the year of the party girl

as decided by charli xcx, myself and the ssense social media manager

the hottest ticket in new york this week was to charli xcx’s boiler room set appropriately titled “PARTY GIRL”. i, like many, love charli because she unapologetically celebrates the art of having fun and never takes anything too seriously. during the set she wore an oversized t-shirt that said “CULT CLASSIC” with no pants, oversized sunglasses, and proudly had neon face tape on. the outfit was a perfect representation of her public persona: someone unencumbered by expectations that she would wear anything that would prevent her from quite simply having the Best Night Ever and her decision to wear neon face tape signals a refreshing shameless embrace of putting in effort to look hot and not pretending to be untouched by those desires.

a few days earlier i was scrolling away and saw one of ssense’s almost too on the nose instagram posts that declared that 2024 is the “year of the party girl”. i immediately commented “thank god”. the instance of seeing the ssense post and charli’s boiler room set occurring simultaneously in the same week brought a smile to my face because whether it’s through “protecting our peace” or the “clean girl aesthetic” a wave of slow living has rapidly permeated culture for better and for worse.

a part of me believes that the trend of naming a lifestyle as “slow living” is a nice way to reject the broadly accepted cultural assumption that everyone in their 20s should be going to bars/clubs every single weekend while consuming copious amounts of drinks and yelling “WHAT??” to a friend over a blaring chainsmokers track. it should be universally acknowledged that it is equally acceptable to party (responsibly) as it is to choose alternative modes of socialization. somehow this concept is hard to grasp on either side of the argument. 

another (more sinister) part of me worries this glamorizing of a slow life is a hidden language for hyper-productivity in the form of early morning workout classes, non-fiction self-help books, and anything else one does to feel appropriately optimized and “worthy” as deemed by the clean girls. i fear slow living is being utilized as a crutch that leads one to wisp away the experience of navigating uncomfortable situations that ultimately give us the tools to process the inevitable difficulty of life. getting out of your comfort zone vitally important!!! be embarrassed!!! spill something on yourself!!!! ask a dumb question!!!! get rejected!!!!!!

while this is a manifesto urging the return of the party girl, i want to dispel the notion that “going out” i.e. dancing, gabbing and meeting new people strictly is correlated to youth, singleness and alcohol/drug consumption. there is no ticking clock that counts down to when you are “too old” to party just as there is no rule that states you must drink in order have a silly night. every time someone utters the phrase, “since i started dating X i really haven’t felt the need to go out” an angel loses it’s wings. if you go out for the sole reason to meet a significant other that completely negates the purpose of the evening which should only be about having a plain old good time. there are so few things in our live are dedicated solely to having fun.. why give that up?

a key part in becoming a true party girl is learning what you do and do not like, in all aspects of your life. i went to a large school for college and through those four years i learned when i had fun and when i did not. now if someone invites me to a bottomless brunch i will be (not so) regretfully declining, if i receive an invitation to an expensive open bar birthday party i’ll opt to attend sober and i really loathe going out just to go out with no set destination, agenda or event. these are all things i have processed and ultimately value about myself through those boundaries i set.

there are few things more vital in life than the metaphorical texture of making mistakes, meeting different types of people and getting dressed up for no one but yourself. all of our definitions of a night out will look different. AND THAT IS OKAY. you can still turn off your phone off for hours allowing your brain to click off. you still go for long walks without the audible crutch of music or other people’s thoughts in your ear. you can still take the time to notice the steam that forms from your coffee and appreciate it’s romantic careless dance that evaporates fleetingly. what is important is that we’re having fun, being vulnerable, laughing with others and learning more about ourselves through the discomfort, all of which we can admire from charli in her simple oversized t-shirt, sunglasses and neon face tape.

HERE IS TO THE YEAR OF THE PARTY GIRL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

XOXOXO - as always, thank you so much for reading. it means the world to me <3 happy dancing angels <3