What the "How to Be Hotter" Course Taught Me

Some #hotliteratihomework from Bri <3

Part 1: The Before

I always say that I didn’t get “hot” until this year. My friends disagree, but it’s hard to tell if your friends say you’re beautiful because they want you to feel good or because you really are beautiful to them.

This outfit, which would absolutely horrify all of my family members, is what I wore to bring in 2026 in Cleveland. It was the first time I’ve ever felt really, truly hot.

The combination of growing up black in a predominantly white neighborhood and gaining weight in my early college years led me to never be the most confident person. I shrank in a room full of people. I tugged at my clothes, desperate to look thinner than I was. I wasn’t ever truly comfortable, even when I was alone. I avoided mirrors.

Prior to the completion of the “How to Be Hotter” Course, I wondered how healthy it was that most of my newfound confidence had come from losing weight and wearing more makeup.

Turns out, that’s not very healthy at all.

Part 2: The Framework That Clicked

“Neuroscientifically, chronic self-betrayal creates a stress response. When you consistently override your body’s signals (exhaustion, hunger, need for rest) to meet external demands, your hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis remains activated.” - excerpt from the How to be Hotter Course

Physical appearance aside, self-betrayal is/was one of my biggest hurdles to overcome. I like for those around me to be happy, and sometimes I want them to be happy so badly that I ignore what I want.

Of course, in my mind, I wasn’t betraying myself. I rationalized it by thinking that I didn’t mind sitting in the living room with my roommates when I desperately wanted alone time. It was fine to go out if I were tired; my exhaustion was nothing a vodka redbull couldn’t fix.

However, as the excerpt explains, whether you’re aware of it or not, your body keeps the score.

Key takeaway: None of us can flow through the world as our hottest selves if we’re constantly performing for other people.

I have this ritual of dressing up and doing my hair and makeup before a big exam. I live by the motto “Look good, feel good.”

I’m starting to think it’s the opposite. “Feel good, look good.”

No amount of makeup can cover up an exhausted soul. Take care of yourself.

Part 3: The Practice/Part 4: The After

For my practice activity, I made a vow to be alone in my room by eleven every night (which is still rather late, but progress is progress, right?).

My roommates) We are quite the night owls, and it’s easy for me to end up going to sleep during the early hours of the morning just because I feel bad about being the first one to excuse myself for bed.

The first night felt awkward. I expected someone to be upset at me. They were, but only slightly. In the most loving of ways.

I went upstairs and went to sleep. The next morning, I woke up BEFORE my alarm (a miracle!!) and had time to grab coffee before class. I felt good. I felt like I was the most important person in my life.

It’s now a habit of mine to be the first one to go upstairs for bed. Sometimes, I go up at ten. Other times, I come straight home from work to shower and decompress alone. It feels fulfilling. I’ve made the statement that I’m going to do what I want, when I want.

It may sound silly, but making the choice to go to sleep empowered me to begin to put myself first in life. I’m starting to decline outings and instead working on my writing, researching graduate schools, or just lying in bed and watching a movie.

I feel more me.

I feel hotter!

If you also want to become hotter, work through the course at Courses

Thank you for making me hotter!! @ Hot Literati

And thank you all for reading Peas and Beans!

- Bri <3

Complete the How to Be Hotter Course to get hotter, like Bri <3