WTF Is ‘Hot Girl Summer’ And Why Is Everyone Talking About It?

If you fancy yourself a purveyor of fine Internet memes, you’d be well aware of a new term floating around the web. According to the Internet gods, we’re in the thick of Hot Girl Summer – or at least the United States is…and Australia is about to follow suit. So, what is it exactly?

The term was originally coined by rapper Megan Thee Stallion in her track ‘Hot Girl Summer’ featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign. It’s a bona fide banger with over 33 million streams, however careful analysis of the lyrics provides little insight into the phenomenon.  

“It’s a Hot Girl Summer, so you know she got it lit, yeah. Real a** b*tch, know she got it lit,” is just a taste. 

According to Know Your Meme, the phrase has taken on a whole new form since Megan Thee Stallion dropped her track. In May this year, Twitter user @sweetliketeaaa posted a selfie captioned, “I heard it’s a hot girl summer,” which set of a chain reaction of other social media users referencing the track.

OK, BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN!?

In an interview with the Root in June, Megan said, “It’s just basically about women – and men – just being unapologetically them, just having a good-a** time, hyping up your friends, doing you, not giving a damn about what nobody got to say about it.”

“You definitely have to be a person that can be the life of the party, and, y’know, just a bad b*tch,” she said. 

Even Miley Cyrus has jumped on the bandwagon, captioning an IG pic of her thong-clad derriere with the iconic phrase. 

So, it’s simple, really. This Internet fad is all about living your best life and exuding self-confidence. Serious question: can it be Hot Girl Summer all year long?