For too long, women have been pushed into a mold that has told them how they should look. 

The “Hot Girl Summer” anthem written by Megan Thee Stallion has resulted in the emergence of the Hot Girl Summer movement. This movement is the encapsulation of feminism, as it ranges from body positivity movements to empowering women in professional advancements. Hot Girl Summer should not be restricted to a single season, and should be celebrated year round to consistently empower women. 

The main purpose of this movement is to normalize women appreciating their own bodies. It preaches self-love, which means prioritizing oneself instead of sacrificing oneself to the needs of others. Hot Girl Summer eradicates the fear of being judged for shamelessly admiring one’s body, and enables women around the world to feel a sense of pride within themselves. 

Psychology Today states, “Self-love is a state of appreciation for oneself that grows from actions that support our physical, psychological and spiritual growth. Self-love is dynamic.”

Women are confined by socially constructed beauty standards that make them believe that their body is the “wrong” body. Society’s golden standard of beauty such as being thin, yet having curves, along with being tall but not too tall, is far too demanding. The one-size-fits-all concept does not work, and that’s the end of the story. Everyone’s body is different and beautiful in its own imperfectly perfect way. Hot Girl Summer challenges women to embrace themselves through their own definitions of beauty, because who’s to say that one body type is more beautiful than another? 

Not only are women’s bodies often controlled by beauty standards, but women are also often encouraged to dress in a way that caters to men’s preferences. Women may feel compelled to dress more modestly in order to appeal to a man, when in reality, she may want to dress differently. Through the Hot Girl Summer movement, the idea that women should dress for themselves is promoted: regardless if that means dressing modestly or less modestly. 

Furthermore, the movement combats the expectation that women should be docile, quiet, and submissive. Society has bolstered the idea that women should naturally be in a subordinate position, especially in comparison to men. Hot Girl Summer gives the power and choice back to women, who had their voices stripped from them by societal pressure and standards. The movement advocates for women to enter the workplace and other industries that have been previously dominated by men, and advertises for women to break away from conventional gender roles. 

Megan Thee Stallion said it herself, “It’s just basically about women—and men—just being unapologetically them.” Actions like supporting other people, simply being themselves, and ignoring whatever others have to say about it are what the movement embodies. “You definitely have to be a person that can [be] the life of the party.” 

Hot Girl Summer is a liberating movement that should transcend beyond the boundaries of a single season; this is a feminist movement that should persist throughout the year in order to constantly empower women to be unapologetically them. 

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