If you’re sick of hearing the term “Hot Girl Summer” (HGS), I can’t relate. Megan Thee Stallion summarized her phenomenon as being unapologetically yourself and encouraging your friends to do the same. My friends and I throw this around as encouragement to each other, whether one of us is feeling insecure in a bikini or sending a risky text. It’s a light-hearted reminder to each other that we are who we are and we’re loved for it, and to stop making ourselves uncomfortable for the sake of others. I’m about to get a little more personal than usual. How does this relate to fashion, you ask? It’s all a part of faking it ’til you make it.
“WEAR THE DAMN SHORTS” One goal of my HGS is to wear whatever makes me feel the most like myself that day. We don’t need to stick to aesthetics or worry about if we can “pull it off.” For me, this means not sticking to a certain style and working through feeling insecure in shorts or bikinis. I’ve come to learn that life is too short to worry so much about how my legs look. Fashion has always been my favorite form of self expression, and when I like what I’m wearing, I hold myself entirely different. I walk straighter with purpose, I smile more, and I feel like the main character (more on that later). Take a ton of pictures and post whatever you want. If you think you look good, then you do. End of story.
THE SUMMER OF EQUAL ENERGY: HGS isn’t just about looking good. It’s about feeling good enough to fully embrace it. My friends and I decided that this summer is also about giving energy in relation to how it’s given to you. This summer, we aren’t participating in unequal relationships or pouring too much of ourselves into the glasses of others. We’re focusing on relationships with those who value us, no hard feelings to the rest. I’m personally choosing to focus on those who that make me genuinely excited and leave me feeling positive, and less on those who leave me feeling emotionally drained. I’m so excited to make more memories with my amazing friends, who I deeply admire as people and who make me ugly, silent, belly laugh in the way only I can do.
STOP SCROLLING: A huge contribution to my growth over the past year was taking social media apps off of my phone, specifically Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. It sounds like a no brainer, but it can be hard to pull the trigger on this one. I love posting on Instagram. It’s fun and creative if used in the right way. However, the mindless scrolling completely kills my confidence, ruins my mood, and wastes a lot of time. How anxious I feel is directly correlated to my screen time. I try to only re-download the app to post, then immediately delete it again. If I need to see anything on my socials, I use my laptop. Instagram on a laptop is incredibly annoying, which helps discourage me from scrolling for long.
YOU’RE THE MAIN CHARACTER: Another trending hashtag, but it’s one I believe in: start romanticizing your life. Once you start living like you’re the main character of your own life, you start to notice the things that make you truly happy and the things you wouldn’t include in your story. Actually daydream about what the movie of your life would look like if you could make it. What kind of music would be on the soundtrack? Who would your co-stars (friends and family) be? What would you want to do? How would you want your character to grow by the end? I don’t mean become completely self-centered and ignore responsibilities, but rather try to find the romance in the little things everyday. I personally do this by listening to my “soundtrack of my life playlist,” staying off my phone and wandering, taking tons of photos in daily life, and enjoying a gorgeous day outside.
TABLE FOR ONE: Finally, the best way to feel confident this summer is to invest in your relationship with yourself. The more you understand about your soul and acknowledge personal growth, the more you can love yourself. I literally mean: date yourself. I started doing this in 2020. After spending so much time with myself, I learned what I would actually like to do with my free time that’s positive and makes me feel good. I started scheduling time for myself and going on solo dates. For a few hours each day off, I am “unavailable” and I take myself to the beach, read in the park, sit alone at a cute coffee shop, or drive around aimlessly blasting music. As an introvert, this is a highlight of my week everytime.
I hope this little list of mine gave you some ideas and inspired you to take this season of life into your own hands. I’m sure I’ll read this again after publishing and think of a million other ways to have a hot girl summer, so let me know how you plan to have your best summer this year! I’d love to hear from you.
See you soon,
Jess
jess & threads 
You must be logged in to post a comment.