Divorcee Energy Captures Summer Cultural Moment with High Glam Vibe

Meghan McTavish, an Australian divorce-fluencer who went viral a couple of years ago because her parents refused to take down her wedding photos after her split, wrote: "Sorry babe I’m a divorced mum on a buffet of magnesium glycinate, ashwagandha, peptides, and sertraline, covering a mortgage alone during late stage capitalism, idgaf about your opinion anymore."

This captures the core of hot divorcee energy, an unvarnished devil-may-care spirit that has seized the cultural moment this summer. Comedian and writer Tatty Macleod explained the difference from last year's brat muse, who also rejected outside opinions. "Brat was all about looking slightly dishevelled, still in yesterday’s makeup – you were supposed to look as though you hadn’t made an effort," Macleod said. "At the heart of divorcee energy is: hell yeah, you’ve made an effort. Divorcee is high glam. It’s wide-brimmed hats and full-length skirts. It’s for the people who were always 40-year-old women in waiting, who were never ‘girls’. It’s Jennifer Coolidge, it’s Goldie Hawn in Overboard – highly problematic film, fantastic look."

Macleod, 36, is not divorced and has a boyfriend, but stressed that divorcee energy is not a legal status. Babs Hixies, 54, described the real post-divorce glow-up. "Someone actually accused me of having a facelift the other day. I said: ‘No, I’m just happy and I use Korean skincare.’ You get through all the stress and wake up one day thinking: wow, I remember being this person!"

Floella, 52, linked it to introspection during divorce. "The divorce itself is one of the only opportunities in life where you’re very introspective. You’re forced to think about yourself, what you need, what you want. I took a good few years just rebuilding. I think that’s where the glow-up comes from."

Jacqueline Fitzgerald, a partner at Laurus Law with 30 years of divorce experience, dismissed the floaty dresses and floppy hats as sugar-coating a bitter pill. Still, she noted women gain release from drudgery that men do not, as men often have tasks done for them at home. Hixies called it a second rebirth into personal power, especially amid perimenopause or menopause when caring hormones fade.

Kate Daly, co-founder of Amicable, which offers lawyer-free divorce mediation, said the social narrative around divorce has shifted in the 11 years since she started the organization. A new Amicable report, Splitting: The Bill, shows 34 percent of people feel relief and freedom afterward.

Divorcee energy embraces female autonomy without needing a boyfriend. Hixies rejected ideas that women over 35 become unattractive or lose sexual desire after menopause. Floella always makes an effort in dress because you never know who you might meet, while Sile Elliott sticks to white T-shirts and jeans.

The classic silhouette features big hats and floor-length gowns. Macleod said the key is avoiding anything minimising, like all-black outfits or tutus. Guardian fashion editor Morwenna Ferrier traced it to widow chic, citing Dolce & Gabbana's Sicilian widow looks and Carrie Bradshaw's hats in And Just Like That.

Susie Cave's new brand Weddings & Funerals offers brocade, silk, velvet, organza, black and gold, including black lace. Hixies's motto is "Wear the fucking outfit," as when she wore an Erdem set to Tesco Express.

In interiors, divorce-mom-core favors color, texture and maximalism as the opposite of a stifling marriage. Daly, divorced twice, cherished choosing every paint color and doorknob in her new home. Cats fit the vibe, unlike brat dogs.

Divorcee is pronounced "divorceee," never "divor-say."