The phrase comes from American rapper Megan Thee Stallion, who popularised hot girl as a term for confident, unapologetic women and men during her Hot Girl Summer era in 2019. Real hot girl shit became one of her signature catchphrases across songs and social posts, with ish used online as a cleaner substitute for the final word. Short clips of the line spread widely on TikTok and in fan edits, where it is now used as a quick badge of confidence that needs no context.