Yes, yes, yes, I know it feels like fall is here already. Between pumpkin spice making its grand return to coffee shops nationwide and on grocery store shelves as well as Halloween hunting already being a full-time job, it seems like the word "summer" has simply disappeared from our vernacular in August. However, the first official day of summer is on September 23, and I will personally be savoring every minute of warm weather by the pool, fresh salads, and frozen drinks. Additionally, I will be celebrating "Rat Girl Summer," the viral new TikTok trend that has been widely shared through a popular Washington Post article. Perhaps I will be a rat all year long, as rat girl summer is not just a season, but a state of mind. Here is why you need to embrace your inner Remy from Ratatouille.
What is Rat Girl Summer?
If you haven't come across this trend on your FYP yet, you definitely will. The term was first coined by TikTok user @lolaokola on June 4. "We're scurrying around the streets, we're nibbling on our little snacks, and generally finding ourselves in places we have no business being in," she says. "Embrace the rodent energy."
Lola then followed up her now viral video with a set of rules for rat girl summer.
These rules involve going outside (i.e. not bed rotting), eating and enjoying eating, killing the cringe, and not overthinking
Frankly, I like this idea way more than girl dinner. This is about eating without restriction, calorie counting, etc. "That means we're eating pasta salad and potato salad at picnics and barbecues, we're having sandwiches at the beach, we're eating ice cream after dinner, we're eating and having fun," Lola says. Consider me on board. I believe in my heart that ice cream after dinner is a necessity even in the coldest months of midwestern winter.
Now, Lola didn't drop the trend and run. She has consistently checked in with her fellow rat girls since her viral video and created rat girl affirmations, including my favorite line, "Being a silly billy is my birthright."
With this trend and relatable premise, Lola was recently interviewed by the Washington Post where she discussed the New York City-based Rat Girl Summer party on August 4. This frankly looked like a mischievously good time.
How do I celebrate Rat Girl Summer?
Some TikTok users took to the app to show how they're celebrating their feral side, including Meg Moon with fistfuls of nachos.
There's still time to enjoy the summer weather with friends and cause some *legal mayhem. Enjoy those sugary drinks in bright blue and red. Buy that extra large stuffed crust pizza just for yourself. (I mean, that's basically three dinners throughout the week.) Eat midnight snacks and make desserts that are absurd. Above all, remember to not kill your cringe, but the part of you that cringes. Have fun scurrying around and hiding in your nest, friends, and keep this unapologetic fun time going into fall, too.