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Kelly Rissman
US News Reporter
Forget hot girl summer and Brat summer. The 2024 season may have actually been a Ben Affleck summer.
Back in 2019, Megan Thee Stallion wanted us all to elude confidence and focus on self-care when she released “Hot Girl Summer.” In 2022, we completely switched over to comfort, wearing linen pants and wide-brimmed hats to follow the coastal grandmother trend. Most recently, we’ve transitioned to “Brat summer,” not caring about how late we stay out and speaking without a filter, as we transformed into our inner brat.
“You are just that girl who is a little messy and maybe says dumb things sometimes, who feels herself but then also maybe has a breakdown, but parties through it. It is honest, blunt, and a little bit volatile. That’s Brat. Think Courtney Love in the ’90s, Amy Winehouse in the early aughts, and Ke$ha in the 2010s,” said British pop star Charli XCX, as she described exactly what it means to have a brat summer.
But TikToker Michael Major was having the exact opposite of a Brat summer. As the Brat summer phenomenon was taking off, he was in the middle of starting a brand new job that left him completely scatterbrained. “I had just started a new job, and so I was so stressed and it was a big step – my mind was all over the place,” he told The Independent.
Major and his friends joked about the Brat summer trend not reflecting how stressed out they were feeling, as they began relating to Ben Affleck. “Affleck has always sort of been photographed as being looking like he’s at his wit’s end,” he said.
The actor has become notorious for his overall stressed-out demeanor, especially when he’s pictured smoking a cigarette to take the edge off. His meme-like quality dates back to 2016, when the internet gave him the name “Sad Affleck,” as he was consistently photographed during press tours where he looked “dead inside.” Not to mention his various paparazzi photos with a tired face, unbrushed hair, and a large coffee in his hands – mostly from Dunkin’.
Affleck is widely known for his love for Dunkin’ coffee, and became an official spokesperson when he was featured in a Dunkin’ commercial during the Super Bowl. But fans were largely convinced this summer that his “stressed” look had something to do with his “not-yet announced” divorce from Lopez.
This led to the creation of Major’s TikTok video, which showed himself walking through New York City with an iced coffee in hand. “Enjoying my Ben Affleck summer (walking around, drinking a Dunkin’ iced coffee while really stressed out),” the text across the screen read.
Not only does Affleck appear unbothered by random photos being taken of him almost all the time, but comments on social media have claimed that he appears “over it” too. As a result, it wasn’t long before fans began to suspect that he was heading toward a divorce from his second wife, Jennifer Lopez.
Major found himself relating to a previous moment in the Oscar winner’s life. As the “Sad Affleck” meme began to blow up, around the same time as the actor’s divorce from ex-wife Jennifer Garner in 2018, Major was also constantly stressed from adjusting to his new work environment – until he was laid off.
He found another commonality with the actor after being laid off from his job, lining up with the time when pictures began to circulate of Affleck looking stressed from his impending divorce with Lopez. The Batman star was once again pictured alone and without his wife, even during important moments they should have celebrated together, such as their wedding anniversary and her birthday. Major related to always appearing sad and stressed, as he continuously searched for new jobs.
Since Major posted his original video in May, other creators have joined in on the trend, showing themselves drinking an iced coffee while also “being stressed out.” Some TikTokers have taken the Ben Affleck summer to the next level by filming themselves wearing slouchy flannels and baggy tops, similar to the lazy-type fashion aesthetic that Adam Sandler coined in 2023. Simply throw on a flannel and carry a Dunkin’ coffee to achieve the classic Ben Affleck summer look.
Major took inspiration for Ben Affleck summer because of how often the actor’s divorce from Lopez was being talked about online. “It’s funny, because I’m not even a huge Ben Affleck fan, mostly just a fan from the paparazzi pictures,” he said.
By August, TMZ broke the news that Lopez had filed for divorce from Affleck after two years of marriage. The “Let’s Get Loud” singer had listed the couple’s date of separation as April 26.
The couple’s short-lived relationship sounded almost exactly like the plot of a romantic comedy. The two exes had drifted apart following the end of their 2004 engagement but reunited more than a decade later after their own failed relationships. Affleck and Lopez appeared to be each other’s “the one that got away,” and the public was heart-warmed by their adorable second chance at love. However, their divorce was drawn out for months, with every tabloid highlighting moments the pair were apart and counting the days before they were seen together again. With a new story about the couple appearing daily, it was no wonder Affleck appeared stressed in nearly every paparazzi photo.
As for Affleck, he was seen after the divorce announcement with a fast food delivery bag in his hand, and many people joked that he looked happier living the single life. “Man done found his smile again,” one person wrote on X, while another pointed out: “It seems like Uber Eats is the greatest thing that ever happened to this man. The true love of his life.”
Even Major agreed that Affleck appeared less stressed than normal after the news of his divorce was announced. “I have noticed that he does seem really happy in some of the paparazzi pictures that are surfacing, so I hope things are turning around for him!” he said.
He also noted the irony in how his own life lined up with the rise and fall of the Ben Affleck summer. “I got a new job the day that the divorce was formally announced, so maybe me and Ben Affleck’s stressful summers ended at the same time?” Major questioned.
On Labor Day on September 2, Charli XCX took to X to announce the end of Brat summer. “Goodbye forever Brat summer,” she wrote on the platform, signifying the end of the seasonal trends, including Ben Affleck summer.
But while the trend itself may be over, the actor will likely continue to provide us with memes for many summers to come.
