeper, the intended positivity can be understood. Having a "hot girl summer" is about looking and feeling good in your own way—dressing in what makes you feel completely you, posting about your confidence, and supporting others who feel great being themselves—that is a message I can support.
