The phrase Hot Girl Summer was coined by Megan Thee Stallion in 2019 when she released a song with the same name.
“It’s just basically about women – and men – just being unapologetically them … You definitely have to be a person that can be the life of the party,” she told The Root at the time.
However this summer, Gen Zs are whistling a slightly different tune, ditching the “hot” label and embracing their inner rat.
While the idea of being a “rat girl” seems somewhat off-putting, the concept behind the term is actually quite a bit of fun.
Originally thought up by TikToker Lola Kolade in early June, rat girl summer essentially encourages people to enjoy the warm weather outdoor, relish in eating delicious food and refrain from putting too much thought into anything.
“We are having a rat girl summer OK? We are scurrying around the streets, we’re nibbling on our little snacks and generally finding ourselves in places we have no business being in. Embrace the rodent energy,” Lola shared with her followers.
The social media user even brainstormed four rules for Gen Zers who want to embrace the chaotic energy and have their rattiest summer yet.
The first rule is that rat girls have to go outside.
“You cannot scurry in bed, you cannot scurry on your couch. You need to leave your home,” Lola proclaimed.
Throughout the week, there are two days allocated for “decaying” in which rat girls can scroll for hours on social media, binge watch their favourite movies and TV shows and “rot in bed”.
Women are now embracing their "feral energy". Photos / TikTok
“If I find out that you are rotting in bed for more than two days a week, I will be forced to pull up and beat your ass. Actions have consequences,” she warned.
“Nibbling on our little snacks” is the second rule. Kolade revealed that it was crucial to rat girl summer to enjoy eating food. It is important to consume healthy, nourishing meals “so you can make mischief and mayhem” and not “starving yourself to be skinny for summer”.
Rule number three is “killing the cringe”, where people are told to ignore any feelings of embarrassment from doing what they truly desire.
“Whatever your drive, your whimsy tells you that you want to do, follow that urge,” the TikToker shared.
The last rule is to not overthink, with Lola instructing viewers to always go with their instinct.
“Do you think a rat thinks twice before stealing a slice of pizza and scurrying across the subway platform? No, we’re going with our gut, we’re going with our intuition,” she said.
The Rat Girl Summer trend has gone viral on social media, with young women posting clips of how they are embracing their “feral” side.
One TikTok video showed two girls furiously devouring nachos through the window of a car – which is seemingly a perfect example of peak rat girl energy.
“Pov you pick up your girlfriend from a party but it’s feral rat girl summer and ur drunk friends start taking fist fulls of your nachos,” Meg Moon wrote.
Another user, Saoirse, shared a clip of her and her friends rowing a boat in the middle of the night and singing along to songs, citing rat girl summer.
“Me and the gang cruising our way through rat girl summer,” she captioned the video.
