The viral “Hot Girl Walk” is not about becoming “hot” — it is about realizing you already are.

Mia Lind was a student at the University of Southern California when the pandemic turned her world upside down. Left with nothing but her thoughts in a time of uncertainty, she needed a distraction.

“I tried to get into running, because it just seemed like a really good way to get out of the house and get moving, but I’m not very athletic,” said Lind.

Instead, she began walking, and on each walk, she counted the things she was grateful for. From there, Lind would start to think about her own goals and what she wanted to do next, all while taking the time to remember what she had already accomplished and could be proud of herself for.

After three months spent taking these walks for herself, she began sharing what she called her “Hot Girl Walks” online. The rest was history.

What is a “Hot Girl Walk”?

As defined by hotgirlwalk.com, a Hot Girl Walk is “more than a walk — it’s a mindset.” While HGW has expanded into something far bigger, it began with a simple three- to four-mile outdoor walk where the person is encouraged to focus on three things: what they are grateful for, their goals and how they are going to achieve them and how hot they already are.

Six years since its inception, HGW has blossomed into a full-fledged brand identity. What started as a viral TikTok video is now a global community. Each month, HGW ambassadors lead group walks in 31 cities across the world. The community is “primarily female, Gen-Z/millenials who value wellness, movement, self-confidence and connection — prioritizing sustainable habits, self-belief and community support.”

The benefits of walking

Fitness can sometimes feel daunting for newcomers. Evidence suggests women are more likely to give up on exercising earlier due to “gymtimidation,” but Hot Girl Walks encourage fitness in a simple, sustainable way.

“I love that walking feels completely personal and pressure-free,” said Kylien Clark, a fourth-year architecture student at the University of Miami. “I can choose my own route, pace and length without feeling overwhelmed by a crowded gym or like I have to perform for anyone else.”

Walking is a low-impact exercise with proven physical health benefits, and the three-step method — which emphasizes gratitude, goals and confidence — emboldens walkers to spend their time boosting their mental health.

“Hot girl” language

The purpose of a Hot Girl Walk, in Lind’s words, is “to realize that you’re already hot.”

Confidence, the final item in the three-step method, is perhaps the most vital piece of the HGW puzzle.

“As a young woman, I never was the kind of person to speak really proudly of my own achievements,” said Lind. “I always wanted my resume to speak for myself, and my male counterparts always had no problem talking about their own achievements.”

On a Hot Girl Walk, Lind encourages every woman to speak about herself in the way she deserves.

“There’s a lot of societal pressure on women to look and be a certain way, to be smaller, to fit into this mold,” said Lind. “And the purpose of a Hot Girl Walk is to realize that that’s already inside of you, that there’s no certain box that you need to fit into, that you have so many incredible qualities that you can be proud of and that you can let shine from the inside out.”

Why the walk?

Several fitness trends came and went throughout the pandemic, but if you ask Lind, the staying power of HGW can be credited to its ease.

“You don’t need to spend $60 on a workout class or $300 on a new workout set to feel good and to feel confident,” said Lind. “[It’s] kind of this idea of romanticizing your life and kind of creating meaning out of something that’s pretty mundane and ordinary.”

From the beginning, Lind’s vision was to “create the world of social media and of female empowerment and community,” she wishes she’d grown up in as a young girl.

“I think about what, as a young girl, what I would be proud of myself for, and it wouldn’t be having the perfect shade of nail polish or lip gloss,” said Lind. “I think my younger self would be really proud that I’m a confident person, and that I’m able to overcome obstacles with grace … I think being hot is up to you and what that really means to you.”

words_ariana glaser. photo_sophia biss. design_lila rogers.

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