How Caitlin Covington made ‘Christian Girl Autumn’ an annual tradition

Summer is coming to a close, which means we’re once again getting ready for pumpkin spice lattes, leaf peeping—and “Christian Girl Autumn.”

Since (unwittingly) appearing in a viral tweet in 2019, Caitlin Covington has been the face of “Christian Girl Autumn.” She’s remained an annual sensation, earning big follower counts—and big-time dollars. In today’s world of fleeting trend cycles, Covington’s five-year virality is quite the digital feat. 

What is ‘Christian Girl Autumn’?

Initially, the “Christian Girl Autumn” trend was not a loving message to Covington. Posting from a since-deleted account in 2019, online “it” girl Blizzy Mcguire tweeted, “Hot Girl Summer is coming to an end, get ready for Christian Girl Autumn” above a snap of Covington (and another identical brunette) amid some fall foliage. The photo came from a quick Google image search; Covington, who was already a content creator, had previously posted the image on her blog.

But then a funny thing happened. The “Christian Girl Autumn” meme juiced Covington’s blog and TikTok, gifting her additional sponsorship opportunities. In a 2022 interview with The New York Times, Covington said she would be paid tens of thousands of dollars for just two sponsored posts on Instagram. Those posts, of course, were to be autumnal in theme.

“Christian Girl Autumn” is now a seasonal meme, going viral each year with the turning of the leaves. And Covington is clearly in on the joke. Her recent TikTok video—which shows her opening her eyes as if from a hibernation, pumpkin in hands—has already received 1.5 million views just two days after posting.

Can social media virality be seasonal?

With TikTok’s infinite scroll, so much of social media can feel fleeting. Trends come and go—within the span of weeks, users have gone mum about previously mega-viral fads like the Olympic muffin and “hopecore” edits. Somehow, amid the hastening trend cycle, “Christian Girl Autumn” has found some persistent seasonality. 

Covington isn’t the first online personality to claim a season. The summer of 2024 was classified as “brat summer,” named after Charli XCX’s club-pop album. But such moments are dependent on cultural flashes and typically can’t be replicated. It’s only Covington for whom putting on a wide-brimmed hat is enough to recapture the internet’s attention.

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