The Power of A “Hot Girl Walk”
Every Tuesday and Thursday at 3:30 pm, one of my best friends, Morgan Owens and I go on a Hot Girl Walk. Now, the name might seem silly, and it definitely is, but it’s something I look forward to all week.
The premise of a Hot Girl Walk is simple: it’s really just a multi-mile mindfulness walk without headphones.
Morgan and I certainly did not invent the idea; like many modern phenomena, it was popularized on TikTok.
Hot Girl Walks do not allow for negativity. In fact, according to its creators on TikTok, you’re only allowed to think about three subjects:
1. The things you are grateful for
2. How beautiful/healthy/successful you are
3. Goals you want to accomplish
Although Morgan and I are the most consistent walkers, almost all of our friends have joined us at some point. Our route is varied, but every place we go past in Chapel Hill has memories attached.
We always start our walks by Que Chula, one of our favorite Mexican restaurants on Franklin Street. We’ve celebrated countless birthdays there; my phone is filled with videos of friends getting faces full of whipped cream while wearing celebratory sombreros on their big days.
As we walk through campus, I’m reminded of long nights in the library, and sunny afternoons spent lying on the quad. I think of new sorority members running across campus on Bid Day, and how grateful I am that Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternitybrought Morgan and I together in the first place.
Next, we usually struggle to cross at the perpetually-broken cross walk on Country Club Road. We always love walking through Gimghoul Historic District. As we admire the stately homes, we pick out a couple and “claim” them as our own. Here, the conversation usually turns to our futures. We talk about our career plans and our goals for the next few years. We talk about our beliefs and our hopes for our lives. We talk about how one day, we hope we will be able to buy homes like the ones on Gimghoul Road.
The name “Hot Girl Walk” makes the activity seem a little superficial, but our walks are often very deep. Sometimes, they even feel spiritual. It sounds very strange to say, but sometimes, while walking through those shaded streets, I feel God with us on those Hot Girl Walks.
Hot Girl walks, at least to me, aren’t about feeling “hot.” They’re about taking care of both my mental and physical health. They’re about connecting with friends, disconnecting from technology, and feeling the world around me.
Too often, I catch myself walking through life with my headphones in, disconnected from reality. I’m usually listening to something “educational” like a podcast or the news. While of course, it’s important to be updated on what’s happening in the world, it’s also important not to get bogged down by things we cannot control. It’s all about balance, and Hot Girl Walks remind me to slow down, take a deep breath, and focus on what’s right in front of me.
Everyone, matter your gender identity, should give Hot Girl Walks a shot. Call them what you want– Mindful Human Walks, Happy Person Walks– it doesn’t matter. What matters is getting outside, being with friends, and adding a little joy to your life.