"Does she think she's Mariah?"— Explaining what the Christian Girl Autumn meme means as internet reacts to viral new video

Five years after the Christian Girl Autumn meme made the rounds online, Caitlin Covington, the face of the trend, dropped her annual post on the approaching fall season.

Caitlin shared a reel on Instagram on Sunday, September 1, where she is seen lying on her bed in a dark beige cardigan and a signature Louis Vuitton crossbody bag. Caitlin has her eyes closed in the video, holding a pumpkin to her stomach.

A clock ticks loudly in the background, and the scene changes to a leaf falling to the ground, signifying the beginning of Autumn. As the leaf touches the ground, Caitlin opens one of her eyes with a subtle smile, as if she's waking up from a deep and prolonged slumber. The influencer hinted at the arrival of the Christian Girl Autumn phase in the caption.

Caitlin's video garnered some attention through reposts, with one X user jokingly comparing her with Mariah Carey, a supposed reference to how the singer gets ready for Christmas.

"Does she think she’s Mariah", wrote one.

"the mariah carey of fall", another chimed in.

"The fact that she continues to profit off of autumn I gotta hand it to her", said another.

"Not her wearing her cross body bag during her slumber", commented one person.

Several people who have been admiring Caitlin Covington over the years cheered for her.

"MOTHER IS AWAKENING", another said.

"SHES DEFROSTING", wrote one person.

"THIS ICON OMG, WE CHEERED", exclaimed one X user.

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Origin of the Christian Girl Autumn meme

The Christian Girl Autumn meme originated in August 2019 when an X user, @lasagnabby, shared a now-deleted photo of two influencers posing together in skinny jeans, fluffy scarves, full-sleeve tops, and ankle boots.

"Hot Girl Summer is coming to an end, get ready for Christian Girl Autumn," the post's caption read.

The meme was a lighthearted satirical imitation of the 'Hot Girl Summer' trend that was generated from Megan Thee Stallion's 2019 track. Typically, the visuals of autumnal aesthetics involve photos clicked in warm tones with people generally sporting outfits following an earthy color palette.

Added to it is a common notion that white Christian women who are into fall aesthetics, fashion, and pumpkin spice lattes are likely to have a certain political inclination and mindset that hold very little to no tolerance for the LGBTQ+ community.

The meme creator, @lasagnabby, who now goes by the name Blizzy McGuire and is a transwoman, told BuzzFeed in a 2019 interview that she randomly chanced upon the picture of Southern bloggers Caitlin Covington and Emily Gemma while Googling visuals for "all scarf outfits" and "cute church outfits." The meme blew up overnight, eventually making Caitlin popular online.

However, Blizzy's meme attracted many negative reactions as many believed Emily and Caitlin were Republicans, unaware of social issues and poverty, and were homophobic.

The two influencers eventually shared their thoughts on the viral Christian Girl Autumn meme. Caitlin and Emily said the photo was taken during a 2016 North Carolina trip, where they filmed for fall blogging content. Referring to their outfits in the picture, Emily told Buzzfeed in 2019:

"The photo is three years old so the fashion has changed...We don’t still wear that same style of outfits!"

Regarding many netizens' perceptions of their Christian religious beliefs, Caitlin Covington clarified:

"I’m a nice person and I love everyone and I’m accepting of everyone."

Emily Gemma also resonated the same as she said despite being white and Christian, the personality and behavioral traits demonstrated in the negative memes about them were not "accurate." Caitlin further affirmed her support for the queer community in an X comment from August 12, 2019, where she replied to a person, "Love is love" accompanied by rainbow and heart emojis.

Emily said in the BuzzFeed interview:

"They assumed we were anti-LGBT, but we’re not at all. I’ve got friends who are trans and gay...I think people realized that not all white girls who love fall fashion and pumpkin spice are what we’re all categorized to look like."

Caitlin Covington also reportedly helped the Christian Girl Autumn meme creator Blizzy McGuire to finance her transition by donating to her fundraiser.