Photo by Syd Wachs on Unsplash
I have never really identified with the phenomenon of the hot girl walk. I assumed that it was simply based on the idea that hot girls take their mental health seriously, but according to the internet it’s more specific than that. As the TikTok creator Mia Lund says, a hot girl walk entails “a four-mile outdoor walk where you can only think about three things: things you’re grateful for, your goals and how you want to achieve them, and how hot you are.”1 If that is empowering for you, by all means go forth and hot girl walk. May you make a shrine out of the bones of your enemies once you’ve achieved your goals, and may you pose in front of it while pouting at the camera in your hottest revenge dress. Truly, I salute you.
But I personally prefer the less catchy angry person walk, where I stomp around until the rage I feel boiling inside of me subsides. As previously mentioned, my romantic relationship ended recently. In fact, it went up in a bonfire of bad feelings and betrayal. And because of that, mixed with the despair and anger at the state of the world, not to mention dwindling hopes for the future of humanity, I have been waking up every morning feeling absolutely livid.
I don’t want to take out my depression or anger on my family and friends, so every day I slip on my comfortable shoes, start my smart watch, and storm over to the small park near my house. When I was a kid, I wasn’t allowed to go to this park alone because my mom informed me that “that is where all the weirdos hang out.” And so, supervised by adults, my neighbours and I would catch tadpoles in the small pond at the centre of the park or play on the workout stations scattered around the area. Jumping to the present day, the park is up for redevelopment. This usually means that the city will listen to the public say how much they value the green space, nod solemnly at our concerns about putting in an apartment building with no parking, and then do whatever the fuck they want. Pave paradise, put up a parking lot2 (or not, in this case).
But until that happens, I walk as fast as I can around the park, loop upon loop, until I feel the rage in my stomach melting down through my legs and out through the soles of my shoes. I leave it behind me, stuck in the asphalt until tomorrow, when I will come back and stomp more anger into the ground. I’ve timed the whole process, and it takes about forty minutes for me to move from a state of anger to calm. After that, I go home and think about how I’m going to extricate myself from this depressive episode. Plotting my revenge life.
You do what feels most delicious to you. Regardless of what you choose to call it, moving strong emotions out of your body is a worthwhile exercise. Don’t give up hope. Believe that there is possibility out there, even if you can’t see it yet and the news shows you all the worst sides of our species. Stomp around with friends and talk about what you’re struggling with, while also listening to what they’re going through. Pound the pavement, grass, sand - whatever - with your feet until you remember that you’re alive, and that life is worth fighting for.
Because it is. I promise you that it is.
From the article https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/home/hot-girl-walk-tiktok-trend
Joni Mitchell, “Big Yellow Taxi.”