Once upon a time, ‘hot girl summer’ was very much aligned with my long term interests.
Now, just the very idea of using ‘yes to all’ as a way of unlocking my ‘unapologetically authentic self’…is nothing short of preposterous!!
For those not familiar with the term, Hot Girl Summer (according to Drake, at least) revolves loosely around the idea of ‘wearing less… and going out more", not to mention generally ‘living your best life!’ - for want of a better explanation.
Based on this description alone, I can safely say that if anything is going to bring me closer to that ‘best version’ of myself - the currency of which seems to be king on social media - it’s by doing the exact OPPOSITE of what hot girl summer mandates.
In other words…
Saying no more often.
Seeking solitude.
Sipping tea
Becoming a Feril Woman in the Woods!??
Luckily, those in the know say that HGS is open to interpretation, and not necessarily defined by the stereotype of beach-lounging-Aperol-sipping-BFFs, with sand between their toes and a ticket to the roof bar tucked into their Daisy Dukes!
The only prerequisite, instead, is to lean into freedom and frivolity.
Thanks to this loophole, I can effectively trade group hugs for tree hugs, and still earn HGS status… apparently.
In so doing, hot girl summer not only becomes introvert-inclusive, but also niches down on a kind of hangover-free hedonism which - compared to the champagne-downing default - almost begs the question, as to who’s laughing now!?
Here’s a clue… it’s probably not the #tooblessedtobestressed masses with more photos than memories to show for the now-Moët-shaped hole in their bank balance!
What I’ve found, in conclusion, is that what the ’woman in the woods’ version of HGS might lack in tequila, it more than makes up for in sunrises…coupled with a sense of all-round, booze-free best-life-living that’s surely got to be worth a shot…or two!