The aestheticization — dare I say fetishization — of female pain reaffirms the conditions that made girls sad in the first place. Simply put, the Sad Girl reeks of complacency.

Sad Girl Autumn is like Hot Girl Summer’s cool aunt. She lives in a haunted cottage in the woods, and believes pumpkin-scented candles can cure almost any heartbreak.

Sad girl novels — think Normal People by Sally Rooney, ... Photo shows An illustration of falling books on a beige background with the ABC logo and text reading The ABC Book Club.

Sad Girl Track Club was born to “normalize being a lil emotionally unwell,” according to its social media pages. It’s okay, after all, to be a little sad.

In her column “Brutal Monsters,” Cate Burtner ’25 offers commentary on the literature of mental illness. I have always thought the term ‘sad girl poetry’ was condescending.

For me, being a sad girl means being in touch with the way I feel (and feeling it all). It means embracing joy as much as sadness and not having to pretend that I’m someone I’m not; it is ...