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Jan 24, 2024

‘Hot Girl Summer’ trend iced out by ‘Women’s Winter’: ‘Everyone is suffering here’

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Winter is coming — for women only, according to trend forecasters.

As temperatures heat up, women of the workforce are hoarding forgettable knitwear and throwaway throws in a desperate bid to stave off the frigid draft of overzealous office air conditioning.

Aptly named "women's winter," the teeth-chattering trend disproportionately affects women who wear pencil skirts and sundresses to the office. While it's the perfect dress code for June's blazing heat, it lacks the layers necessary to brave the corporate chill.

"We keep the offices around 70, but unfortunately, in my office, the air blows on me," data analyst Nancy Swain, 44, told The Post.

While a company-provided space heater attempts to keep her warm, Swain, who keeps a jacket at work, said the chilly conditions "make it sometimes difficult to concentrate."

"Women's Winter is real," the Cincinnati, Ohio, employee lamented on Twitter this week, writing that, despite the 80-degree Midwest weather, she continues to sport a long sleeve shirt.

Now "hot girl summer" has been iced out as "women's winter" wards off tank tops and sundresses.

"It's 90 outside but inside we’re freezing," wrote CBS anchor Heather Abraham on a viral TikTok video this week, racking up 3.5 million views.

She pans to each of her colleagues draped in blankets, swathed in sweaters and bundled in sweatshirts while sitting and shivering at their desks.

"It's women's winter," the Pittsburgh reporter announces in the clip before making her rounds to all those personally victimized by the office A/C while "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan plays in the background.

While her co-worker Maggie was snuggled under two blankets, another woman, named Darlene, showed off her "blue" fingers.

"Everyone is suffering here," Abraham added, to which her knit-draped peer responded, "I’ve been typing all morning and can barely feel my fingertips."

Heather, another employee, sported a gray zip-up and a blanket over her lap, admitting she's "still cold" despite the multiple layers.

Women's Winter has begun. #womenswinter #airconditioner #officelife

The Post has reached out to Abraham for additional comment.

"The coldest winter is an office summer," commented one viewer.

"People think I’m antisocial for eating lunch in my car but really I’m just thawing out," quipped another.

"I have to go outside at lunch so I can feel my fingers in the afternoon," agreed another.

The CBS newsroom is not alone: Other women online have flaunted their summer office essentials, including heated blankets and space heaters.

"Solution for corporate women's winter," wrote attorney Jill Murphy on a TikTok this week, showing herself wrapped in a fuzzy, cream-colored robe.

was reminded by @Heather Abraham that we’ve officially entered women's winter era. Be safe and be warm out there my friends!!! 🫶🏼 #corporate #womenswinter #officelife

But there might be a scientific reason women suffer more while working in a corporate ice box.

As it turns out, thermostats are inherently a bit sexist. According to a 2015 study, temperatures are based on the metabolic rates of men, while a 2019 study also found that ice-cold office temperatures hinder women's productivity.

The difference in preference — biologically driven or not — has ignited workplace thermostat wars.

In the bitter cold battle of the sexes, the male employees often give the cold shoulder, sending the A/C into overdrive, and the women attempt to fire up the heaters.

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