A List of 48 Ways to Feel Hot When You’re Feeling Not

Crowdsourced from my very-hot 20-something-year-old friends

It started with a group chat text this past Monday morning: “anybody else been feeling so ugly recently!? suggestions on how to break out of that funk!?”

Yes and yes.

We’ve all been there. Hot is a mindset, but sometimes it can feel totally elusive. It takes hitting the RESET button, sometimes smashing it repeatedly, to bring yourself back to baseline confidence.

Maybe it’s as simple as an Everything Shower, a long walk with a perfectly curated playlist, or just putting a little more TLC into getting ready in the morning. Maybe it’s dropping an irresponsible amount of cash on a one-off beauty treatment or a TheRealReal find. Maybe it’s a therapist and the long journey to self-love. To each their own!

It differs for us all, and while I can provide you with my personal hit list, I wanted to capture more range.

And so, I texted some of my very-hot friends—all in their 20-somethings, spanning from NYC to LA, Miami Beach to Missouri—with the very same question I received Monday morning. The responses came flooding in.

Here, I give you their answers, bolding the ones that were frequent pathways to H-O-T. Let this list serve as a reminder you have agency over how you feel.

Take what resonates. Leave what doesn’t. Tell me what you do in the comments.

Behold: 48 (!!) ways to feel hot when you’re feeling not…

1. Putting on makeup or real pants when WFH

2. Scheduling a beautifying appointment (i.e., nails, hair, massage, facial)

3. Sitting in a steam room/sauna

4. Cold-bursting at the end of your shower

5. Dry brushing

6. Drinking a green juice or any clean-feeling drink

7. Focusing on eating foods that make you feel really good

   

   :)

8. Making a nice pasta dish

9. Meal prepping

10. Sporting a chic lounge outfit

11. Putting together a fresh outfit or beauty look

12. Spending time in the sun

13. Giving in and getting a spray tan

14. Cutting your hair (Direct source quote: “Bob recommended, but any haircut will do.”)

15. Trying a new hairstyle (e.g., a slick-back if you never do them)

    

    Added a scrunchie for pizzazz

16. Wearing a matching work-out set

17. Wearing a pajama set (bonus points if it’s silk)

18. Posting a thirst trap on social media

19. Not looking at any photos of yourself whatsoever

20. Having a candlelight shower with a speaker

21. Applying an overnight face or hair mask

22. Swiping on a new lip gloss

    

    I've always been this way

23. Pouring a nice glass of wine

24. Getting a fancy lil’ soda at the store and pouring it into a wine glass

25. Getting ready with a great playlist

26. Listening to Hot Girl Music (e.g., Gaga, Ariana Grande, King Princess, Rihanna)

27. Running away to Rome for a month to be asked out by sexy Italian men but never going on a date

28. Reading Eve Babitz, preferably outside

29. Finding new perfumes

30. Devaluing beauty and practicing self-love

31. Stopping the negative self-talk

32. “Buzzing one out” (Author’s note: I also had to ask what this meant. It’s using a vibrator.)

33. Getting a piercing

34. Taking a tequila shot

35. Ordering a filthy-dirty martini

36. Flirting

37. Watching “Sex and The City”

38. Shopping

39. Going to dance class

40. Going out and dancing with friends

41. Going on a Hot Girl Walk

    

    Bonus points if it's a Hot Girl Hike

42. Using a walking pad while working

43. Attending a workout class

44. Weightlifting

45. Running

46. Sticking to your routine

47. Trying something totally new

48. Making a list of things that make you feel hot and then actioning on them (!!)

With that, go forth and be hot! And, as always, thank you for reading and subscribing. Xx