You've no doubt heard of 'Hot Girl Summer', but have you heard of its carefree, funner and generally way cooler cousin?
Coined by writer and creator, Lola Kolade, who goes by @lolaokola on TikTok, the latest lifestyle trend that everyone is obsessed with is intriguingly called 'Rat Girl Summer' or 'RGS' for short.
Curious? Well, we spoke to Lola to get the lowdown on rat girl summers - from the power of living in the moment and the importance of getting outside all the way through to scurrying around doing your own thing and generally embracing your inner rodent.
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Unlike its hot girl summer predecessor which seems to be more concerned with looking good, chronicling your life on social media and landing on the perfect outfits to enjoy the season with - RGS is way more focussed on the experience of summer itself more so than the documentation of it.
"I came up with Rat Girl Summer as I was thinking about how I wanted to spend my own summer," Lola tells Tyla.
"I kept coming back to the word 'scurry', which I just happen to think is kind of funny – but also communicates a playfulness and spontaneity that I wanted to experience."
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And that's what RGS is all about - breaking free from the pressure of creating picture-perfect 'summer content' and replacing it with actual real-life experiences instead.
"And, in my opinion," Lola continues, "the best summer nights rarely look good on camera: shiny with sweat after dancing all night or covered with sand and salt after being on the beach all day."
As a victim of SULA myself - or Sweaty Upper Lip Alert, if you've been living under a rock - I can confirm this is true.
Lola adds: "Those two ideas brought me to the idea of being a rat girl for the summer: chasing the fun, not the aesthetics."
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Sounds like my kind of summer.
Okay - so we know what RGS means but what are the key rules we need to follow to truly embody it.
Well, Lola explains that the very first rule of RGS is 'going outside'.
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Listen up bed-rotters.
"It’s way too easy to waste your summer – your life, even – scrolling endlessly on various apps or binge-watching TV," she says.
"At the very least, you gotta leave your home."
The second pillar of RGS is all about 'enjoying what you eat', with Lola saying: "Starving yourself for a 'summer body' is NOT allowed, and neither is feeling guilty for eating ice cream or other summer treats.
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"We’re enjoying the skin we’re in and living in our bodies, not our heads."
Now that's definitely something I can get behind.
The third 'major' point follows 'killing the cringe', with Lola noting: "By that I mean, not letting yourself be burdened by arbitrary notions of what’s 'cool' or not.
"If you’re into it, do it!"
And that brings us to the final pillar of RGS which is, lastly, 'no overthinking'.
Lola advises: "Trust your instincts and get out of your head! Life isn’t happening in there."
So apart from the higher emphasis on living in the moment, how much does 'Rat Girl Summer' actually differ from 'Hot Girl Summer' then?
"I think the main concepts of RGS and HGS are generally the same – being confident, carefree, and generally living your best life," Lola tells Tyla.
"I just think the word 'hot' trips people up and draws up insecurities and body concerns."
So, to sum it up: "Rat Girl Summer is about experiences, not looks, so there’s no pressure to look a certain kind of way for it – it’s about taking opportunities as they come."
Considering that the term 'Rat Girl Summer' alone has clocked up over 394 million views on TikTok - it's no surprise that Lola has received quite a few responses to the latest lifestyle term.
"People have been really into it!" she says.
Lola adds: "It’s been especially cool to see people say it’s helped them with things like disordered eating thoughts, body image issues, and generally getting out of their own heads.
"I think people are over trying to be perfect on social media and more interested in having genuine experiences.
"There’s been a lot of pressure to try to cram as much life in as possible to make up for 'lost' time during the pandemic years, and I feel like Rat Girl Summer plays into that, but feels accessible without being overwhelming, which is exactly what I wanted!"
Now, for anyone looking for some extra advice on how to hop on board the trend, this one's for you.
Lola explains that it effectively all boils down to authenticity.
"DO YOU. At its core, RGS is about being unapologetic in your choices, so no constant crowdsourcing of opinions before you make a decision and constantly second-guessing yourself," she continues.
"Rat Girls go with their gut and trust their intuition. No holding yourself back from doing things you’re interested in because you’re embarrassed – embarrassment is fake. You are real."
Well, I know what kind of summer I'm going to be having this year that's for sure.
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@lolaokola/@nicolezaajacTopics: Life, TikTok, Health, Mental Health, Social media