The Anatomy of a Cool Girl
What the hell is a cool girl? You hear it all the time, a description so classically vague that you take it that she’s probably mildly funky. Naturally, the issuer of said compliment doesn’t have an extensive understanding of the English language and therefore has no other words to quantify the true excellence of the woman in question. I say this, of course, as a victim of the “cool girl” compliment. Clearly, I wouldn’t have such a strong opinion about this if it wasn’t my own champagne problem. My friends, incredible bitches that they are, are reduced to a two-syllable compliment. How can I possibly capture the amazement that goes into describing them? They’re all cool. By that, I mean they’re nuanced, wondrous, jewelry-wearing nerds and freaks with niche interests and blasphemous senses of humor. They're fun-loving spirits with an affinity for objectively good music. Cool girls can’t fit just one stereotype, that’s why they’re cool. But what does this mean?
Image Courtesy: Pinterest
“Sick.” So, she’s a fucking legend. In my mind, the sickest women are like leopards. Aloof but energetic, bringing the vibes to every function. She loves the color red and definitely has a house music playlist. She’s a free bird with a passion for solo travel and wired earbuds, and she’s been described as a maneater by at least three different friend groups. She is well-loved but internally chaotic, oftentimes completely unaware that other people know she exists, much less that they’re absolutely obsessed with her.
Image Courtesy: Aamir Khatri Photos
“Badass.” These are the women you can trust to defend you in any circumstance. She’s unwaveringly kind, but has no issue verbally assaulting anyone that mistreats her friends. Frat boys are simultaneously scared and in awe of her. Badasses really enjoyed The Hunger Games, and they have an interesting hobby. (Think rock climbing or MMA). She knows how to make sourdough, and is prone to passionate dissertations on the subject of her choosing. In fact, she’s one of the most intelligent creatures you’ve ever come across.
Image Courtesy: Pinterest
“Hot.” Oh, this is easy. Hot girls are just awesome. What makes them hot is not just the fact that their face cards have NEVER declined (And I mean never — not even hungover post-sign night with last night’s Taco Bell wrapper stuck to their forehead). What makes a Hot Girl hot is her attitude. It’s really easy to be scared of beautiful people, but she’s just so nice. But she doesn’t take anyone’s shit, and she does it with a smile. Hot people in general are just happy to be there; they’re the retrievers of the Cool Girl moniker. For some reason, they’re also obsessed with Diet Coke. Nobody is quite sure why, but ask any hot girl about Diet Coke and watch her eyes light up like 10 million fireflies.
Image Courtesy: William Pomme Fruit Photography
The truth is, cool girls are everywhere. There are a million words to specify what kind of cool someone is. They’re all connected, though, by an absolute sense of self. Think of the coolest person you know. What draws you in? Is it their sense of style, their taste in music? Or is it something deeper, an element that you can’t quite specify? Cool people believe in themselves, or at least they seem like they do. They wear their individualism on their sleeve, unafraid of judgment or external pressures. They just do whatever it is they want to do, whenever they want to do it. To everyone around them, they reject conformity.
Internally though, they’re as fucked up as the rest of us. Every person you’ve ever called “cool,” despite an outer sense of unwavering self-confidence, struggles with something. More often than not, they’ve had a period of brutal insecurity characterized by constant comparison. They spent years battling the internal voices that bled into external conversations. But they grew from that, turning their struggles into added nuance.
Ultimately, the cool girl has realized that she’s enough as she is, society be damned. Whatever her story, her coolness comes from a steadfast commitment to individualism and personality.
So, go be hot. Be sick, be a badass. I mean, all the cool girls are doing it.
Strike Out,
Writer: Hailey Indigo
Editor: Olivia Hansen
Hailey Indigo is a copy editor for Strike Magazine GNV. She loves Pinterest and Free People and will never turn down sushi. You can find her on the first floor of Lib West, and if she’s not there it’s possible she’s booked a weekend trip to a different country. Slide into her DMs @haileyindigo
