Goodbye—and good riddance—to ‘Hot Girl Summer’
(A wistful column from the archives, posted on a hot, humid August 2024 day, originally published September 2021)
According to social media, we have just wrapped up “Hot Girl Summer.”
I am not a hot girl and consider summer the season of sweating and bugs, so I skipped the trend. As far as I can tell, it was mostly young women “being their best selves” by posting bikini pictures online and pretending the pandemic was over.
While hot girls were radiating confidence by twirling in sundresses, I spent most of the summer pacing, waiting for the chance to finally say those magic words: “Gonna be good sleeping weather tonight.” I’ve reorganized my sock drawer and ceremonially returned our heaviest comforter to its rightful place on our bed.
Fall is here, and I’m loving it.
“Fall brings me as close as I can get to my dream life as a woodland creature in an English children’s book.”
My enthusiasm for this time of year might sound cliché, but for me, taking selfies in a corn maze is only part of the appeal. I don’t wear Uggs. I’ve never had a pumpkin spice latte, if such a thing even exists in Addison County. Yes, the smell of cinnamon makes my heart flutter, but I feel no shame.
Fall has its challenges, of course. The temperatures can swing 30 degrees in as many minutes, leaving me unsure of what to wear. I know the correct answer is “layers,” but as a person who runs cold, I tend to overdo it. On a chilly morning, I’ll pile on long sleeves and a sweater and heavy socks, only to end up running errands among people wearing flip-flops and tank tops.
I laugh at them for not knowing when to let go of summer, those fools. But later, when I leave the supermarket and flirt with heatstroke while pushing my cart across the sunbaked parking lot, I understand. On the drive home, I have to jam a bag of frozen peas under my thermal henley to keep from passing out.
Then, in another two hours, when the mercury has plummeted, you’ll find me lounging on the porch steps in a fleeting patch of sunshine, like an iguana.
I find so many things about fall irresistible. The drop in humidity alone raises my baseline mood index from a 5.0 to an 8.2. And there are sensory pleasures: the smell of fallen leaves, the taste of chicken noodle soup, the sound of tearing open a bag of mini KitKats I secretly know no trick-or-treaters will ever show up for.
A lot of it, I think, comes down to the sensation of feeling protected against the first hints of cold. Keeping warm in winter is serious work, but in the fall the stakes are lower. It’s like a game you can win just by pulling on a pair of socks or closing a window.
My enjoyment of fall involves either finding warmth, such as wrapping my hands around a mug of hot apple cider, or anticipating a need for warmth, such as knitting a hat. The season has all the challenges of fighting the elements but without the threat of frostbite, which comes later and takes a lot of fun out of things.
And while many people curse the changes that are coming, like turning the clocks back, I embrace the impending darkness. At last, I can focus on my favorite activity—cocooning—without feeling judged by people who think staying home all the time is antisocial.
I mean, of course it’s antisocial, but in the best way. The darker it gets, the less likely friends are to badger me with outrageous demands, like “Let’s meet up for coffee.”
Fall brings me as close as I can get to my dream life as a woodland creature in an English children’s book. In that world, I live under a tree in a snug little home featuring dark walls and low ceilings, where I sip endless pots of hot tea by a glowing fireplace.
But don’t get the impression that my affection for fall and its associated coziness means I’m not busy. Last weekend, I stacked firewood, finished a project on my spinning wheel, baked my third apple pie of the season, and made beeswax candles. I’m over here prepping for winter like I’m the reincarnation of Ma Freaking Ingalls.
I hope all of you who celebrated Hot Girl Summer had a great time rocking your sunglasses and lip gloss and jumping off docks or whatever it was you did. Just be aware that, at least in my world, Hot Girl Summer has given way to Older Woman Fall.
It’s my time now.
