It is Time.

With the close of the very iconic brat summer (which I did not have unfortunately), comes the warm welcoming presence of the Caitlin Covington renaissance, otherwise known as Christian Girl Autumn. I woke up on September 1st with a brimmed hat glued to my head and heat damaged curls pressed into my hair. A large knitted sweater welcoming me like a warm blanket, and ripped skinny jeans are now one with my flesh. I live and breathe this lifestyle.

If you don’t know who Caitlin Covington is, she is THE president of Christian Girl Autumn. And if you’re sitting here reading this with no knowledge of our queen, I will fill you in. Our queen is a blogger and social media star from North Carolina. In 2019, a random twitter gay (or Blizzy McGuire if you’re chronically online like me) posted a tweet of a picture of Cailtin with the caption, "Hot Girl Summer is coming to an end, get ready for Christian Girl Autumn”. After accepting this title, the world has been blessed with her wondrous season ever since. 

Now with Caitlin’s holy infinity (scarf) spirit to guide us, here are some autumn essentials everyone must have to fully be accepted into this life:

• You must own something Rae Dunn. I don’t give a fuck what it is, as long as it is the brand and in the famous skinny legend Mariah Carey font. Bonus points if it does pertain to fall.

• Layering is a must. I want to see a skin tight white top with a beige cardigan and an infinity scarf on top. Squeeze into those goddamn skinny jeans as you get bloated from a pumpkin spice latte your body wasn’t prepared to consume every day. 

• At least one leaf picture. It can be on a snap story, a dedicated instagram post (as long as it follows your account’s aesthetic of course), or on facebook if you’re 35. Anyway! Make a fun TikTok of you throwing soggy leaves at your friends! It’s totally not as gross as I remember it! Totally not! Totally…not! (How did I do that shit that was so disgusting-)

• Obviously pumpkin spice. Unfortunately I will never reach my full form as I am not a fan of pumpkin spice, but I should be somewhat valid for my obsession with cinnamon. If my mom owns a pumpkin spice candle, can I be accepted by association?

Overall, Queen Covington is an icon for many. While originally, after the outburst of the meme going viral, she cleared up some preconceived notions about her. She is a Christian but a huge supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community. Caitlin even reposted a GoFundMe for Blizzy McGuire’s gender transition after she launched Covington’s career. She’s honestly a prime example of making sure to not judge a book by its cover. Take some time to look her and her blog up! She’s pretty neat.

But really, Christian Girl Autumn will stay alive as long as I am on this earth. It's just a classic meme and lighthearted fun time of the year that never gets old. And if you think it’s an outdated tradition, “You’re no fun!!!!” as the great Chappell Roan once said. Let people have fun and partake in a silly yearly tradition! Anyway, tootles! I gotta go rob a Marshall’s of their Rae Dunn mugs and inject my veins with pumpkin creme cold foam!