Hot Girl Summer is all about being unapologetically you. It almost goes without saying this year’s theme should be about taking ‘me-time’ to the next level – which means fully embracing JOMO.
If, somehow, you haven’t yet encountered JOMO, it is the yin to FOMO‘s yang: the joy of missing out, rather than the fear of it.
According to the scrupulously peer-reviewed wonder-text Urban Dictionary, JOMO can be defined as:
“You’re enjoying what you’re doing in the here and now and not on social media broadcasting or seeing what everybody else is doing.”
But there’s far more to it than just avoiding Kim Kardashian in your Instagram feed. It’s a feeling no dictionary will ever sum up more accurately than this iconic Vine:
Cancelling plans is by far the most cathartic expression of JOMO known to humankind. Or as John Mulaney puts it:
Even the wildest party animals have to admit that there are some Friday nights when a bubble bath is a far more attractive destination than a club. Over the last few years, the concept of self-care has undergone a social transformation – no longer is it selfish to prioritise your own whole-life health, now it’s so valid and we’re here for it.
JOMO might just be capable of helping us out in the long run too, by avoiding peer pressure that leads to unsafe behaviours and dangerous situations. We feel much less guilty about bailing, and bailing on a night of heavy drinking or a house party at a stranger’s place can be a huge relief.
However, it’s probably important to point out that the JOMO life isn’t always about a whole Saturday in your PJs. Escapism is great temporarily, but you don’t want to let yourself become isolated. Australian society is facing a chronic loneliness problem, and millennials are the loneliest generation of them all.
If your ideal weekend is spent streaming John Wick, not going down to the pub with a crowd of uni friends, don’t flake out completely. Why not invite a couple of those mates round to enjoy some Keanu Reeves with you earlier in the arvo? If JOMO and FOMO are yin and yang, then you need a bit of each to be in total social harmony.
