People Told Us the Most Hot Girl Thing They Did This Summer

In case you hadn’t heard, we have all just lived through rapper Megan Thee Stallion's Hot Girl Summer. Hugely misunderstood by several publications as a meme (?), 'Hot Girl Summer' is basically a lifestyle, a commitment to living life to the fullest and being perpetually on your bullshit. Sure, those three words quickly became the catchphrase of summer 2019, but as Megan herself told us all, the gist is, “being unapologetically you, having fun, being confident, living your truth.” Simple.

As we move into September, summer may be ending but the Hot Girls will live on – Megan herself recently declared the start of the Hot Girl Semester. In celebration of a whole new season of living your best life, we asked the people of London to share the most Hot Girl Summer thing they did this year.

VICE: What’s the most Hot Girl Summer thing you’ve done?
Sara: A guy tried to bully me on the train and I told him to fuck off.

Did you feel like you were having a Hot Girl Summer after that?
Absolutely.

Where were you going?
It was the Central Line I was heading to Oxford Circus.

What did he say?
He said, “You should be lucky because you’re a woman, otherwise I would have slapped you.” He was having a bad day, I guess and I must have moved in front of him or something.

It’s not much better than threatening to slap you. Were you with anyone?
I was with my husband, who tried to calm me down. He said, “Don’t worry, calm down,” but I said, “No, I don’t care. You don’t speak to a woman like that.” It feels good to let them know instead of just shutting up. Always.

VICE: What’s the most Hot Girl Summer thing you’ve done?
Nele: Um, oh my goodness. What have I done this summer? That’s the question. I was hiking in Italy and it was so hot that I just walked around in my bra.

Vibey. Is that something you might normally do?
Not really, I was like, “Okay, I’m in the mountains, I can just do it." But the next second, we were in a village full of old people and there I was in my bra. I mean, they’re probably used to it and thought it’s just crazy tourists taking off their clothes. I might have had some strange looks – I have no idea how much happens in that village. It might have been the highlight of the week.

Were you with anyone?
I was with my brother. He took off his shirt but I think it’s much more common for guys to do it. I just took it off because of equality, and you don’t want to pass out in the heat. There was no shade on the hike for about three hours.

VICE: Hi Juan. Have you heard the term ‘Hot Girl Summer’?
Juan: No.

You could say it’s doing something fun for yourself.
Back in Spain, there was a party in an attic in a house and I joined them. It was amazing.

Okay… I mean, that's not the sam– never mind. Were the people in the attic your friends?
No, no, no. I didn’t know them, I walking on the street, they called from the window asking for ice, so I bought ice from a shop, took it up and joined them. It was amazing.

Is that something you reckon might often happen in Spain?
Well, yeah but it depends on you as well. When I started living on Brick Lane, I started doing it. I called people to bring ice to my own party after that. I was living there, just over the bagel shop. I partied with young people, old people. You don’t have to be a stereotype to have a good time.

VICE: Hi you two, what’s the most Hot Girl Summer thing you’ve done?
Bella: It’s about looking good, right?

It could be. It's more about treating yourself well, loving who you are but not being faux-spiritual or pretentious about it.
I started going to the gym, I just wanted to look better because I normally don’t care. Also, I took off my entire swimming costume. I was in Luxembourg with my friend and it was a really small place. I saw these two elderly women take off their top and I thought, “I want to do that. I like that. I’m not embarrassed anymore.” It was really liberating.

Do you think you’ll do it again?
Bella: I hope so, maybe not in a really crowded place.
Janet: I used to do that all the time, and she was like, “Oh mum, don’t.”

Ha, thank you both.

VICE: What’s the most Hot Girl Summer thing you’ve done?
Jack: I don’t do anything Hot Girl Summer. I just spent £8 on an Aperol Spritz. That’s like a really stupid hot girl thing to do.

When did you do that?
Literally just now, it was an 11AM £8 cocktail, there you go.

Are you OK? More importantly, did it taste worth it?
No, it was very underwhelming.

It’s quite a trendy thing to drink.
Exactly. Yeah, it is. I didn’t Boomerang it on Instagram though. I think I’m misunderstanding what a Hot Girl Summer is. Is it a basic bitch thing?

Quite the opposite – It’s a Megan Thee Stallion thing.
Oh.

VICE: What’s the most Hot Girl Summer thing you’ve done?
Gemma: Probably buying a dog. I didn’t think I’d have time, but I’ve made time for him and he’s a cool little character.

What made you make the decision?
I wanted one so I thought, "I’ll look at dogs but I won’t buy one, I’ll be sensible about it." But when someone puts a puppy in your hands, you can’t really say no, can you? So next thing, I was riding home on the tube with this little tiny puppy in my hands thinking, "Fuck." But it worked out well in the end.

What’s his name?
Pablo, he’s a Chihuahua.

Cute! That seems like a hot girl type of dog.
I guess so, it’s a bit Paris Hilton but he’s OK. He doesn’t make much noise, doesn’t bark.

More chilled than Paris Hilton, maybe?
Yeah definitely. He’s not a handbag dog, he uses his legs. He doesn’t get carried. I don’t regret it but it’s definitely a spontaneous decision that I wouldn’t normally make. I had to leave him at home today because I went to get my lips done – I’ve had them done before. The dog is something I wouldn’t normally do, because it’s a living creature I guess, like having a baby. It’s definitely made me a bit calmer; I don’t party as much. I work in a nightclub so it’s nice to have a dog and do normal things.

VICE: What’s the most Hot Girl Summer thing you’ve done?
I think it was dumping my boyfriend and then coming to Europe.

That’s a big one. Where are you from?
I’m from the States but originally, I’m Afghan.

Are you on good terms with your boyfriend?
We are, yes but we don’t speak.

How does it feel being single now?
It’s overwhelming and everyone’s just a wolf, almost. You feel like a little sheep and all the men are too much. It’s weird because I didn’t get approached as much when I was in a relationship, so maybe it’s the energy you give off.

Where are you heading next?
Turkey, by myself.

Have you had any dates here?
I think I accidentally went on a date. I only realised it was a date when he asked if we could go on another date. We’d known each other through Instagram and he saw that I was in London. Otherwise, no. Now my friend’s joined me out here for a bit and sometimes female friendships are way more important to spend energy on than men.

That's real hot girl shit. Is she a good companion?
Yeah, we both love to share food at restaurants, and she sleeps the same amount of hours as me.

@bethankapur