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🚨The Susty Agenda🚨 01.
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Move over Cottage Core – It’s Rat Girl Summer❤️🔥🐀
Scurrying. Hustling. Staying out late. Sleeping all day. Optimizing resources.
Ladies, Gents, They/Thems, and everyone in between: Welcome to Rat Girl* Summer. We’re sure you’ve already heard about the rat craze. These silly little creatures that swarm the streets of New York and other major cities (looking at you, Paris) are primed for a comeback. Where they used to be feared by many and disgusting to all, rat culture is now the hottest and coolest thing in sustainability.
But what is rat culture? And why should sustainable baddies want to have a Rat Girl Summer? It’s as simple as this: Rats are cool asf, resourceful asf, living off the land asf, adaptable asf, and look cool and controversial all the while. Not convinced it’s a Rat Girl Summer? Read on, mouse.
*all gender presentations included in Rat Girl Summer.
There’s a reason why pop culture has embraced so many iconic rats throughout our childhood. Now, these rats are back in the mainstream. Obviously, we have the culinary genius, Remy the rat. But we can’t forget about the unsung heroes like Rizzo the rat (where do you think all this talk of rizz came from?), Templeton of Charlotte’s Web, and of course, Rufus the naked mole rat. But what do all these rats have in common other than their large front teeth and their ability to walk on either four or two legs? They are persistent, they are confident, and they are absolute geniuses. These famous rats are our inspo for Rat Girl Summer. Let’s break it down:
Operate at different hours
Rule number one for a Rat Girl Summer is to change up your schedule. We are lucky in the summer with these longer days, which means that we need to take advantage of the night. So much can happen when we are asleep in our beds by 9 pm, and we are missing out on vital time for pursuing our summer dreams. Summer is all about making the most of this brief season, and rats have it down. These rodents are owning to streets day and night. They are proving that you don’t need a good night’s sleep when having a good time is on the line. So stop yawning, sip that espresso, and let’s get out there.
Get Scrappy
Rats are the scrappiest little guys in the world. I mean, have you seen what some of these rats can come up with? They are absolutely unmatched at figuring out how to live amidst all the chaos. Taking advantage of the leftover food that humans forget to eat or the leftover objects that fall from our tote bags, these rats are building entire civilizations under our noses. This is exactly the inspo we need. We don’t need to pay for our perfect summer when we can just DIY it out of what’s already around us. Maybe it means being extra scrappy and putting your resourceful glasses on, but if a rat can do it, so can we.
Don’t be afraid to test the limits
This rule falls in line with Get Scrappy because testing the limits is a requirement for acting scrappy. In order to operate at peak scrappiness, use your resources mindfully, and make the most of what’s in front of you, we have to be willing to see how far we can go. Rat Girl Summer is all about asking for forgiveness instead of permission. We live in a fossil-fueled, corporation-led society, so see how much you can combat the norms. Gather your groceries. Barter for your household necessities. Met with weird looks? Act dumb. What? I can’t just take this fresh mango off my neighbor’s tree? Oops.
Find the beauty in the trash around you
What, quite possibly, rats do best is see the value in what others have thrown to the curb. One man’s trash is another rat’s treasure is the theme of our summer, and it can fall into so many categories. Don’t be afraid to scrounge around the free clothes box at the end of your block. Don’t be afraid to ask your roommate if you can go through their latest giveaway bag. Go for a walk and see what your neighbors are throwing out as they move to their new rent-controlled apartment. This is a summer of creation and imagination: look beyond the surface.
Sometimes you have to get your hands dirty
While you are finding beauty in the trash of life, you have to be okay with getting a little grime under that fresh manicure. Wipe that grimace off your face. Being a rat girl means that you might be diving into the depths of the dumpster to find some new home decor, or getting knee-deep in the Goodwill bins just to find the perfect fit for your Barbie movie night party. It’s important to step out of your comfort zone, let go of your so-called “standards,” and get a little dirty. Nothing good every came to a rat who’s afraid of a little dirt.
Scare people into submission
We have made it to the most important rule of a Rat Girl Summer: scaring people. Even the most fearless of us do a little jump when we spot a rat on the street. Which is the same feral energy we want our baddies to evoke when we spot people disrespecting our planet. Rat Girl Summer has prepared you to be resourceful, slay your thrift fits, source the perfect second-hand decor, and be an all-around sustainable rat baddie. But now comes the call to action: it is time to use that rat girl energy to build a community of rats. Don’t let anyone litter on your watch. Don’t let your friends hit confirm on that Shein order. You need to scare them. Remind them that July was the hottest month on record. Make sure they know that New York City is sinking. Haunt everyone with memories of the air quality. Wherever you are, stay terrifying.
Alright baddies, we laid out the rat girl facts, so it’s time to enter your rat era. What ratatat behavior will you be embarking on before the season ends?