When Caitlin Covington, face of the internet’s “Christian Girl Autumn” movement, originally entered the public consciousness, it was as the subject of light mockery. The account Blizzy McGuire tweeted photos of Caitlin in head-to-toe fall garb from her blog, with the caption “Hot Girl Summer is coming to an end, get ready for Christian Girl Autumn.” That post went viral for poking fun at the way “basic” girls interpret fall fashion (UGG boots, barrel curls, photos primed for Pinterest, etc.), but instead of getting defensive, Caitlin welcomed this moment and leaned in harder. Nearly every year since her viral 2019 phase, she’s upped her game, introducing video content and teasers. The 35-year-old has even picked up brand deals with Walmart Fashion, MacKenzie-Childs, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Lululemon thanks to her fall content. Her annual full fall reemergence has become an online tradition that marks the changing of the seasons. If the summer has Megan Thee Stallion, and spring has that groundhog, autumn has Caitlin.
So it was a shock to me when earlier this week, she hopped on TikTok to provide a tearful update: While the colors of the leaves may change and the temperatures will still drop, she claimed that there will be no “Christian Girl Autumn” this year. “I’m not going to be able to post fall videos this year,” she shared in the emotional post. “It’s just a lot of pressure to make each fall video better than the last…and I just really need a break this year.”
The idea of fall's ultimate mother stepping back sent fans into a tailspin. Responses about how “Fall is officially canceled” and flagging this announcement as a “recession indicator” littered her TikTok’s comment section. And as I understand it, it was totally plausible that Caitlin’s yearly fall rollout could easily cause some burnout. Last year, she told People that in the months leading up to September 1, she spent at least 100 hours planning her seasonal shoot. She plans full trips around the self-styled productions (which cost thousands of dollars) and will execute them in locations like Vermont and New Hampshire—only after she’s monitored fall foliage reports to identify which area will have the most photogenic leaves. There’s real intention behind the photos that greet the season every year, as much as fans online have come to take them as expected.
Luckily for anyone worried, Caitlin followed up on Wednesday with a correction: it was purely a gag. On Wednesday, Caitlin posted a beacon of hope. A TikTok stating "just kidding. FALL IS HERE." And she looked like an absolute autumnal vision while providing this update.
I'm sure that after six years in the game, Caitlin just wanted to reintroduce the element of surprise here. This play successfully stirred up intrigue and appreciation for all that goes into this project. You don’t know what you got until it’s gone, some might say. I'm grateful that we’ll be seeing new content of Caitlin bundled up and frolicking in the leaves soon, because it’s been a truly iconic run.
