The Tab’s guide to having the ultimate hot girl summer

Summer 2022 is for the gals only

2 years ago

The time is here, hot girl summer is fast approaching. If you can possibly see past the mound of deadlines and the daily slog at the library, get ready for a summer of finally fully embracing your best self. Lets be honest, summer 2020 and 2021 were both a bit of a flop, but this Covid-free upcoming summer looks like its going to be a win for the girls.

If you’ve been living under a literal rock and are new to the phrase “hot girl summer”, it was coined by the queen Megan Thee Stallion in her iconic 2019 song, going on to set the internet ablaze. Since its release, the phrase has also evolved and often become confused.

Do you have to be single? Is getting fit and booking in for a laser hair removal appointment a necessity? Do I need to burn the pictures of every man whose ever left me heartbroken and immediately sign myself up to a dating app?

Rest assured, The Tab has got you covered. We’re here to break down the meaning of hot girl summer and outline exactly how you can truly fulfil all of your hot girl summer goals.

1.Stop doom scrolling

Apart from reading Tab articles (feel free to scroll all day long), the first step to a hot girl summer is to get out and actually enjoy being finally free from the shackles of deadlines.

You know that list you’ve got on your phone of all those things you’ve been planning on doing with your friends for years but nobody’s ever actually been bothered to make happen? Got a girls holiday that everybody’s too lazy to book? Well this is the time ladies, get checking Skyscanner for those good flight deals.

Nothing better than actually managing to get a group holiday past the group chat stage

2. Make some time for yourself this hot girl summer

Obviously hot girl summer is a great time to invest in a buzzing social life, mingling with new people and taking on every new opportunity possible, but in the words of Megan Thee Stallion herself, it’s also about “living your truth”.

If you fancy a day of doing nothing but binge watching every Made in Chelsea episode whilst engulfing an entire family Dairy Milk Chocolate bar, embrace it. If you want to relive the first lockdown and go completely MIA for a week that’s also fine, just do whatever makes you happy.

3. Only go on dating apps for the right reasons

Listen, whether we like it or not hot girl summer seems to have acquired a bit of a reputation for basically being a competition for how many people you can possibly be romantically associated with at once. However, don’t fall into this toxic trap.

Dating apps are great, but they’re certainly not a necessity for ensuring you have a hot girl summer. “Hotness” comes from within, and if you don’t feel mentally ready or interested in engaging in the tumultuous world of online dating, simply don’t.

If you are though, you’ll either come out with some tragic stories that will either deter you from even speaking to the male species again, or you’ll meet the love of your life, there’s strictly no in-between.

4. Abandon the toxic fitness regime you think you need

The narrative of a summer glow up as a vital necessity to fulfilling the so-called hot girl summer criteria is incredibly damaging and toxic.

We all look back on the lockdown era of Chloe Ting with an aura of PTSD tbh, and quite frankly there’s no need to go back into that phase for the sake of perfecting that so-called ‘summer bod’ (spoiler alert: any body is a summer body).

A hot girl isn’t a specific size with a specific body, but someone who simply loves the way they look and embraces it to its fullest extent. So put the workout videos down and just relax.

5. Experiment with your outfits

Hot girl summer fashion seems to be synonymous with mini dresses and high heels but that wont necessarily be to everyone’s taste. After two years in loungewear it’s time to try new things this summer, so wear whatever you deem “hot” with pride.

Instead of trying to fit the latest fashion statement or whether you’re “cool enough” for the trends, go big or go home and just have fun with your fashion this summer.

For some this might mean bright colours and bold prints, whilst others may favour less conventional pieces. Honestly, anything goes as long as YOU feel hot (although probs best to avoid clothes that actually make you feel physically hot on the off chance there’s a heat wave).

6. If you have a toxic man in your life, dump him

Listen, whilst we’ve already established that hot girl summer isn’t automatically decided by your relationship status one thing is for certain, no toxic boys are permitted to enter your summer realm of tranquility and self-improvement.

It’s a no-brainer that a man who hasn’t changed his bedsheets for six months, still doesn’t understand how to wash up his own dishes and has a sense of humour almost entirely based upon sexist “jokes” isn’t the key component to helping you discover your best self.

So this is your sign ladies, if your mothering him, dump him. This summer is for the gals only.

7. Hot girl summer is all about the mindset

A lot of discussions regarding hot girl summer are rather superficial, based almost entirely upon toxic expectations of physical appearance and societal standards of beauty that quite frankly are unnecessary and outdated.

Having a hot girl summer is about embracing your self-confidence, knowing your self-worth and, ultimately, as Megan Thee Stallion herself insists, simply focusing on being “unapologetically you”.