In an industry largely dominated by men, Megan Thee Stallion has given the world what it needs most: a “Hot Girl Summer. What started out as a line from a catchy song has become a movement that encourages women everywhere to enjoy themselves, do what they like and “secure the bag.”

It is impossible to ignore the impact Megan, also known as Coach Meg by the Hot Girls, has made on social media and pop culture in just a few months.

Even several weeks into the academic year, girls can be heard screaming, “Hot Girl Semester!” to their friends while getting ready for a night out. Megan’s lyrics have inspired not just a Hot Girl Summer, but a Hot Girl lifestyle.

The Hot Girl movement was born the moment Megan released her song “Cash S–t,”  Which is primarily about making money and being confident. “Cash S–t,” was an instant hit.

Lines like “I’m a finesser, I’m a fly dresser” and “I can’t decide if I want the new Louis, Dapper Dan yellow/ I’m always in Gucci” had the girls and women of the world feeling self-assured and “baller” going into the steamy months of summer.

Because of the song’s popularity, the idea of “Hot Girl Summer” became the inspiration for thousands of tweets and memes on social media. @Hashtagcatie tweeted, “what is hot girl summer is that just slang for when its so hot in the car ur thighs stick to the seat.”

Men were wondering if it applied to them as well; @Malblum asked the poignant question, “what if my hot girl summer is more of a sad boy solstice.”

The Hot Girl memes were both entertaining and a valuable source of free marketing for the song and its artist. As the internet pondered what exactly a “Hot Girl Summer” meant, Coach Meg stepped in to set the record straight.

She tweeted, “Being a Hot Girl is about being unapologetically YOU, having fun, being confident, living YOUR truth, being the life of the party etc.” With this declaration, Megan inspired women everywhere to live their absolute best life throughout the summer.

Although the concept of a Hot Girl has made for great meme material, the movement has also had a noticeable impact on how young women view and express themselves.

Even with the heightened focus on women’s issues in the 21st century, women still face challenges that make it harder for them to live their lives.

Girls in high school and college are often held to extreme double standards in both real life and the media. Girls who enjoy going out are frequently seen only as “party girls” and have difficulty being taken seriously; meanwhile, girls who focus primarily on their education or career are seen as uptight.

The Hot Girl Summer mantra encourages young women to embrace their lifestyles, and enjoy themselves shamelessly in a world that habitually knocks them down. Shannon Strohmeyer, FCRH ’20, believes that Hot Girl Summer is all about “doing what makes you feel good.”

Although some on the internet misguidedly believe that the movement is only about being promiscuous or treating men in a certain way, there is no one way to be a Hot Girl.

At its core, the movement is a way for women from all walks of life, to uplift both themselves and other women.
Megan is unsurprisingly her own biggest hype man and had quite the Hot Girl Summer herself. The Hot Girl memes and subsequent movement catapulted her career, making her one of the most relevant artists of the year and an extremely popular social media personality.

All summer, she posted photos of her having fun with her famous friends, often captioning the photos with allusions to the movement to inspire her fans to do the same.

She posted a photo set of Jordyn Woods and herself posing on a yacht with the simple caption, “Real Hot girl sh*t” and some tasteful emojis this August.

Megan posted similar photos with Nicki Minaj, who is featured, along with Ty Dolla $ign, on her song, “Hot Girl Summer.”  The song is currently ranked 38th on the Spotify Top 50 chart, proving that although the summer is over, the Hot Girl mentality is still very much alive.

Today, women everywhere are readying themselves for a Hot Girl Semester, refusing to let the falling leaves and changing temperatures interrupt their plans for success and happiness.

By: Stephanie Gentle